What's Everyone's Favorite Bedding?

[Messipaw]

Currently we are using hay and wood shavings. I would love to switch to sand. Post more info!! Thank you

 

[Messipaw]

Hay is better then straw correct? Straw is hollow so it can collect mites easier. Is that Correct?

 

[Sweet T]

I used pine shavings at one time, but somehow got a dusty batch. All my chickens started sneezing! So I took it out and started using hay instead, and haven't used anything else since. It works great, and they love to scratch around in it!

 

[lauranickerson]

Hay is better then straw correct? Straw is hollow so it can collect mites easier. Is that Correct?

I haven't heard of that, but it would make perfect sense!

 

[lauranickerson]

When I chickens as a kid, we used a mixture of straw and shredded paper. At Christmas, instead of throwing all of our ripped up wrapping paper away, we put it all through the paper shredder and that lasted us for a long time. Junk mail and other random paper made it's way in, too. Not sure it was the best thing, but it worked, and it was cheap.

Bought the sand today. Seems a little moist still in the bag. Hopefully it will dry out soon after putting in down. Our coop is SOOOO dusty, so I hope this will help. I'm sick of them flapping their wings and seeing dust fly everywhere.

I'm thinking about moving my nesting boxes that are sitting on a piece of plywood about waist-high. There's two of these "shelves" on each side, and I want to turn them into poop boards, and have them roost above them. Just don't know where to put my nesting boxes.

Either way, I'll post some before and after pictures of my current situation.

 

[lauranickerson]

Started my transition to sand yesterday! Took before pics, but I'll wait to post them until it's done. I have to get more sand because three 50lb bags wasn't enough. It's about 1.5" at the deepest spots.

Things I've noticed so far: Less dust!!

, less smell (as long as I still clean off the poo on the nesting boxes and roost areas [you'll see my set-up soon]). Also, when I poured the sand out of the bags, the sand was damp, kind of like sand castle consistency. It was almost dark when I did it and needed to put the birds in, and I think the duck poo soaked into the already-damp sand, which didn't help. :/ It's almost all dry now, but I have to take a tonged-hoe to it keep it from getting matted. I don't think I'll have to when it dries completely.

I attacked the coop with the shop vac yesterday, and I still have the last quarter to do (in the storage area where the birds can't get to) so all of my stuff is sprawled all over the yard. Bleck.

Going to pick up more sand tomorrow. Hopefully I can find some already-dry stuff. Staying away from construction sand because I don't want the silica.

 

[lauranickerson]

So here it is. It's still a work in progress. I plan on moving my nesting boxes on the empty wall that has the chicken door on it, and making the two sides poop boards with sand. Still want to maybe paint the wood for the poop boards and still have to clean the walls. But it's a big start!

BEFORE:

My messy coop. I pulled everything out so I could vacuum really well. (There's also a little junk out there, too...I'll admit it.) And my little chickies are out front in a little wire circle thing. And I need to mow. Haha. IF you couldn't tell, you walk through the main two doors into the entry area, where I keep all my supplies, then there's another set of double doors into the actual living space.




Right side with wood shavings.



Left side with wood shavings and my pooper scooper. My brooding trough goes under these nesting boxes where there aren't many wood shavings.



Wood shavings are soooooo dusty!




AFTER:


All my food on the left side of the entry way (rabbit's, too.

)


Right side of the entry way. Ladder goes up to second floor (haven't cleaned that out yet. Still need to put the metal corners on the coop where the light is shining through.)


Newest three bags of sand I put in yesterday are still a little damp. It's dry in some places.






Future poop board. Might paint it white first.


The nesting boxes aren't attached so I might hang them from the wall with the chicken door and make that spot another roosting/poop board. What do you guys think?




I'm pretty excited for this change.

 

[Hooligans7]

I use either wheat straw or oat straw depending on what's being harvested locally. Both are relatively inexpensive — less than $6 per highly compressed bale, size 14" X 20" X 36". The straw is soft and absorbent, and breaks down and composts well. I use the composted bedding/litter as a garden soil amendment, which has made a substantial difference in the size and quality of our veggies. In addition, fresh clean straw is a good garden mulch. Yep, I like straw.
As a bonus, when used as a mulch, we get a small wheat crop from the remaining wheat seeds in the straw. When it's ready, we harvest the wheat ears to use in our breads, either as whole wheat berries or cracked.

 

[Novice Chick]

I am very new to this, as I have only had my chickens since April. I love the ideas I am hearing, especially the grass clippings in the run! In the coop, we use straw and pine shavings, only because I didn't know any better and I thought that's what you do! I read someone used sand, is that right on the floor of the coop? It must be easy to clean?

 

[Hooligans7]

I am very new to this, as I have only had my chickens since April. I love the ideas I am hearing, especially the grass clippings in the run! In the coop, we use straw and pine shavings, only because I didn't know any better and I thought that's what you do! I read someone used sand, is that right on the floor of the coop? It must be easy to clean?

Well, like a lot of things, "it depends!" It depends on whether you have a stationary coop or a chicken tractor (or chicken ark), and what kind of floor it has. A friend of mine who is also my "chicken mentor" has a stationary coop on a dirt floor that began to smell bad, especially in damp weather. I told him how much I like using straw inside my chicken ark, which has a plastic floor, and is super easy to clean out. So, he started using a thick layer of straw on top of the dirt, and reported an immediate improvement. Since the straw also absorbs moisture from the contaminated soil in there, it is absorbing the odors as well. When it becomes dirty and can't take any more, he will pull it out with a garden hoe, put in it the compost bin, and replace the bedding with fresh straw.
I don't know about sand; it wouldn't be immune to getting dirty, and you'd have to do something with it when it becomes dirty (wash it? Throw it away? As I said, I don't know). But, you could put straw on top to absorb the liquids and let the chickens bust it all up, then use it in the garden next year.