First off you would want to use straw not hay. Hay is usually grass or Alf alpha that is used for feed. I give my chickens, ducks and turkeys Alf alpha hay during the winter for extra greens and protein. They love it! Just sweep up the chaff (loose stuff) and throw it in the pens. I do use straw for insulation. Straw is the left over from grains like oats, wheat rye. F.Y.I. rye straw apparently is hypoallergenic. I don’t know for sure since we don’t grow rye but have heard it from a person that is dreadfully allergic to oat and wheat straw. I stuff loose straw in between the coop and a canvas tarp for added warmth. No heat lamps though! Canvas tarps are better than the cheap plastic they don’t tear as easily and breath better than plastic (so don’t’ accumulate moisture). The problems with straw are if it gets wet it won’t work as insulation and it molds and gets musty. So it may need to be replaced periodically. If you leave it until spring like posted before it will be rotten and weigh a ton. I use straw for litter too. We live on a farm and straw is plentiful! The chickens will pick through it and get loose grain from it which doesn’t hurt them at all.
The other problem is you may get critters living in it. Mice and even rats will make nests in straw bales. YUCK! It is a cheap alternative though and maybe if you wrapped plastic around it somehow it can helps keep out critters and moisture. I also use the plastic people use to cover their windows in the winter. Hope that helps.
The other problem is you may get critters living in it. Mice and even rats will make nests in straw bales. YUCK! It is a cheap alternative though and maybe if you wrapped plastic around it somehow it can helps keep out critters and moisture. I also use the plastic people use to cover their windows in the winter. Hope that helps.
