using straw

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karlooben

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using straw
« on: September 26, 2009, 20:34 »
as its now coming up to winter an the nights will be getting colder is there really a risk of using straw as i am reading a lot about straw an mites . my girls have had lice a few times this year but since the frontline use they have been clear finally  :D but i would like to bed them with straw on the floor as well to give some extra warmth especailly in my little quarantine house thats back i use again with a poorly girl tonight . she was hunched down in the corner under the shelf i use to cover over the nest boxes an it really looked like she was being picked on quite badly , her wings were drooped pretty low an she felt cold when i picked her up . i have given her a deep sqaured tub for her to lay in that has flax bedding in but i would prefer to of used straw.
"Until one has loved an animal, part of their soul remains unawakened."

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woodside farm

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Re: using straw
« Reply #1 on: September 26, 2009, 22:56 »
I have had chickens for years and always used straw, also my chickens have never had lice (touch wood  :unsure: ).

Michelle xx
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tode

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Re: using straw
« Reply #2 on: September 27, 2009, 08:08 »
We've been using straw for 30+ years now, and don't seem to have had any probs.
Have a regular clean-out, though.
The straw/feather/poo mix is great for the compost heap   :D  :D

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karlooben

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Re: using straw
« Reply #3 on: September 27, 2009, 08:17 »
thankyou , bedding seems to be another topic were theres so many different answers for . i want to re use straw for the winter months but after reading that it could harbour the mites made me wary of it .

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tode

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Re: using straw
« Reply #4 on: September 27, 2009, 08:19 »
When you say "re-use", Karlooben, you mean re-used from what ?

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coco

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Re: using straw
« Reply #5 on: September 27, 2009, 08:49 »
probably a daft question  :wub: but ours now sleep on a perch so the straw on the floor wouldn't be any good for keeping them warm in the winter ... I'm assuming that they'll be fine on the perch and would come down and snuggle in the straw if they needed to (?) :blush:

xx

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lightyears

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Re: using straw
« Reply #6 on: September 27, 2009, 09:00 »
i found it insulates the floor of the house so the cold does not rise. mine still perch but i get a face full of warm air when i open the house.

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coco

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Re: using straw
« Reply #7 on: September 27, 2009, 09:31 »
 :) :) OK thanks for that, never realised that ... straw for the floor then, we want nice cosy hens

xx

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GrannieAnnie

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Re: using straw
« Reply #8 on: September 27, 2009, 10:29 »
Well if you are going to have mites, they will hide in shavings just as well as they do straw.  the reason we don't use straw, is that if it gets damp from the urates then the hollow shafts could harbour mould spores which can give respiratory diseases. 

So although ours girls roost on their perches, the shavings are just as, if not more insulating than straw as it covers the floor better.

That is only my opinion, as you know we all have our own opinions!  ;)

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poultrygeist

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Re: using straw
« Reply #9 on: September 27, 2009, 10:34 »
We use straw in the nest box and shavings on the floor of our fairly small, raised coop and have, touch wood, not yet had any mites.
Could you use hemp-based bedding (hemcor ?) or similar ?

Rob 8)

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grumpydad

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Re: using straw
« Reply #10 on: September 27, 2009, 10:59 »
wer use hemcore and easibed in the coop and nest boxes, thick layer on the floor, about 52 thick, sprinkled with stanoslan f, and also diatom and louse powder, just pick out the poop from under the perch each day, quick spray with vikron and turn the  floor covering  over.
nice and easy.

all goes to the compost.

martyn

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karlooben

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Re: using straw
« Reply #11 on: September 27, 2009, 11:35 »
i use flax bedding which is similar to hemp tpye beddings also  its the cheapest one out there as i get it for the horses .

i can understand that mites can hide away in any beding but if its changed weekly then there should not be a probelm really , i hate the flax bedding as one it doesnt burn easily an it doesnt root down like other bedding . i have shelving under my perches so the floor doesnt always get that dirty  :D
reading other ppls opinions can be a good thing cant it grannie  :D this is why i wanted to check first .

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nzdunn

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Re: using straw
« Reply #12 on: September 27, 2009, 13:47 »
i use straw and get on with it fine, i find its less messy than shavings, i use shavings with my guinea pigs and it forever falling out on the floor.   Nickyx

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colliebird

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Re: using straw
« Reply #13 on: September 27, 2009, 14:02 »
I'm now using shredded paper for the nest boxes which is taken out every/every other day and burned.
Valerie

"The moral progress of a nation can be judged by the way it treats its animals" - Gandhi

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karlooben

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Re: using straw
« Reply #14 on: September 27, 2009, 18:56 »
i no longer use bedding in the nest boxes as the eggs were always getting broken now they have home made nest boxes with insert trays that is working really well now i only get 2 or 3 broken eggs a week , i'll probably start adding straw to the floor next week as its meant to be getting colder .



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