What can you use for litter?

[ThisoldNHhen]

Can you use grass clippings in coop. I add them to the run on occasion, but can I add that to deep litter without adding too much moisture? Do chickens have any use for Pinecones? There is an abundance this year, so when mowing it grabs them also...Can I add leaves this fall as we will have lots of leaves soon? So many questions I know...!!!!

 

[black_cat]

Leaves are definitely fun to scratch through, but I can't help you with the other stuff.

 

[3KillerBs]

Dry organic material like DRIED grass clippings, dry leaves, pine straw, shredded paper, etc. can be added to the more usual shavings and/or straw. IMO, a mix of materials is better to prevent packing and matting.

You shouldn't put fresh, green grass clippings into the coop both because of the moisture and because they're a high-nitrogen material when what you need is high-carbon material to react with the high-nitrogen poop.

The pinecones won't be very absorbent. How big are they and do they have any sticky pine resin on them? I can't see any advantage to adding the huge cones from my longleaf and loblolly pines, but smaller, more fragile pinecones might help prevent the bedding from packing and matting. Or maybe not.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I wouldn't use any of the above in a coop, unless it's a true deep litter (composting) set up. For the run, feel free to use all of those. I don't deliberately put in dried pinecones but some get swept up with the grass clippings and dried leaves, so I just leave them in the mix, as they work somewhat like wood chips.