Best Bedding For Hens

this stuff sounds really good I use straw with the intention of composting up th allotment but its so slow to rot down does anyone know if you can use it for ducks? and do you have to water it when you first put it down as suggested for horses

I think the watering bit like with hemcore is just for stables and not chickens 

Didn't know if anyone was interested in an update on Rapport - the Rape version of Hemcore, which is much cheaper.

I give it a thumbs up, 10/10!

I cleaned out my chook houses today, and was amazed. I lay newspaper, then put the rapport on top. The newspapers weren't even damp. Very different from when I was using shavings.

I do poo pick every day - but even so, I am suitably impressed, and the bale is HUGE for £6.50. Bargain!
Lukasmum

I tried rape bedding a while back and wasn't very impressed by its absorbancy.  I think it was Rapport though not sure.  I'm currently trialing Hemcore which is OK and seems quite absorbant.  I was attracted by the rot down qualities (I don't poo pick the house as its design eliminates the need and lifes too short as it is).  My chx do seem to like eating it though and it's a bit stick like to use in the nestbox.  I've found shavings to be my prefered litter but they aren't all created equal and Snowflakes brand is the best for absorbancy I've found, though it's also quite pricey at £8 a bale.  Other horse shavings I've tried aren't as absorbant and don't bulk up as well.  Snowflakes can be used as nesting too.  I've used chopped straw mixed with shavings (Beddown which my wife uses for the horses, which are much bigger than chx and have 4 legs and are useless layers but I digress.).  Ok in the nestbox but not so good for absorbancy or rotting and really difficult to use by hand in small quantities as it is so tightly packed in the bale and doesn't loosen up unless you split the bale which is not convenient for chicken use.  So currently it's a toss up between Snowflakes and Hemcore.

Also not all bales are created equally and it's worth checking the weight as well as how long it lasts in use.  Sacks of bedding are pretty low density so you can't judge them by volume size.  Shavings et al in bales are compressed and bulk up a lot in use.
HF