What kind of bedding do you use?

[tillysmum]

HI there, I'm another newbie (must be the time of year for it), building my house and run this weekend and then hoping to collect some girls the following week--2 each Black Rock and Amber Star--just 4 for starters as I'm sure we will want more (especially after reading everone else's posts)!!

Anyway, I'm wondering what kind of bedding you use and why?

Many thanks
tillysmum

[lynda66]

last week i had run out of shavings, so i just cleaned them out and used straw ....... they stunk, so i had to go get more shavings ......... in this weather for extra heat in winter if they were outside, i'd go for a deep litter system, mix of straw and shavings, for one it heats up with the poo in it, so keeps them nice and warm, and it also means you use less bedding, as you just need to sprinkle over the top when it gets a bit dirty or smelly. then in a couple of months, give it a good clean out.

[vicky]

Hi Tillysmum, welcome to chicken addicts anon...

I use wood shavings bought in a big horsey size bale, good absorbancy, easy to spot poop, renew completely every 3 months or so.

Have also used a horse bedding mix of shavings/chopped straw (smells incredible!) but this was not as absorbant, darker so harder to see droppings and so lovely and soft they all started nesting and laying on the floor...now used in the run instead!

Have also used sheets of newspaper but this needs to be renewed every day (great if you have lots of newspapers to get through though!) as the poop splatters over it from the perch - most unpleasant!

Whereabouts are you?

[Suechooks]

Hi Tillysmum and welcome!
I use wood shavings. You need to ensure they are dust extracted as hens get respiratory problems if not. You can buy them from horsey places. I sometimes put straw on top but only when its really cold. I clean the poo out every morning and then full empty out every couple of weeks. I usually put a good thick layer then renew when it gets low.I pay about £6 a bale - with 4 chooks it'll last ages. I've got 14 in 2 huts and it lasts me a couple of months.
I've got an Amber Link and a Black Rock. Amber is a sweetie but Rusty the Black Rock can be a bit of a bully but not in a malicious way.
Good luck with the girls - you'll doubtless have lots more before long!

[shirlthegirl43]

Welcome to chicken city! I have 5 hens and they live in an old cupboard type thing. They have shavings in the nest box and just newspaper on the floor. as stated above, this needs changing regularly but my in-laws get a big newspaper every day so I don't have to pay anything and the whole lot gets dumped in the compost bin. Haven't had the hens that long so not sure how quickly the paper and poop will rot down.

When we renovate the old shed and they have more space (and we prolly get more hens) then I hope to bed on straw or shavings depending what I can get through the house easily. Shavings work out very costly if you are buying the little packs intended for mice/gerbils etc from the supermarket hence me using these only in the nest box.

Good luck with your hens.

[MaureenHall]

Dust-extracted wood shavings on the floor, Easi-bed added for extra absorbency, shredded junk mail and straw in the nest boxes. When the run gets a bit too muddy and slippy, I chuck a load of Easi-bed down (it's like wood chip) and that soaks up all the moisture. I probably clean out the coop more often than it's needed but that's to stop any smells before they start really (don't want the neighbours to complain!). I bought a new bale of straw yesterday for £2.50, and as it was far too big to fit in the shed or anywhere else under cover, I've put it in the run covered with garden furniture covers - oh the chooks have had a lovely time opening it up, pulling out the straw and spreading it around and well as playing "let's see who can jump the furthest off the top". I did split the bale though so it's not all going to get spoiled, about a third of it is in a couple of big blue Ikea bags squashed in the shed (can hardly shut the door now!)

[lizzylemon]

Hello and Welcome to Chickens R us! I've had my 4 girls since Mid December, outside in a wooden coop at night and in the run / free ranging (since the fence is now no object) during the day.

I use the wood shavings which smell lovely, is easy to keep clean and very good at insulating. I brought the bale (meant for horses) from a local Farm Suppliers Shop (Central Wool Gatherers in my case) for 6 quid I think and I've hardly used any even though I clear it out 1nce a week (poo collection happens every day though).

Poo collected every day gets flung onto the veggie patch (unless I see worms in it) and the woodchip stuff goes into the composter and mixed in well. I think it'll take about year to rot down fully so I'm sharing it with friends and neighbours otherwise the mix of compost won't be right.

[tillysmum]

Thanks for all your replies. We have a horse too and I used chopped rape straw for him (Nedz Bedz) but it has eucalyptus oils added to aid breathing and I wondered if using this in nest boxes would taint the eggs at all?

[MaureenHall]

Not sure about the eucalyptus oil, egg shells are porous so the chances are that it may penetrate the eggs. I don't think I'd use it

[Bephlam]

I use hemcore...Mmmmm....lovely smell!! Sometimes I give them shredded paper (usually junk mail and old bills, etc) if it's REALLY cold out!

The hemcore is a little more expensive than wood shavings - it costs me £7 for a HUGE bag, but it lasts about 4 months per bag.

[Bephlam]

Oh, and welcome to the Vine!

[janeyo]

Hi we use a mixture of chopped straw and shavings. Bought a bag when we got them last Jan and still using same bag (was about £20 I think). When it runs out, prob in the next month I will prob swithc to shredded paper although I have heard they scatter it far and wide!

janeyo

[pipscariad]

Welcome to the Vine! I use wood shavings, bought in bulk from the local farm stores, and it's great. Used to use straw, but shavings are much easier to cope with.

Hi we use a mixture of chopped straw and shavings. Bought a bag when we got them last Jan and still using same bag (was about £20 I think). When it runs out, prob in the next month I will prob swithc to shredded paper although I have heard they scatter it far and wide!

I was just about to say this, when I read your post! I tried it a few months ago, but the messy moo's dragged it all over the place and it did look a tad litter-y. I was also a bit worried it might get caught on their legs, as the edges of the strips were a bit rough. Maybe I've just got a cheap and rubbish shredder though!

[Twinkle]

like Bephlam, I'm another fan of Hemcore.... tends to soak up the poo more than shavings, but is more pricy and harder to get hold of. A little goes a long way though and a bale will last 6-8 months.

I just use sheets of newspaper on the floor of the coop, then roll them up and fling the lot onto the compost heap, paper and all. Oh, and straw in the nest box - I tried shredded paper but found it got damp quickly and welded itself to the eggs.

[Bephlam]

I was just about to say this, when I read your post! I tried it a few months ago, but the messy moo's dragged it all over the place and it did look a tad litter-y. I was also a bit worried it might get caught on their legs, as the edges of the strips were a bit rough. Maybe I've just got a cheap and rubbish shredder though!

There are no rough edges on the shredder paper I use, but it is messy. I end up picking most of it up from the garden, but it does the trick on the really cold nights - and it's free, and recycled...so it works for me!