GetFitWithKrista
Songster
I thought this was interesting and wanted to share it with you. I found an experiment that was performed on 6 common chicken bedding materials: Pine Shavings, Straw, Dried Leaves, Horse Pellets, Sawdust and Industrial Hemp. They were tested to see which is the most absorbent.
Here is a summary:
DUST
No Dust:
- Industrial hemp
- Horse pellets
Average Dust:
- Dried Leaves
- Pine shavings
- Straw
Excessive Dust:
- Saw dust
ABSORPTION (when soaking)
Best:
- Straw
- Saw dust
- Industrial hemp
Poor:
- Pine shavings
- Horse pellets
- Dried leaves
ABSORPTION (8 oz of water in 1 cubic feet of bedding - more realistic than soaking)
Best:
- Industrial hemp
- Saw dust (swarmed by flies after sitting)
- Horse pellets (swarmed by flies after sitting)
Poor:
- Straw
- Pine wood
- Dried leaves
DUST & ABSORBENCY SUMMARY:
Any would be fine as long as you understand the pros and cons of each.
Saw Dust
Pros
- Best overall absorbency
Cons
- Major downside in dustiness
- Can be hard to get
- Can take a long time to dry leading to moisture and ammonia problems
Straw
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Easy to get
Cons
- Can be messy to work with
- Has some dust
- Allows a lot of liquid to pass to the bottom of the coop causing potential smell and mold issues
Dried Leaves
Pros
- Easily accessible
Note
- Experimenter uses them in his run but not in his coop because they don't absorb enough moisture to be used as a main source of bedding
Pine Shavings
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Easy to get
Cons
- Allows a lot of liquid to pass to the bottom of the coop causing potential smell and mold issues
Horse Pellets
Pros
- Performed well
- Absorbency was similar to saw dust
Cons
- Retains a lot of moisture
- Takes a lot of time to dry causing problems with smells and ammonia
Industrial Hemp
Pros
- Dust free
- Easy to work with (not messy like with pine shavings and saw dust)
- Great absorbency
Cons
- Has a higher upfront cost but this is offset by the fact that for most people 1 bale would last 1 year
OVERALL WINNER according to testing: INDUSTRIAL HELP
Here is a summary:
DUST
No Dust:
- Industrial hemp
- Horse pellets
Average Dust:
- Dried Leaves
- Pine shavings
- Straw
Excessive Dust:
- Saw dust
ABSORPTION (when soaking)
Best:
- Straw
- Saw dust
- Industrial hemp
Poor:
- Pine shavings
- Horse pellets
- Dried leaves
ABSORPTION (8 oz of water in 1 cubic feet of bedding - more realistic than soaking)
Best:
- Industrial hemp
- Saw dust (swarmed by flies after sitting)
- Horse pellets (swarmed by flies after sitting)
Poor:
- Straw
- Pine wood
- Dried leaves
DUST & ABSORBENCY SUMMARY:
Any would be fine as long as you understand the pros and cons of each.
Saw Dust
Pros
- Best overall absorbency
Cons
- Major downside in dustiness
- Can be hard to get
- Can take a long time to dry leading to moisture and ammonia problems
Straw
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Easy to get
Cons
- Can be messy to work with
- Has some dust
- Allows a lot of liquid to pass to the bottom of the coop causing potential smell and mold issues
Dried Leaves
Pros
- Easily accessible
Note
- Experimenter uses them in his run but not in his coop because they don't absorb enough moisture to be used as a main source of bedding
Pine Shavings
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Easy to get
Cons
- Allows a lot of liquid to pass to the bottom of the coop causing potential smell and mold issues
Horse Pellets
Pros
- Performed well
- Absorbency was similar to saw dust
Cons
- Retains a lot of moisture
- Takes a lot of time to dry causing problems with smells and ammonia
Industrial Hemp
Pros
- Dust free
- Easy to work with (not messy like with pine shavings and saw dust)
- Great absorbency
Cons
- Has a higher upfront cost but this is offset by the fact that for most people 1 bale would last 1 year
OVERALL WINNER according to testing: INDUSTRIAL HELP