What bedding you guys use for winter?

[Annalyse]

I'm using straw right now but going to be switching over to hemp bedding because I hear straw can cause mold if not done right so I was wondering what you guys use?

 

[Bird_Lover_17]

I use sand in my coops (quail and chicken), year round. It doesn't get moldy and you can clean it out with a kitty litter scoop.

 

[Annalyse]

I use sand in my coops (quail and chicken), year round. It doesn't get moldy and you can clean it out with a kitty litter scoop.

Will it keep them warm?

 

[Annalyse]

Will it keep them warm?

Also what kind of sand?

 

[jreardon1918]

Pine shavings in the coop. Yard debris in the run, along with the annual fall coop cleanout.

 

[Annalyse]

Pine shavings in the coop. Yard debris in the run, along with the annual fall coop cleanout.

My chickens kick there bedding out everywhere when I put new in so pine shavings wouldnt really work for me but I have tried it when they were first put into the coop and went wild

 

[Bird_Lover_17]

Also what kind of sand?

Will it keep them warm?

It keeps my chickens warm- they snuggle down in it.

It's tube sand. You can buy it at Lowe's or Home Depot

 

[Aapomp831]

We just switched to the deep litter method (or deep bedding)? We heard that when the poop breaks down the decomposition generates heat. Does anyone else use this method?

 

[Aapomp831]

It keeps my chickens warm- they snuggle down in it.

It's tube sand. You can buy it at Lowe's or Home Depot

But you have to scoop it out every morning, right? Won’t the poop that doesn’t decompose turn into little ice cubes? I’ve heard so many different things

 

[humblehillsfarm]

Straw can also harbor bugs in their hollow centers. Chickens don’t need bedding, they need litter. I agree sand or something scoopable is best for keeping a clean coop. The less poop the less humidity, and humidity is what makes the risk of frost bite higher. Currently I’m using pine shavings with a poop board underneath the roost that I scoop daily. This keeps things clean and fresh with manageable humidity. The job of litter is not to keep the coop warm, although some may argue that deep litter method helps keep the coop warm, I have not found that to be true in my experience.