Yard leafs as bedding

[Davea50501]

I live in Florida and all our leafs have just falling. Is it OK to use leafs for bedding? They say to make good compost use 2/3rds brown and 1/3rd green so this mixture should work well for that. I put hay in the nesting boxes. I don't want them uncomfortable but I have massive amounts of leafs.

 

[nan4848]

I use leaves in my run all the time. Just stir them around with a rake every few days. In the fall I usually use a thick layer, stir it every so often, and in the spring I have a nice addition to my compost. It usually peels off the dirt floor in sheets.

If you are using in the coop, you might want to sprinkle with DE and stir it around once a day as it will probably mat down. The DE will help to dry the poo and keep down creepy crawlies.

 

[Davea50501]

What's DE?

 

[nan4848]

Diatomaceous Earth
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/food-grade-de-diatomaceous-earth

 

[BunkyB]

I use leaves every fall for the coop floors and just pile it in there. The birds break down the leaves nicely and they get their share of bugs to eat and some greens as you indicate. I don't use leaves in the nesting boxes tho. They scratch through the leaves on the floor, don't need them to start scratching in the nesting boxes.

I find leaves a good floor filler and save on the shaving costs... Steve

 

[Davea50501]

Great it seems to be working well so far.