For many years I have used pine shavings in my brooders and coop while raising backyard chickens. There are a few different bedding materials out there, but pine shavings are easy to use and make great compost. When you go to your local farm supply store there will be different types of wood shavings.
Avoid Cedar Shavings
Make sure you stay away from cedar shavings! Cedar wood contains oils that can irritate a chicken’s respiratory systems. Pine shavings are a great option. When I start the chicks in the brooders, I use fine cut shavings. They are a lot softer for the little chicks. As they grow, I move to medium or large flakes. This cuts down on the amount of dust that these little fluffy birds create! Chickens are dusty!
Adding Straw to the Coop: A Dust-Free Win!
So, this winter I decided to add straw into our bedding and the girls LOVE it! It also cuts back on the dust problem as well. It’s a win win!
The Difference Between Straw and Hay
Many people confuse straw and hay because they both come in a bale. If you didn’t grow up in farm country, this is actually a bit confusing. However, when buying bedding for your flock it is very important that you get straw!
Hay is greener and is used as livestock feed, but it’s more likely to get moldy and harbor bacteria, which is dangerous for chickens. Straw is dry and safe, making it a great option for bedding. You can find straw bales at your local farm store, or better yet, from a local farmer!
Why My Chickens Prefer Straw in Nesting Boxes
I love having the straw in the nesting boxes. In fact, I have a couple nesting boxes with pine shavings and the girls prefer the boxes with the straw! The straw boxes stay fairly clean, are easier to keep clean and a snap to clean out! How many times can you use clean in a sentence? Haha!
Chickens Love Straw for Scratching Fun
Also, the chickens love scratching around in the bedding, searching for treats their flock mates may have missed. The straw adds an extra layer for scratching fun! My rooster, Goose, is busy pointing out snacks to his lady friends. Roosters are great at this—they find treats and peep to call the hens over!
The Deep Litter Method: Save Time Cleaning the Coop
We use the deep litter method in our coop. So, instead of scooping out and replacing coop litter frequently, the deep litter method allows the manure and bedding material to accumulate and decompose inside the coop. With this method, we only need to clean out our coop a couple times a year!
Turning Chicken Bedding into Garden Compost
When we clean out the coop, we throw the soiled bedding into our large compost pile. This allows the “hot” chicken poop to break down with the bedding materials and create an incredible, nutrient-rich compost for our garden. Then, I sprinkle Coop to Garden over the compost to help it break down quicker and add valuable nutrients for the soil. This makes my garden flourish!
Pine Shavings and Straw Are the Best Bedding Options
Ultimately, while there are multiple different bedding choices, I’ve found straw and pine shavings to be economical and efficient for our coop!
Until next time,
–The Wing Lady
Coop to Garden - Compost Chicken Manure Faster
Coop to Garden is an organic fast-acting compost accelerator specially designed to break down chicken litter in your compost. It contains lemon and lime essential oils, probiotics and patented ingredients to accelerate the recycling of waste. It is effective in a wide range of temperatures and for use in all compost applications.
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