Should I use straw or hay in my chicken coop?
NEVER use hay as coop bedding. Hay is livestock feed, straw is livestock bedding. Hay is too “green” and tends to harbor mold and bacteria which is extremely detrimental to poultry health.
What is the best bedding for chicken coops?
Medium- to coarse-grained sand is the best chicken coop bedding as it’s non-toxic, dries quickly, stays clean, is low in pathogens, and has low levels of dust. Sand is a much safer choice than all other bedding materials.
Is straw better than shavings for chickens?
Excellent Absorption. Easily attainable – you can pick up shavings at local feed stores. Easy to Clean – Shavings can be fluffed and forked up much easier than straw bedding. Great Odor Control – Because shavings are typically more absorbent than straw, it is also better at controlling odors.
What do you do with chicken poop from a straw?
Chicken owners normally use bedding such as shavings, sawdust, dry leaves, or straw to provide a dry cushion for chickens and to control odor and pests. The coop bedding can be collected with the manure and dumped into a composting bin.
What is the best bedding for chickens in the winter?
Although straw is soft, it is not very absorbent, quickly becoming wet from the chicken’s waste. A wet bedding is hazardous to chickens because it harbors mold which can make the hens sick. A better chicken coop bedding for the winter months is an absorbent bedding such as pine pellets or hemp.
What should I put on my chicken coop floor?
Several different flooring materials are suitable for chicken coops, including concrete, plywood, and linoleum. Good chicken coop flooring is safe, predator- and rodent-proof, durable, and easy to clean.
What do I do with all the chicken poop?
Dispose of the chicken poop by putting it in the compost pile. It’s full of both the browns (litter like wood shavings) and the greens (poop) you need to build a good compost, so into the compost bin it goes!
Can you put wet straw in a chicken coop?
Wet straw can develop mold and you don’t want to introduce that into your chicken coop! Straw does dry out quite quickly when used in the coop and I have never had a mold problem when dry straw was added to my coop. If straw bales were allowed to remain wet for a length of time then mold is possible so make sure you start out with dry straw.
What kind of bedding do you need for a chicken coop?
In most areas, straw is readily available. For advice on where to find straw, see the section below, Finding and buying straw bedding for your chicken coop. Straw bedding is super lightweight when compared to sand. You will have a much easier time maneuvering it in and out of your coop.
Is it OK to use hay in a chicken coop?
And your chickens will LOVE poking around looking for weed seeds and bugs! NEVER use hay as coop bedding. Hay is livestock feed, straw is livestock bedding. Hay is too “green” and tends to harbor mold and bacteria which is extremely detrimental to poultry health.
Which is better for chicken coop shavings or straw?
Easy to Clean – Shavings can be fluffed and forked up much easier than straw bedding. Great Odor Control – Because shavings are typically more absorbent than straw, it is also better at controlling odors. Cost – Depending upon coop size, using shavings can become somewhat pricey.
Wet straw can develop mold and you don’t want to introduce that into your chicken coop! Straw does dry out quite quickly when used in the coop and I have never had a mold problem when dry straw was added to my coop. If straw bales were allowed to remain wet for a length of time then mold is possible so make sure you start out with dry straw.
Easy to Clean – Shavings can be fluffed and forked up much easier than straw bedding. Great Odor Control – Because shavings are typically more absorbent than straw, it is also better at controlling odors. Cost – Depending upon coop size, using shavings can become somewhat pricey.
In most areas, straw is readily available. For advice on where to find straw, see the section below, Finding and buying straw bedding for your chicken coop. Straw bedding is super lightweight when compared to sand. You will have a much easier time maneuvering it in and out of your coop.
What do you use to clean out chicken coops?
We use wood shavings in some coops, but hay and straw in others. That can add up to a lot of stinky bedding to get rid of. The coop litter situation gets real bad in the spring when it’s time to clean out the coops that use the deep litter method.