What bedding do you use?

[PouleChick]

So out of curiosity how soon can I be expecting usable compost from the poop / wood shavings? Please say by spring so I can get some nutrients into my poor veggie garden that has been desperately waiting for chooks for the last 2 years

 

[Sipplchicks]

I cut native grasses by hand once they are a nice and tall them lay it out to dry to use later along with oak leaves. I try to stock up on it in the end of summer/fall for the winter. I use it because it works and it's free

Great idea

 

[Sipplchicks]

Idk what TSC sells.
When I say straw I mean straw. When I say hay I mean hay.
Not sure about others. I'd imagine some don't know the difference.

Not a farmer and new this year to chickens. Learning so much. I didn't know the difference between straw and hay till this year. So be patient with the newbie's . When I say newbie I mean newbie

 

[Sipplchicks]

So out of curiosity how soon can I be expecting usable compost from the poop / wood shavings? Please say by spring so I can get some nutrients into my poor veggie garden that has been desperately waiting for chooks for the last 2 years

 

[Sipplchicks]

Poop has to age, I just dumped some on my garden in the fall. Should be fine to turn in the spring but, you can also Google how to make tea from chicken poop. Haven't tried it myself but if you delute with water you can get past the fresh ammonia. Has anyone tried this?

 

[GC-Raptor]

I used pine shavings in brooder and in coop when I moved chicks out at 5 1/2 weeks.
They ate pine shavings in the brooder and in the coop. I didn't think that was good. So I switched to straw, which is wheat stalks in my area. Then I discovered compressed straw, which is much softer. They eat some of the fines of straw which I think is OK.
I use it in nests, floor of coop, and under the raised coop. I remove coop bedding weekly and dump it into their pen. GC

 

[TwoCrows]

Wood chips/mulch.

I have tried sand, grass hay, straw and wood shavings. Of course everthing has its issues, however I have found wood chips to be the least problematic, at least in my situation. I am sticking to these for now.

 

[PouleChick]

Poop has to age, I just dumped some on my garden in the fall. Should be fine to turn in the spring but, you can also Google how to make tea from chicken poop. Haven't tried it myself but if you delute with water you can get past the fresh ammonia. Has anyone tried this?

Mmmm yum chicken poo tea I'll have a bit of a search about it - thanks for replying!

 

[mpoland33]

Pine shavings. They are cheap, low maintenance, absorbent, and easy to find. I used to use a mix of hay and pine shavings but that got matted easily. Adding leaves to the pine shavings gives the birds something to do.

Do you dry out your leaves? if so, how do you dry them out?

 

[BantyChooks]

Do you dry out your leaves? if so, how do you dry them out?

No. I rake them and dump them in.