Which bedding is best?

[Chickenman MAN]

Hi! I use dengie bedding. Basically hay with pine oil in it. It is 12 pounds per 100 litre bale. I use this in my coop and nesting boxes. My neighbour uses wood shavings in the coop and dengie bedding in the nesting box. What do you think? What bedding do you use? Are chickens ok with wood shaving in the nesting box?

 

[nuthatched]

I've never heard of this, how interesting. What does the pine oil do?
I use hay, my devils would probably eat anything else.

 

[3KillerBs]

Chickens aren't as fussy about their bedding as their owners are.

Any dry organic material that is readily available and non-toxic is good bedding -- straw, pine straw, wood chips, wood shavings, dry leaves, shredded paper, rice hulls, and so on -- can be used in the coop or run with good results depending on your management system.

The bedding in the nest box needs to be fluffy enough to cushion the drop of the egg and of a texture that the hen can arrange in a comfortable hollow for her body. I have coarse-flake shavings in my nest boxes and the two girls who are laying are perfectly happy with them (as were the hens of the previous flock).

Many people use straw or hay in their nest boxes and their hens are happy with those materials.

 

[DobieLover]

Hi! I use dengie bedding. Basically hay with pine oil in it. It is 12 pounds per 100 litre bale. I use this in my coop and nesting boxes. My neighbour uses wood shavings in the coop and dengie bedding in the nesting box. What do you think? What bedding do you use? Are chickens ok with wood shaving in the nesting box?

We on the other side of the pond don't have access to a lot of what you all do.
I use hemp bedding on the coop floor. It is the plant structure left over after the oils and anything else that is marketable at a much higher price has been extracted. It is very dry, absorbent, much less dusty and easier to compost than pine shavings, which is probably one of the most used here in the States.
I use chopped straw in the nest boxes and add to it regularly to keep a deep fluffy nest.

 

[Prushanks]

I also use hemp in the coop and nesting boxes for the same reasons @DobieLover (my fellow Dobermann lover ) mentioned, though right now I am using both straw and hemp and i read that the straw’s hollow structure helps to insulate or something. On the run floor (which is actually the dirt ground) I have layered my neighbors abundant fallen pine needles and added straw after the last snow (which has subsequently melted). So far so good . I am brand new to the world of Backyard chickens keeping so it’s all an experiment for me!

 

[aart]

What kind of bedding you use may depend on how you manage the manure.
This is about cleaning, but covers my big picture
-I use poop boards under roosts with thin(<1/2") layer of sand/PDZ mix, sifted daily(takes 5-10mins) into bucket going to friends compost.
-Scrape big or wet poops off roost and ramps as needed.
-Pine shavings on coop floor, add some occasionally, totally changed out once or twice a year, old shavings added to run.
- My runs have semi-deep litter(cold composting), never clean anything out, just add smaller dry materials on occasion, add larger wood chippings as needed.
Aged ramial wood chippings are best IMO.
-Nests are bedded with straw, add some occasionally, change out if needed(broken egg).
There is no odor, unless a fresh cecal has been dropped and when I open the bucket to add more poop.
That's how I keep it 'clean', have not found any reason to clean 'deeper' in 7 years.

 

[RoyalChick]

I use fallen leaves on the coop and run floor, and sometimes i also add pine straw (which is a fancy word for pine needles from White Pines which are super soft and smell nice). I have all that for free. Sometimes in the summer I throw in herb trimmings from my mint and lavender.
Like @aart I don't clean it out and let it all compost down slowly.
In the nest boxes I use kiln dried pine shavings and if I ever feel the need to clean out the nest boxes I just tip the pine shavings on top of the leaves and pine straw and it all gets mixed in.
The chickens sometimes take a liking to a particular leaf and bring it in to decorate their nest box. Don't ask me, I have no idea why!

 

[rosemarythyme]

I've never heard of this, how interesting. What does the pine oil do?

x2, curious as to what the pine oil adds to the equation. Given how aromatic pine is I would think it'd be a bad idea, but maybe it's not enough to make it fragrant?

 

[Chickenman MAN]

We on the other side of the pond don't have access to a lot of what you all do.
I use hemp bedding on the coop floor. It is the plant structure left over after the oils and anything else that is marketable at a much higher price has been extracted. It is very dry, absorbent, much less dusty and easier to compost than pine shavings, which is probably one of the most used here in the States.
I use chopped straw in the nest boxes and add to it regularly to keep a deep fluffy nest.

I've heard hemp bedding is very good (online) but unfortunately I don't seem to be able to find it in the UK...

 

[Chickenman MAN]

x2, curious as to what the pine oil adds to the equation. Given how aromatic pine is I would think it'd be a bad idea, but maybe it's not enough to make it fragrant?

The pine oil is anti-bacterial, and there isn't that much I don't think. You can smell it is pine but it isn't like OTT just a whiff. It's a pretty big company so I'm sure someone would've gone after them if it hurt their hens. Plus it gets very good reviews.