We live in the Republic of Panama and hay/straw is not available here for bedding. We use rice grass and every time the bedding is changed our chickens can't hardly wait to get at it. They love the uncooked bits of rice that is still in the grass. But I'm reading that you should not feed rice unless it's cooked. Mine won't eat it cooked. We have mostly what here they call Patio chickens, which is really just a cross breeding of different Bantums I believe.