[Carla]

MY 3 ex batts have been happily sleeping in their nest box, all cuddled up in a lovely bed of thick newspaper, layered with sawdust and topped off with deep straw. Its costing a small fortune in straw at the moment, with them being muddy all the time. My mom gave me a huge black bag of shredded paper (for my 2 gerbils, it'll last a lifetime!!!). Would this be suitable bedding for my chookys? Papers warm and cosy and easily composted, it seems the perfect solution, but I thought I'd better ask on here first in case there's some hideous secret I don't know about :/

[mrs.ploppy]

I have tried using shredded paper for my rabbits, g-pigs, chickens and horses and had the same result with all.  Once wet it goes cold and hard like paper mache and clumps together and not at all easy to deal with. Better off with shavings, easybed etc. Still use for my horses now and again but only because I get lots of paper for free!

[orchardlady]

I've used it for my hens when they had a red mite infestation. I was able to use small quantities and remove it daily to promptly burn but this was all done in the warm Summer months. It will go soggy and nasty very rapidly in the winter. The other downside is the strips of paper get caught on the birds feet and they then distribute it around their field or pen making everything look very sloppy. Also the eggs when freshly laid are slightly damp and stick to the paper. When you try to get the paper off the print is left on the eggs. So my opinion is don't bother.

OL

[Carla]

That makes lots of sense, never thought about it getting wet...doh!!  Think I'll keep a bag back as emergency bedding, or for when I know we've got a really cold spell coming and change it daily as I reckon paper will be really warm.....I do stress about them in the snow :/ Funky printed eggs could save me hours of glueing when it comes to my sons easter egg competitions lol Thanks for the advice x

[Abacus]

I use paper put through a shredder for my hens (as well as hay) and I have found that I have to change it about every three days. I use it for bedding and floor covering over a thick layer of newspapers. The 'girls' seem to like it and bedding change day is something of a social occasion with every bedding change subject to close inspection and some skylarking with the stuff spread on the floor.

[ehs284]

Tried it when we first started, but stopped when we saw one girl eat a huge length.

[grumpydad]

dont use straw or hay, the hollow stems can harbour spores that can affect breathing in the chucks.

i have used most, but now use hemcore in the coop, aubiose is an alternative, very absorbant, and composts easily. it is in the nest boxes as well.

[Beano]

Tried it when we first started, but stopped when we saw one girl eat a huge length.

That happened to me. Put me right off using it. Shame really as I can get hold of plenty from work.

[Sassy]

I assume you are finding it expensive using straw as you buy it from a pet shop in bags. This is an expensive way to buy it. If you can find a farm that will sell you a small bale that would be much cheaper despite the exorbitant cost of straw at the moment.

The difference between agricultural straw and pet shop straw is that the pet shop stuff will probably have been dust extracted. However, if you are careful when buying bales you can still get good stuff.

[Flowerpower136]

Almost 2 years on, and some of my ex batts still prefer to snuggle in the nest boxes.  I now use the same material throughout the coop.  Was using wood chips, but now prefer Hemcore.  It's lovely heaped deep and cosy, and very absorbent.  Makes poo picking very easy.  Just poo pick and good fluff up every day, and they are all toasty.

[hillfooter]

As many have said shredded paper is not really suitable and would need a lot of work changing it regularly.  Hay is particularly unsuited as bedding too as it grows moulds which can produce very unhealthy spoores if it dries after being wet.  Straw is actually OK as it's pretty sterile but use chopped straw preferably.  It can however harbore a very itchy mite when wet which some people are alergic to.  It isn't as absorbant as the other options such as softwood shavings (Snowflakes Premium is best and Hunters is good too) or Hemcore.  I've used both but prefer shavings in the main as Hemcore is quite hard and stick like, though perfectly good.  It tends to flatten unless fluffed up regularly which if you poo pick is fine but you wouldn't catch me doing this.  Proper house interior design should keep the birds away from their droppings in my view.  Many people like the fresh perfumed smell of the citrus impregnated of Hemcore.

HF

[corynsboy]

With regard to bedding I'm feeling a little concerned here. 

We have a flock of 11 mixed pure bred Buff Orpington and some Hybrids.   We have a draft proof (but properly ventilated) 8 foot x6 foot shed. 

As the coop is based on our allotment we have a rota for opening up and shutting up the chickens every day which includes feeding and watering etc. The rota doesn't include poo picking.  The rota sees me cleaning the shed every Saturday morning and composting everything. 

We also use straw for the bedding sourced from our local farm.  This process seems to work very well our chickens are in very rude health and we were advised by members of our allotment, who have kept chickens for longer than I've been alive, that straw is a perfectly suitable bedding/ flooring material.

Have we just been lucky so far?  We pay about £2 per bale which lasts about a month.

How much do I really have to change our current set up?

[hillfooter]

With regard to bedding I'm feeling a little concerned here.  

We have a flock of 11 mixed pure bred Buff Orpington and some Hybrids.   We have a draft proof (but properly ventilated) 8 foot x6 foot shed.  

As the coop is based on our allotment we have a rota for opening up and shutting up the chickens every day which includes feeding and watering etc. The rota doesn't include poo picking.  The rota sees me cleaning the shed every Saturday morning and composting everything.  

We also use straw for the bedding sourced from our local farm.  This process seems to work very well our chickens are in very rude health and we were advised by members of our allotment, who have kept chickens for longer than I've been alive, that straw is a perfectly suitable bedding/ flooring material.

Have we just been lucky so far?  We pay about £2 per bale which lasts about a month.

How much do I really have to change our current set up?

You don't need to change anything.  Straw is no problem being almost sterile it has very little sugar content.  As I said poo picking is not necessary it's mostly cosmetic and a well designed house will allow for dropping on perches to fall through onto a surface not accessible to the birds to pick and scrat in.  Hay is quite different and particularly having the seed head it is very dusty. Chx are susceptible to respiratory diseases which dust can aggrivate and their airways are ideal fruiting environments for mould spoors which grow on damp hay.

If you don't mind the fact that straw isn't as absorbant as other materials and doesn't compost well it's a cheap solution.  Chopped straw is better as it lies better and fluffs up into a thick bed better than long stalks of straw.  I sometimes don't clean a house for over 6 weeks, I sprinkle a clean surface over the soiled one and let it build up under the roosts.  As long as it is kept reasonably dry and there's no strong ammonia smell it's perfectly sanitary.  Such a system requires a deal of interior modification to achieve with a shed though but if you are cleaning often it's OK.

HF

[Sassy]

i use straw in the nest box and shavongs under their perches - although some sit on the shavings and don't perch