Redwing Posted November 6, 2009 Share Posted November 6, 2009 As we get so many questions on bedding I thought it might be good to have a sticky on the pros and cons. Please add your own opinions . Beddings I have used: Straw Type: Straw! Coop Floor: Yes Nestboxes: Yes Covered Run: Possible Open Run: I would not recommend Cost: Aprox £2 a bale, more for smaller quantities from pet shops Pros: looks nice! keeps warmth in, hens seem to like it Cons: compacts easily, needs fluffing up, can be slippery if wet, can create a hiding place for mites due to hollow stalks. Can also cause impacted crop if your hen eats it. Cozy Coop Type: recycled wood bedding Coop Floor: Yes Nestboxes: Yes Covered Run: I would not recommend unless indoors Open Run: Yes Cost: Aprox £4 a sack Pros: soft, nice to handle, hens seem to like it, absorbant, rots down mega quick on compost heap Cons: a bit dusty, my chicks like to eat it, can get damp Aubiose Type: chopped flax Coop Floor: Yes Nestboxes: Yes Covered Run: Yes Open Run: No! Cost: Aprox £8-£10 a bale but lasts ages Pros: Absorbant and stays very dry on top, soft, easy to clean out, rots down super quick on compost heap Cons: can be dusty, hard to get out of bale as very compacted but no real cons, its great stuff! Bedmax Wood Shavings Type: Big flakey woodshavings Coop Floor: Yes Nestboxes: Yes Covered Run: Yes Open Run: No! Cost: Aprox £6-£6.50 a bale Pros: Nice and easy to handle, good in nestboxes Cons: not very absorbant, needs fluffing up as it compacts easily Softwood Shavings (fine) Type: various makes available, small shavings Coop Floor: Yes Nestboxes: Yes Covered Run: Possibly but not ideal unless indoors Open Run: No! Cost: £8 a bale, you will get less for your money with pet shop small quantities Pros: looks and smells nice, a little goes a long way, reasonably absorbant Cons: does need fluffing up as it compacts Softbed Type: Chopped straw Coop Floor: Yes Nestboxes: Yes Covered Run: Yes Open Run: No! Cost: Aprox £6 a bale Pros: Easy to handle, not dusty, good for coop floors, absorbant, economical Cons: a little harder than Aubiose and not as soft for the chickens in nestboxes Natures Best Wood Pellets Type: compacted pellets that need to be dampened to expand to bedding Coop Floor: Yes Nestboxes: Yes Covered Run: would not recommend Open Run: No! Cost: Aprox £6-£7 a bag (expands to 4 times the volume) Pros: dry soft bedding, nice to handle, pellet turns in to a nice small 'shavings' type material, not dusty Cons: bit of a faff to dampen, small chicks could try to eat it! Hardwood Chips Type: Chunky wood chips Coop Floor: No Nestboxes: No! Covered Run: Yes Open Run: Yes Cost: Aprox £4 for 50 litre bag Pros: Lets water drain through, long lasting Cons: if underneath gets boggy the woodchips may disappear in to mud! take ages to rot down on compost heap Bark Chips Type: shredded or chipped bark Coop Floor: no Nestboxes: no Covered Run: Yes Open Run: Yes Cost: £3-£4 a sack Pros: Looks and smells nice intially! Cons: Can harbour mould spores, gets wet and slippery quickly Some beddings can be used together with great sucess, I add half a bale of Bedmax to the woodchip in my walk n run and that works well, Aubiose and softwood shavings work well together too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Chick Posted November 6, 2009 Share Posted November 6, 2009 Hemcore Type: chopped hemp Coop Floor: Yes Nestboxes: Yes Covered Run: Yes Open Run: No! Cost: Aprox £10 a bale but lasts ages Pros: Absorbant and stays very dry on top, soft, easy to clean out, rots down super quick on compost heap, has added Citronella which makes it smell lovely and repels flies. Cons: Hard to get out of bale as very compacted but no real cons, its great stuff, can be difficult to get hold of as company have had some problems! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plum Posted November 7, 2009 Share Posted November 7, 2009 Playground wood chips (B&Q) Type: chipped wood (softer than hardwood). Natural Coop Floor: yes Nestboxes: I wouldn't Covered Run: Yes Open Run: Yes Cost: Approx £4 a bale Pros: Looks good, contains insects so keeps girls active. Easy to rake and water drains through. Mixes well with other beddings. Cons: Takes longer to rot on compost but can be put on garden. Does not dry droppings out. Hemcore Cons: some bales have lots of fibres Straw Cons: Occasionally eaten by hen which can lead to impacted crop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted November 7, 2009 Share Posted November 7, 2009 Bliss Type: chopped rape storks and straw Coop Floor: Yes Nest boxes: Yes Covered Run: yes Open Run: No! Cost: Aprox £6.40 a bale Pros: Absorbent and stays very dry on top, soft, easy to clean out, rots down super quick on compost heap, has added Citronella which makes it smell lovely and repels flies. Also come in eucalyptus Cons: Hard to get out of bale as very compacted but no real cons, does get FOD in it from time to time does sometimes get eaten does tend to blow about in the open chushion bed Type: recycled softwood chips Coop Floor: no Nest boxes: no Covered Run: yes Open Run: yes Cost: Aprox £6.40 a bale Pros: 25kg bales makes it cheaper to use than woodchip from the DIY sheds or garden centers drys out quickly Cons: no real cons, does get FOD in it from time to time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Chick Posted November 7, 2009 Share Posted November 7, 2009 Plastic chippings Type: Recycled tyres Coop Floor: Yes Nestboxes: No Covered Run: Yes Open Run: Yes Cost: Aprox £10 a bag but need lots of bags (needed 7 for a standard cube run) Pros: Plastic, so long lasting if you can handle the cleaning regime Cons: Get very dirty easily, have to be hosed down every day or two, on grass turn into a mud pit, on concrete need to use Staolsan or other disinfectant more regularly as no absorbtion, can also cause drainage issues. Not as comfy for the chickens to walk on. From my experience I would not recommend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
