Behaviour

When I bought my girls late March, I talked to the chaps about what bedding to use, and the guy (older and seemed very knowledgable about hens) told me he uses a base of chopped stuff (dont know if its hay or straw (which he said breaks down nice and quickly and is absorbant) and a top layer of straw. Anyway, the girls have always been fine on it all, and nice and easy to clean out.

Last week, I didnt put the top layer on, just the chopped stuff, and all week they have been dragging it out into the run, and also sticking their heads inside the pop hole and eating it - is this normal?

I have just cleaned them out, and put a top layer on again this time.

Advice?

It could be that it is hay which they will eat and is not good to use with chooks as it harbours harmful spores. I know some on here don't like it but I use straw in the nest box and shavings where they roost and it works for me.

wonder if the chopped stuff is hemcore, arboise or rapport, these are all chopped plant stems - from the hemp or rape seed plant. All 3 are absorbant and rot down quickly. Very good stuff. I use hemcore and that is all - no straw or shredded paper etc (did try the shredded paper - cross cut not in strips - but it isn't very absorbant.

sounds like it could be hemcore - this is a horse product and sometimes does come in a plain clear wrapper from where I get mine from