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We used straw at first too. But the wood shavings breaks down faster, is much easier for the kids to scoop up using old dust pans. And also, mites can live in the tubes of the straw. I find that the shavings are much more absorbent also.
 
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that is great about your blue chick. Cant wait to see pictures of it..

Me too! He won't come out for a photo op yet!!!!
 
I got my gate panel; was putting it in place and it started to hail! what a surprise. However, progress is being made; I also got livestock panels for dealing with some squishy parts of the pasture fence to keep Mike's chickens out and mine in.

I also got one (1) joist hanger in place for the floor frame before the wind picked up and the rain started. I will, eventually, have a tunnel roof over this run, but there's no way to put it in until I get the coop built and all the wire up, so: no covered work area. Life is so complicated!
 
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We used straw at first too. But the wood shavings breaks down faster, is much easier for the kids to scoop up using old dust pans. And also, mites can live in the tubes of the straw. I find that the shavings are much more absorbent also.

Hmm ok, good to know, I'll have to change then, thanks!
 
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I've thrown a flake or two of straw in the run for my chickens to "play in" - when it's not raining. They love to kick it around looking for the bits of wheat. After that with all the rain in the Seattle area what's left eventually gets moldy and I have to clean it out. I use shavings in the coop. The ones that end up outside do absorb water - which is good - and they don't get moldy like the straw. They just kind of blend in with the ground. The straw never blends in with the ground. It just lays there.
I use wood shavings for the horse, too, as they are so absorbent. They really help with the mud!!!
 
yea I guess that's where I've used it the most, although I don't have a barn for my horses so I don't use wood shavings for anything, but it looks better too! I have my chicks on straw right now and I have to clean it a lot! I've also seen the feed stores use wood pellets for their brooders? Thanks for the advice!
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Hi
So are you on the west side or the east side? We have been talking about getting together a few place's.

Hay Sadiesue did you figure on a date yet?
 
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I've been reading a lot about various beddings, and I'll be using pellets in everything but the nest boxes; I'm being really old school for those, and harvesting and drying moss out of my poor beleagered entry yard perennial garden (the one that will eventually be repurposed as a banty run). When it stops raining (faith is a lovely thing, isn't it?) I'm planning on gathering and washing/drying waste hay from the pasture.

Straw is hideously expensive; no-till and short stem wheats have put its price at a premium (there are other minor straws, but except for oat straw, which is magical stuff, sweet smelling and soft, rye, barley, et'c are not distinguishable from wheat). It's pretty and relatively durable (and hard to compost, as a result) but it's also in need of protection from ground and rain, harbors rodents and insects almost as badly as two-wire hay bales, and is a problem to handle: I've got scars from dragging it across my hands making up show-cattle stalls. The best thing about straw is that it doesn't support disease pathogens; my BIL keeps some around for bedding sick piglets.
 
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