Bedding for chicken house

Would anyone be able to advise me please what is best to use in the hen house and nesting boxes.  We are getting our first chooks tomorrow and have been given so much conflicting advise as to what to use.  We thought straw would be best, but other people have said that we should be using sawdust.

We are going to get the bedding etc tonight and want to make sure they have the best we can get them.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Hi all, I used Woodshavings and straw when I first got my chickens but the shavings got all over the garden and they kept pulling all the straw out of the nest boxes!!!! I gave up as we have to keep ours in the run (unless we are up the garden all day) as Mr Fox took one of ours and I am now paranoid  :blink:

At the moment it is bare but does get a little messy! so I am looking for an alternative to shavings!

has anybody used Hemcore it is alot heavier more fiberous than shavings and very absorbant as I have used it for the rabbits before and I was also thinking of using stable zone or something simlar (which is a safe natural disinfectant powder that goes under the bedding and absorobes wet and odours)

ta Trina

started to use hemcore in the house, and straw in the nestboxes, you can google hemcore bedding to go to the manufacturers site, and will be able to find a local supplier from there, the hemcore i have is citronella treated !!!!!, smells nice, not sure it is appreciated though..lol

martyn

I line my coop with newspaper, then spread wood shavings and shredded paper i make myself from the all the junk mail i receive.  Once your ready to clean coop, just roll the paper up  and pull it out the coop, and its a nice wee poop package ready to throw in the composter.