What bedding do you use?

[jthornton]

I put leaf mountains in the chicken yard. I fill a plastic trash can and press them down as much as I can then flip the can over and pull it off the leaves. The chickens love to tear them down...

JT

 

[SueT]

In the coop and run I use wood shavings from our wood shop, my DH is a wood turner and there are a LOT of shavings to relocate. So it's hardwood shavings, from our own trees. For nest boxes tho, I rake up some of the hay after we brush cut the pasture. I thought it best not to use the same bedding in nests as on the floor so as not to confuse anyone....

 

[Patinas]

In the run, I use straw and pine shavings. In the coop, only pine shavings. In the nest boxes I use pine shavings, nesting pads or excelsior. They seem to prefer the nesting pads which are excelsior glued to parchment paper. I decided it was cheaper just to buy a box of excelsior.

 

[DudleyChickens]

I use pine shavings in the coop. One additional thing that has not been mentioned is that they also are a good drying agent that can keep the moisture level down in the coop, especially during the winter months. I am trying the Deep Litter Method this season so I do not have a high amount of waste.

Inside the run, I used 4 bales of pine shavings, arranged in a "U" shape, to create a wind barrier / shelter for the chickens to use for protection against the prevailing winds. In the spring I'll use those bails in the coop.

 

[Star and eclipsa]

I have inside chickens, and I use hay in their cat cave

( )
Because I got it for free.

They like to take some of the hay out and spread it around.

 

[Star and eclipsa]

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.

*raises hand* what is the difference?

 

[Chullicken]

I use strictly All Purpose Sand in the warmer months because it's easy peasy to clean, affordable, drains well. Chopped Straw and Sawdust/Wood Chips in the cold part of the year because I find they are more curious about it, poop freezes in place without the ice chunks I was getting with sand so I just put on some gloves and can remove waste in a matter of minutes versus having to rake and chisel sand. I do leave a 1" layer of sand than apply 5-6" of wood chips over that to form a nice solid insulation barrier. Also going to try doing a heated compost pile in my run for next winter so the substrate I'm using now can be the foundation for that.

 

[Welshies]

*raises hand* what is the difference?

Straw is cut and harvest specifically for bedding. Hay is meant for eating and has different qualities.

 

[Welshies]

I use a variety of bedding. In winter, I use a base layer of shavings, before mixing it with hay. Hay is cheaper for me in winter, as much as I dislike it (allergies). My quail get mostly hay, although part of their run has sand in the bottom (they dig through to hay to get to this). In summer my chickens get 100% pine shavings. They are cheap and sooo easy to find. Easy to use deep litter method with too.
I am currently considering switching my quail to shavings. Not sure though.

 

[Star and eclipsa]

Straw is cut and harvest specifically for bedding. Hay is meant for eating and has different qualities.

Oh. Thank you!