If you want to get chickens as a hobby or want to keep chickens on your farm, giving them the right housing, diet and bedding is important. Chickens need certain types of bedding that will help minimize the humidity and moisture in the coop and keep the coop as sanitary as possible to avoid sickness. That has led many people to wonder about the best bedding for chickens.
To give your chickens the best possible bedding, you can use wood shavings such as pine (not cedar as it is toxic), sand, and hemp. Not all chickens need the same kind of bedding. The bedding you use will depend on how old the chicken is, as chicks and adult chickens have different needs.
Most people who keep chickens have their preferred bedding they use for chickens. You need to know what bedding material is available and how well it works so you can choose bedding material that will suit you and the needs of your chickens. We have compiled a list of some of the best bedding options for chickens.
Contents
What Is The Best Bedding For Chickens?
Bedding for chickens might not seem like a big issue, but using the wrong bedding material can be dangerous for your chickens. Before diving into the optimal bedding materials for chickens, we need to look at what the bedding material needs to offer. The optimal bedding material for chickens needs to be;
- Absorbant to ensure the bedding stays as dry as possible,
- It needs to give warmth,
- Provide comfort for the chickens, chicks, and eggs.
Some of the bedding choices we will look at in further detail include;
- Wood shavings,
- Sand,
- Hemp,
- The best bedding for chicks.
Wood Shavings
Wood shavings have been a popular bedding choice for chicken farmers and hobbyists for many years. Most chicken owners love to use pine shavings as it is much more absorbent and easier to clean than straw.
It also helps with odor control as the pine has a fresh smell and is proven to have antimicrobial properties. Most pine shavings used in chicken coops have been heat-treated against bacteria such as Salmonella E-coli and mold spores.
Be careful when you choose wood shavings. Avoid using cedar shavings as cedar shavings can be toxic if ingested by chickens. That is why most people who use wood shavings prefer to use pine shavings.
Pros To Using Wood Shavings As Bedding For Chickens
Here are some reasons why many people use wood shavings as bedding for chickens;
- Wood shavings are very absorbent,
- Wood shavings are easy to clean,
- Wood shavings are easy to get hold of,
- Wood shavings like pine offer greater odor control.
Cons To Using Wood Shavings As Bedding For Chickens
Some cons to using wood shavings for chicken bedding include;
- If you have a bigger coop, it can be more expensive to use wood shavings,
- Chickens are scratchers and peckers, so they can ingest some of the shavings leading to respiratory issues,
- If the shavings are finer like sawdust, it can also be dusty, and the chickens can inhale it easier,
Using Sand As Bedding For Chickens
Using sand takes a bit more effort, but most people who have started using sand as bedding for their chickens swear they won’t use anything else. They only use shavings on top of the sand in the roost boxes but plain sand everywhere else.
You need to ensure you use the right kind of sand, and it has to be thoroughly dry before you add it to your chicken coop. The best sand is medium-coarse-grained sand like river sand, bank sand, or construction sand. These sands are well draining as they have different size particles that absorb and offer proper drainage.
It’s easy to clean as the sand acts like cat litter and absorbs droppings and urine in easy-to-removal clumps. Be careful not to use play sand as it is too soft to use.
Pros To Using Sand As Bedding For Chickens
Here are some of the reasons many people use sand as bedding for chickens;
- Clumps for easy cleaning,
- Works great for odor control,
- Dust baths are great for keeping chickens clean.
Cons To Using Sand As Bedding For Chickens
Here are some of the cons to using sand as bedding for chickens;
- It’s less cushioning, so you can’t use it for chicks,
- You have to throw it away as sand does not compost,
- Because it’s dusty, it can cause respiratory issues if chickens inhale it.
Using Hemp As Bedding For Chickens
Hemp is the inner part of a hemp plant that is removed, dried, and then used as bedding for chickens and other poultry. There are many pros to using this as a bedding material, but some people warn that you must go through every bag before depositing it in the coop as some fibers are long and can get tangled in the chicken’s feet.
Pros To Using Hemp As Bedding For Chickens
Here are some of the reasons people use hemp as bedding for chickens;
- Low dust,
- It’s absorbent enough to carry four times its weight,
- It has a good thermal rating,
- It’s non-allergenic,
- It repels pests and insects,
- It’s not palatable,
- It helps control odor,
- Composts easily,
Cons To Using Hemp As Bedding For Chickens
Here are some cons to using hemp as bedding for chickens;
- It may be more expensive than other bedding,
- Chickens may eat the bedding,
- It may not be easy to find.
The Best Bedding For Chicks
Because chicks are delicate and small, they need non-slip, warm, and soft bedding, so the best bedding to use when you have chicks are shelf liner, recycled paper, puppy liner pads, and kitchen towels. There are many pros to using these types of bedding materials for chickens.
Because these are absorbent materials and most chicks are in the incubator, you need to change the bedding more regularly to keep the vulnerable chicks from getting sick.
Pros Of Using Soft Bedding Material For Chicks
Here are some of the reasons people use these soft bedding materials;
- The bedding is soft,
- The bedding is warm and comfortable,
- A Few of these bedding materials are inexpensive,
- These bedding materials are easy to clean.
- These bedding materials are non-slip; the chicks won’t slip or hurt themselves.
Cons Of Using Soft Bedding Materials For Chicks
Here are a few of the cons of using soft bedding materials;
- These materials need to be cleaned more often,
- These materials won’t mask the odor of droppings,
- Many of these materials are not compostable.
Conclusion
If you wonder what the best bedding for chickens is, you need to take a closer look at using sand, pine shavings, and hemp. You need to use soft, non-slip, warm, and soft bedding materials for chicks. All the materials have their good and bad points, so what you choose will be the bedding that suits the needs of your chickens best.
