Facts about bedding for chicken coops and nest boxes, such as, why you need bedding for your chickens, various types of bedding, how dirty bedding can become toxic to your chickens, how often you should change dirty bedding, how to make your bedding last longer, herbs that make your chicken coop and nest boxes smell better naturally, best buys for bedding and a whole lot more.
Why You Need Bedding For Chickens
Broody hen with straw in the nest box. CHOE
Bedding keeps your chicken coop or hen house smelling better, absorbs moisture and dampness from feces (chicken poop) and the right bedding can keep your chickens healthier. Damp or wet bedding can cause fungal foot infections, coccidiosis, parasite infestations, respiratory disease, and other sickness in chickens.Using the right type of bedding, clean bedding, and regular maintenance of bedding is important to keeping your chickens healthy. Different types of bedding can be used for your chickens, in this article I will explain the good and the bad for each. Clean bedding should always be used in nest boxes to encourage hens to lay eggs there and to prevent bacterial infections and mite infestations. Cages and coops need bedding to keep them clean and fresh. Bedding should be poop-scooped and changed as needed.
Types of Bedding for Chickens
Straw Bedding. Photo of baby chicks at CHOE
Wood shavings
Wood shavings work well but very fine sawdust is not recommended because it can cause respiratory infections and eye infections in poultry.
Pine shavings bedding (fine and large shavings)
Pine shavings have many benefits, they are low dust, very absorbent of feces and odor, does not compact, and it smells great. Best used in hen houses and coops in the spring and summer months, as it does not hold heat like hay and alfalfa does. We use a combination of hay and pine bedding in the winter and just pine bedding in the summer. Added benefits: it absorbs moisture, dries feces quickly, has a fresh, clean scent. Lasts about a month-longer if you scoop it regularly.
Hemp bedding
Comes from the woody core of the hemp plant. Hemp is a versatile, renewable crop used for chicken and horse bedding, as well as textiles, building materials, and grains. Historically, hemp was farmed in the United States, because it was a resourceful crop. See Information about Hemp Bedding
Hay and straw
Smells great and can be used for nest boxes year round and hen house floors and coops in the winter as it generates heat to keep the chickens warm. However, you should be very careful where you get your hay from and make sure it has no stickers or mold in, on, or around it. Mold spores can kill your chickens. Hay tends to compact but it also allows feces to fall under it so the chickens are not walking on their own feces which can cause bacterial and fungal infections.
Timothy Hay
Timothy hay is a higher quality hay that can be used the same as regular hay for bedding and nest boxes. This hay costs more and it has a very fresh scent.
Alfalfa:
Alfalfa is the highest quality hay you can use for coop floor bedding and nest boxes, smells great, does not compact as easily as some lower grade hays.
Sweet PDZ Bedding
Millions of years ago zeolites were formed from volcanic activity.The clinoptilolite (Clino) zeolite is one most often used for horse bedding but more recently used in chicken coops because of it's excellent capabilities for ammonia absorption and odor neutralization (Sweet PDZ, 2016).
Sawdust Bedding- Saw dust can be used but has been known to cause respiratory infections. If you still want to use saw dust to get the benefits of using it as bedding (keeps floors dry, dries out feces quickly, reduces odor) do not use it in nest boxes. You can use it on the hen house floor but it is recommended that you cover it with hay, straw, hemp, alfafa, or pine bedding to reduce the amount of fly away dusty particles from getting in the air. See link to more about using Sawdust as bedding below.
Wood shavings work well but very fine sawdust is not recommended because it can cause respiratory infections and eye infections in poultry.
Pine shavings bedding (fine and large shavings)
Pine shavings have many benefits, they are low dust, very absorbent of feces and odor, does not compact, and it smells great. Best used in hen houses and coops in the spring and summer months, as it does not hold heat like hay and alfalfa does. We use a combination of hay and pine bedding in the winter and just pine bedding in the summer. Added benefits: it absorbs moisture, dries feces quickly, has a fresh, clean scent. Lasts about a month-longer if you scoop it regularly.
Hemp bedding
Comes from the woody core of the hemp plant. Hemp is a versatile, renewable crop used for chicken and horse bedding, as well as textiles, building materials, and grains. Historically, hemp was farmed in the United States, because it was a resourceful crop. See Information about Hemp Bedding
Hay and straw
Smells great and can be used for nest boxes year round and hen house floors and coops in the winter as it generates heat to keep the chickens warm. However, you should be very careful where you get your hay from and make sure it has no stickers or mold in, on, or around it. Mold spores can kill your chickens. Hay tends to compact but it also allows feces to fall under it so the chickens are not walking on their own feces which can cause bacterial and fungal infections.
Timothy Hay
Timothy hay is a higher quality hay that can be used the same as regular hay for bedding and nest boxes. This hay costs more and it has a very fresh scent.
Alfalfa:
Alfalfa is the highest quality hay you can use for coop floor bedding and nest boxes, smells great, does not compact as easily as some lower grade hays.
Sweet PDZ Bedding
Millions of years ago zeolites were formed from volcanic activity.The clinoptilolite (Clino) zeolite is one most often used for horse bedding but more recently used in chicken coops because of it's excellent capabilities for ammonia absorption and odor neutralization (Sweet PDZ, 2016).
Sawdust Bedding- Saw dust can be used but has been known to cause respiratory infections. If you still want to use saw dust to get the benefits of using it as bedding (keeps floors dry, dries out feces quickly, reduces odor) do not use it in nest boxes. You can use it on the hen house floor but it is recommended that you cover it with hay, straw, hemp, alfafa, or pine bedding to reduce the amount of fly away dusty particles from getting in the air. See link to more about using Sawdust as bedding below.
How Often You Should Change Chicken Coop Floor & Nest Box Bedding
How often you clean your chicken coop depends on how many chickens you have and how much space is in the coop. Larger coops are easier to clean. Avoid overcrowding your chickens. It is important to clean and change your bedding in your coops and nest boxes in order to keep you chickens healthy and happy.
Coop-How often you need to change your bedding can depend on how many chickens you have, how large of a hen house or coop you are keeping them, the temperature (warmer temps can sour bedding faster) and whether or not you feed your chickens inside the coop or hen house. A general rule of thumb is-bedding should be changed when you smell an ammonia odor upon entering the closed hen house or coop.
Nest boxes-Should be checked daily and any feces removed. Nest box bedding should be clean and dry at all times. If it is not, you will need to change it.
Coop-How often you need to change your bedding can depend on how many chickens you have, how large of a hen house or coop you are keeping them, the temperature (warmer temps can sour bedding faster) and whether or not you feed your chickens inside the coop or hen house. A general rule of thumb is-bedding should be changed when you smell an ammonia odor upon entering the closed hen house or coop.
Nest boxes-Should be checked daily and any feces removed. Nest box bedding should be clean and dry at all times. If it is not, you will need to change it.
How to Make Your Coop Bedding Last Longer
Bedding for chicken coops/hen houses can get pretty expensive, especially if you are changing it often. Here are some easy ways to make your coop bedding last longer.
Scooping feces from bedding can extend the time between changing it
Sprinkle baking powder into the bedding, it absorbs moisture and reduces odor.
Do not keep feed inside the hen house as it can get moldy plus it draws predators like mice and rats to the coop.
Make sure you do not have leaky water drinkers. Wet bedding can cause coccidiosis which can make your chickens very sick and even kill them if left untreated. See link to Coccidiosis below.
Use nesting pads and rollout nesting boxes to keep eggs and nestboxes cleaner.
Use herbs to keep coop and nest boxes smelling fresh longer. (See Keeping Chickens
Scooping feces from bedding can extend the time between changing it
Sprinkle baking powder into the bedding, it absorbs moisture and reduces odor.
Do not keep feed inside the hen house as it can get moldy plus it draws predators like mice and rats to the coop.
Make sure you do not have leaky water drinkers. Wet bedding can cause coccidiosis which can make your chickens very sick and even kill them if left untreated. See link to Coccidiosis below.
Use nesting pads and rollout nesting boxes to keep eggs and nestboxes cleaner.
Use herbs to keep coop and nest boxes smelling fresh longer. (See Keeping Chickens
Deep Litter Method
Some people prefer the deep litter method for bedding their hen houses and coops. There are some problems associated with this method if it is done improperly. The litter has to be stirred frequently and actually begins to compost feces inside the coop.
Hen houses and coops should be completely emptied, scrubbed, treated for parasites, and allowed to dry before new bedding is placed in it.
Hen houses and coops should be completely emptied, scrubbed, treated for parasites, and allowed to dry before new bedding is placed in it.
Bedding for Baby Chicks
Baby Chicks at Chicken Heaven On Earth
Baby chicks need different bedding than adult birds. The first week the baby chicks is very soft and can tear easily, particularly the first few days, you shouldn't use pine bedding. I use straw or hay for the my baby chicks with a puppy pad liner underneath.
Warning: Chicks who are under heat lamps could be harmed by pine bedding that under a heat lamp can turn into hard tiny shards which baby chicks may eat. Once they eat it the shards can actually puncture the tender skin of their crop. It is best to use old clean towels, puppy pads or old towels for the first week until their skin gets a little tougher.
Warning: Chicks who are under heat lamps could be harmed by pine bedding that under a heat lamp can turn into hard tiny shards which baby chicks may eat. Once they eat it the shards can actually puncture the tender skin of their crop. It is best to use old clean towels, puppy pads or old towels for the first week until their skin gets a little tougher.
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Memory Verse: He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them. Psalm 145:19
References:
- Daniels, Tim (June 25, 2009). poultrykeeper.com/housing-chickens/what-is-the-best-bedding-material-for-chickens-and-ducks
- Sweet PDZ-(Mar. 29, 2016). Retrieved from Safeguarding your horses health. http://www.sweetpdz.com/our-products.html