Unit Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 Hi All, May I start by saying how great you all are - it's been a pleasure finding answers to all my questions, prior to (hopefully) re-homing some ex-bats very soon. I have hunted down the answers to most questions but haven't found anything about the size and type of straw to use in the coop (Eglu Classic). In our local Pet store, they have straw suitable for small animals but this is quite short in length... Is this the correct thing to use or is there a particular type / length of straw that suits chickens best? Grateful for any advice on this, as it's about the last question I need answering! Cheers Chucks! Unit xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 Straw really isn't the best thing to use for hens. It gets sodden quickly & as it is hollow, it can harbour mites. Hay is not great either as they can eat it & get an impacted crop. Most of us use Aubiose or an equivalent, which is a brilliant horse bedding. It is soft, absorbent,compostable & light. You can get a HUGE bale of it for around £8 - £12, from most equine suppliers. It can go in the poo tray & nest box, as well as being used for a run flooring - I truly wouldn't use anything else now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unit Posted June 7, 2010 Author Share Posted June 7, 2010 Thank you. I didn't really specify properly that I was meaning for nest-bedding purposes within the coop itself. I'd heard that Aubiose was really absorbent and so not such a great product to use in an exposed run as it'd simply soak up any rain? Is this correct? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chicken bark Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 Yes - you'd need to keep it dry. I use Bedmax wood shavings in my nest box but have read alot of good things about Unibed and Aubiose and Hemcore etc etc. Anything like that will do the job - but best kept dry if in a run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicho Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 We have tried all sorts in our nest box and our girls seem to be happiest with straw. They seem to kick other stuff out. Don't know if this is just something our girls do but there you go. What I would say though is that if you do opt for straw you will usually pay quite a bit more in a pet show than you could get by buying a bale direct. We have found that bales cost about £2 and you will get absolutely LOADS, but you do have to store it. From the pet store we only get a small bag for £1.70. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 If you are stuck for suppliers then rather than the straw from the pet shop try the woodshavings they sell for pet bedding instead, woodshavings are pretty good in the nest box, fluff it up every now and again and it is fine. A small bale will last for a while as its so compacted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 Aubiose is fab, by far the best option in my experience, and if you do want to use it in the run you can put a cover over it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honorandkit Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 We're using Aubiose and it seems to be as good as everyone says it is. We got ours locally, and it was under £10 for a bib bale which looks like it will go a very long way. I also grow veggies and have a compost bin, so it's going to be great to be able to chuck it all in there with some bokashi bran - keeping chooks just keeps getting better and better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
