# Bedding



## Shalva

what are you using for bedding???? 

why do you use it??? 

Have you tried other bedding that didn't work ??? 

can you compost it?? 


my chicks will be headed out into their coop in a week or so and right now I am using shavings... but want to know what you use and why??? 

thanks so much 
s


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## JackAubrey

Pine shavings. There is a man a few miles down the road that has a mill.JA


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## SunnySideUpCoops

We use hay but we also have to change it often. However they do like laying eggs in it (nesting box w/hay).


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## TheLazyL

I got mine from Tractor Supply.


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## Keith

Hay as well, we shred a portion of the property then use it for that plus other uses.


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## TopTop

Straw, it's cheap & easy to get and it works. My indoor area is very basic. An elevated floor inside a bigger shed with straw. A hole in the side with a chicken ladder to the ground. No nest boxes, no perches. I put an igloo type doghouse in there as a temporary nest box until I could build some, but they didn't use it. They just went in the corner behind the igloo, fixed the straw to their liking & left the eggs. They go to the opposite corner which is closest to the door and line up along the wall to sleep. With no perch, they sit on their feet which keeps them warm. It worked so well I never saw any reason to change it. On extremely cold nights they will go into the igloo to sleep. On really hot nights they will roost outside on an old table or on the chicken ladder, unless we don't lock them in, then they may be out of the pen near the garden. One thing I noticed, without an elevated perch or box to roost on & no food or water inside the straw stays very clean. We occasionally add a few shakes & maybe once a year push it outside & put down fresh. About as simple & low maintenance as it gets.


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## Beeorganic

Edited to delete


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## Shalva

seems like most are using straw... I will hae to think about this... right now we are using shavings... the DE is a great idea I will have to get some of that.... I use it for my dogs anyway... 
thanks all


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## Apyl

I just use straw from TSC until I find a local seller. I compost my bedding. I use 1 full bale everytime I clean the coop out.


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## renee3025

*our bedding*

We use shredded corn cobs. We buy the Becks brand at TSC. It's $3 something for a big bag. I was told it was good to use because if they eat any of it they won't get constipated like they can with shavings and it's cleaner than straw. We really like it and I don't have to change it too often.


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## rob

i use wood shavings my birds love it. ive tried hay but they dont like that. also ive heard hay promotes fleas and bugs?


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## ThreeJ

Wood shavings used here too.


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## cindy

I use straw it decomposes faster then hay and easier to remove with a pitch fork
when cleaning the coop where shavings imo make a mess.
I never have any issues with flea's mites or any other kind of pests.


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## 7chicks

I use wood shavings. Great for the garden and in the cold months, it goes straight into the woodboiler giving us all heat. (coop is also heated off woodboiler besides the house)


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## OldRoo

I have been using "cross shredded " paper, have not had any problem with it and is free


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## HappyRoo

I really don't think people use Hay. " Do You" ???


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## thewhisperingoaks

*Cedar Chippings*

I was wondering, We just cleaned up a bunch of Cedar trees in our forest and Chipped the branches up, would they be ok for a bedding material? 
I have bunches of it and it smells so nice, but I am concerned whether it will be safe for the birds?


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## cindy

Cedar is suppose to be toxic to chickens.


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## ChubbyChicken

I don't like using straw, because it gets so heavy. I like wood shavings because they wash away faster, where I shovel the poo on the property line.


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## rob

HappyRoo said:


> I really don't think people use Hay. " Do You" ???


it would seem people do.


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## Ailig

I use straw its easy cleaned out and can be put on the compost heap


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## thewhisperingoaks

good to know, changed my plans.


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## crossbonesdennis

I use fine pine shavings that I buy from our local co-op. I use Sweet PDZ under the roost. It controls odor in the coop and is easy to clean out droppings.


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## cathiesue

I've got shavings in the coop. I don't clean it i just stir it around, remove it if it's wet, add fresh on top. I won't clean it out completely for two more months. No flies. No problems.
Straw in the run. They free range all day so I still have lots of grass and weeds but bare dirt too. They get a lot of exercise scratching and digging in the straw. i have a small shelter in the run for shade and they love the straw there. They rustle around busy making it comfy and then will sleep there in the afternoon.
I'm thinking about straw for the coop when i go to change it out.


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## cindy

mine really love the memory foam good feather support!


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## orna

Type of bedding can vary greatly depending on coop type and location. I use DLM in the coop proper and a combination of sand, alfalfa and hay shake throughout the run and nesting areas (all on the dirt) + DE all overthe place . However, I'm in the high desert, so moisture is not at all an issue here. 
The grasses in the run 1) keep the flock busy shredding, eating, spreading it around and 2)clean up is a snap - just rake, which I do every 7-10 days depending...


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## SCYankees

We are new at this, but I am using straw for the nests for laying and wood shavings under the roosts. I don't have anything on the floor of the coop. I let them scratch it out so that they have dirt there, and they we put up a hardwire plastic fence from the door out onto the lawn and that is where they do most of their running around. With wood shavings, I find I can use a cat litter scooper and save some of the shavings while getting rid of the solids.


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## cogburn

Hay in the nests and just sand in the floor of coop, in East Texas we have plenty of sand and it's easy to clean the poop under the roosts. They go out each morning @ 6:30 and back in @ 8:30 each evening. And they have dust bowls everywhere in the shade for baths during the day they nap there also. Well gotta go lock up the girls.. Ttyl


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## Ailig

I use straw from the farmer i buy it in a bail last a long time then cleaning out it goes on the compost heap


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## thewhisperingoaks

sorry to be so out of touch but what is DE and DLM?


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## CMCLB

DE = Diatomaceous Earth. It controls pests in the coop & can be added to the food to control internal pests in your flock. 

Our coop, on the farm we rent, has a dirt floor. When we build our own, we'll have concrete flooring for better cleanliness. 

We use straw because it's $3 a bale & easy to clean out every 2 weeks. We recently left the straw out because the flies were breeding in it. Gross!! The flock roosts on posts. We'll add the straw for warmth when it's needed seasonally.


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