Question about choosing between straw and pine shavings for coop bedding

I'm trying to decide between straw and pine shavings for my new coop I just built last month. I have 6 hens in a 4x8 coop and I'm worried about dust with the shavings since one of my birds has been sneezing a lot. Has anyone here tried both and found one works better for keeping smells down and birds healthy?

2 comments

2 Comments

lewis.drew11d ago

Straw is garbage for coops if you ask me. It holds moisture like a sponge and rots fast, which makes ammonia build up way worse. Pine shavings are way better for smell control since they soak up the wet spots and dry out faster. That sneezing could be from dusty straw or just dry air, not necessarily the shavings. Try deep bedding with shavings and see if it settles down.

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eva_garcia5610d ago

My buddy tried straw ONE time and said it was a total nightmare with his silkie coop. It got all matted and gross in like a week during the rainy season, and he had to strip EVERYTHING out because the smell was so bad you could catch it from outside. He switched to pine shavings after that and said the difference was night and day with the moisture and smell. Now he just does deep bedding with shavings and only has to top it off every few weeks. That sneezing thing could really just be from dusty straw kicking up, not the shavings at all.