Your bedding opinion

[4-H chicken mom]

The shavings I buy are in bags, easy to store but if I could find someone who sells it in bulk, I would find somewhere to store it. It is a lot cheaper.

 

[eggzettera]

I don't know about y'alls taste, but I prefer egyptian cotton or flannel bedding myself......

 

[silkiechicken]

LOL.

I use shavings for brooders and straw for the large runs. Reason being is shavings are easier to use and the straw I am using now was free from 2 years ago after a pumpkin display.

If I was made of money and could use any bedding, it would be shavings. They run me about 10 bucks a large bag though... which does add up.

 

[Sparks]

We have always used shavings. The deep litter method was great for the winter. We are lucky enough to know someone with a sawmill and a whole truck load bagged up costs us a 12 pk of beer and dog treats so we can get close enough to the house!

 

[MandyH]

We have always used pine chips with paper towels over them for the little ones. I had some sporadic deaths here and there, and I figured it was from them eating shavings. Well I switched to peat moss and NO MORE dead chicks. You buy peat moss in bales like the pine shavings and a bale lasts forever because it packs down more than the shavings. I was skeptical at first but since I have tried it myself I will never use wood chips again. We have anywere between 100-600 chicks, ducks, turkeys etc... in brooders year round so I know how fast they can get nasty, but the peat moss is EXCELLENT.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Truckload might be awful overkill unless you have more chickens than probably 99% of the people on this list have (or also have horses whose stalls you're bedding in shavings). Or are totally rebedding a VERY LARGE coop. Yeah, if you store bulk shavings outdoors you ought to tarp it.

But 'regular folks' usually just buy the bales - if they're paper-wrapped you store them in the garage or whatever (or only buy 'em when you need 'em so there is not much need for storage at all). Plastic-wrapped bales can be stored outdoors on a pallet, just make sure that any small rips in the bags are on the underside and/or bunge a small tarp over them if you really feel paranoid. But I will tell you that I've had plastic-wrapped shavings bales stored outdoors for up to 1.5 years with no deterioration of the shavings inside (they were insulating a basement window

)


Pat, reminded by this thread that I need to go buy more shavings soon for the horses

 

[thechickenchick]

My thanks to everyone! Im thinkin....shavings! Besides, they smell better!

 

[lfoose]

Thanks everyone for you opinions. I think I may try the shavings. My only concern now is what do I do with all of my straw? It's atleast 5" deep

 

[patandchickens]

Compost it if i'ts got lots of poo in it (straw+poo makes terrific compost!). If it's not very pooey, use it for mulch.


Pat

 

[LynneP]

I'm planning on peat moss on the planks and hay in the nests, I hope it works out! peat moss ia a local product which I have used for horses for many years...