Wheat Straw Bales

[kalaim]

I'm a city girl with chickens! On Craigslist there are wheat straw bales for sale, which I wanted to get some sort of bales of hay or straw for some insulation for the winter.

Will this do? What is the difference in hay and straw?

I feel really silly!!

 

[the simple life]

Believe it or not I use to know the difference but do you think I can remember now.
Someone here will know.

 

[pips&peeps]

I prefer not to use any kind of straw as it can harbor lice and mites within the empty shafts.

Chickens can usually eat hay, the shafts or stems don't get as large. I do feed my birds alfalfa as a supplement. Hay is usually leafy or long grass. Straw is the empty or left over stems from oats or wheat, etc.

What exactly were your thoughts for insulation or use? That might help us help you better.

 

[kalaim]

I was going to put some down as bedding and put some full bales around to block out some drafts.

 

[Katy]

Straw is what is left after you harvest the grain. Hay is the whole plant. I use big round bales along the north sides of my pens and coops for insulation. We raise wheat so I've got a pretty good supply of straw and we've got a cow herd so I've got access to hay also. I don't like to use the straw as bedding because it can get pretty wet and messy when the weather is wet for an extended period of time. I do use it in their nests tho.

 

[pips&peeps]

I would use pine shavings for bedding.

It is up to you to use straw or not, you will end up having to dispose of it somehow in the spring.

Do you have a coop with four walls and roof? If so, they will go inside if they get too cold.

 

[kalaim]

Thanks, I think I will stick with pine for the bedding. I have sand right now and I did put down a little pine but I will put down a thicker layer for winter.

 

[Chicken Cluck]

Pine sounds good. good luck!

 

[CoyoteMagic]

I have a dirt floor and after a heavy rain the straw that I put down on top of it just sucked up and held onto the water. Took that out and put in pine shavings. It doesn't seem to hold the water like the pine. Was dry to the touch 3 days after a tropical storm!