To straw, or not to straw?

[dusta]

We got our sawdust from the lumber mill. The chickens loved scratching in it and taking dust baths. The chicken house never smelled .
Pine shavings are used in commercial poultry houses. Does not cause any harm and breaks down when spread on the fields.

 

[Folly's place]

Avoid black walnut shavings or chips! It's toxic at least for horses, and I don't know about poultry, but just avoid it.
Mary

 

[dusta]

I think it depends on the freshness and how and where the straw is stored more than anything when it comes to mites and such. Many hardware/farm stores will get a load of straw and not sell it that quick so it sits around longer and has more exposure to weather and wild birds, etc. If I needed some I would take fresh farm straw any day if I could get it.

A couple years ago we had a cold snap and I needed some for a small coop on the ground and nobody close had any. I had to pay premium to buy a bale from a hardware store that was kept in a shed. It looked alright but I set some flakes on the coop roof for a minute and when I picked them up, mites everywhere! Needless to say the whole bale was ashes real quick. Lesson learned. lol

Straw is often sprayed. Put on your garden as mulch and you can lose your entire garden. I do not know how it affects chickens as I never used it around my chickens.

Avoid black walnut shavings or chips! It's toxic at least for horses, and I don't know about poultry, but just avoid it.
Mary

Definetely! That is one shaving I have not seen not sure it is ever kept. Jugalone is poisonous.

I think they ruled out rice likewise. We had it in one commercial batch ..it got in eyes and nostrils. Never saw it again

 

[StinkyAcres]

Sawdust shaving

Sawdust and shavings are different things. Sawdust is fine wood dust and is dangerous to breath in. Shavings are larger and make good coop bedding. And wood chips are even larger and make good run litter. I wouldn't use anything finer than shavings around birds. Sifted/large flake shavings are even better.

 

[Luv Ducks]

Sawdust and shavings are different things. Sawdust is fine wood dust and is dangerous to breath in. Shavings are larger and make good coop bedding. And wood chips are even larger and make good run litter. I wouldn't use anything finer than shavings around birds. Sifted/large flake shavings are even better.

I totally agree and this is why I can't use my husbands fine sawdust. I don't want my ducks to have breathing problems. I didn't realize that sawdust shavings were different. Thanks for clarifying that for me.

 

[Love Donkeys]

Avoid black walnut shavings or chips! It's toxic at least for horses, and I don't know about poultry, but just avoid it.
Mary

We have a few Black Walnuts on our farm, mostly near the house. They are toxic to just about everything that tries to grow within their drip edge. The thick outer husk of the black walnut contain Tannins and will stain your skin and clothes.

 

[Folly's place]

There are lists of plants that can and cannot live in the root zone of these trees, very helpful for making planting decisions. Some plants do better there!
Mary

 

[Love Donkeys]

We use large flake pine shaving from TSC in our walk-in coop, one bale a month. My 26 y/o grandson cleans out the coop monthly and deposits the soiled shavings in the manure spreader.

 

[Rock and Rhode]

should I put straw on the floor of my coop during cold weather?

I use straw bales. There often tasty seeds and gives them something to scratch through.