[brookieme]

Can people with chickens tell me what is good for bedding on coop floor and in the nesting boxes please.
I have straw and shavings but want to do whats best for them.

[BIG ZOOK]

Straw can harbour red mite(large hollow stems) and I find wood shavings  tent to blow all over the plot and take an age to compost. I use hay and clean out every week as well as poo picking on a daily basis.

[barley]

I always use free stuff for my chooks and veg plot

I recycle everything

my bedding is made from a newspaper covering then I shred all my paper / cardboard etc with an office paper  cross shredder ( cheap one from argos ) and put that on top of the news paper

I dry my own hay from what is left on the fields after farmers have harvested hay for livestock ( I do have permission to do this ) I use this mixed with shredded paper for the nest boxes

its all composted after use and then goes on the veg plot for rearing my veg 

I begrudge buying anything 

[Trillium]

I love this fellow's idea HERE

And since seeing it, I've learned several friends have been using paper shreddings for some time.

[grinling]

Do not use hay as the chooks will eat it resulting in impacted crops. I use equine sawdust in bottom under perches and I use opened newspaper in the nestboxes(keeps it clean) with straw.
I can either burn it in incinerator, or put in non recycle bin.
you could just use newpaper under perches and put in compost bin.

[barley]

Do not use hay as the chooks will eat it resulting in impacted crops.

the hay I use grilling is not chopped like shop brought stuff - it's long blades , but I agree with your comment on chopped hay may cause crop impact 

[Casey76]

I used paille de lin or chanvre as bedding, underneath the perches.  Both are absorbent and fairly readily available.  Both are very compostable.

Straw in the nest boxes is the best though

[brookieme]

I always use free stuff for my chooks and veg plot

I recycle everything

my bedding is made from a newspaper covering then I shred all my paper / cardboard etc with an office paper  cross shredder ( cheap one from argos ) and put that on top of the news paper

I dry my own hay from what is left on the fields after farmers have harvested hay for livestock ( I do have permission to do this ) I use this mixed with shredded paper for the nest boxes

its all composted after use and then goes on the veg plot for rearing my veg 

I begrudge buying anything 

Thanks for this info. I love recycling so this suits me fine. I won't use hay though for nest boxes. Will use shredded paper and a bit of straw.  Ta

[Sassy]

Hay is worse than straw to use regardless of length, in fact the longer it is the more dangerous it is. It also contains spores which are bad for their respiratory health. Shavings but not saw dust are good. Sawdust is way  too dusty. Equine shavings are good because they are dust extracted and are in large pieces. As most shavings are pine there is the added advantage of it being antibacterial.

Hemp, miscanthus and rape straw prepared for horse bedding are also good.

[brookieme]

Hay is worse than straw to use regardless of length, in fact the longer it is the more dangerous it is. It also contains spores which are bad for their respiratory health. Shavings but not saw dust are good. Sawdust is way  too dusty. Equine shavings are good because they are dust extracted and are in large pieces. As most shavings are pine there is the added advantage of it being antibacterial.

Hemp, miscanthus and rape straw prepared for horse bedding are also good.

Thanks Sassy 

[snow white]

I use scented horse bedding which is a mix of shavings and straw.  Bed down or something like that?  Can't think of the name at the mo.

[splash101]

Shavings are ok if they are dust extracted. If they are no dust extracted they may cause eye and breathing problems.

I use easibed which is brilliant, on the coop floor and in the nest boxes. It isnt anymore expensive than shavings either.
When i clean them out i put it all on the compost heap.

[barley]

if the straw / hay / wood shavings cause respiratory problems I think I will maybe just stick to the shredded paper then

can't afford all those posh beddings 

[snow white]

I pay about £9 a bag but it lasts nearly a year!