I am open to using any free litter resource I can get. I used free wood chips from the local county landfill for the first few years, but the last couple of years I have mainly used paper shreds I make at home as deep bedding in my coop.
Paper shreds get my vote for best coop bedding because it's free, practically dust free, light weight, and composts really fast. I only clean out my coup twice a year. I love the dry deep bedding method.
You can read about my experience in moving from wood chips to paper shreds in the thread: Using Shredded Paper for Coop Litter - As Good As Wood Chips?
The worst bedding I have ever used was sand. Although I live on a lake and can get all the free sand I could ever want, my sand always smelt bad, needed to be cleaned and replaced all the time, and was as heavy as can be. I know some people love sand as litter, but it just was not for me.
I used straw many years ago, but it would get wet and moldy. It smelt bad unless replaced frequently. Plus, I had to buy my straw, so it was not difficult to try other free options that ended up working better. Straw is low on my list due to my experiences with it.
I have also used leaves and dried grass. I have all the leaves and grass clippings I would ever need from my 3 acres of wooded property for coop bedding. However, leaves and grass clippings are very dusty. I find they work better mixed with other litter resources, like wood chips or shredded paper. But leaves and grass clippings are great for composting after use as coop litter. I would put leaves and dried grass in the middle of my scale.
I don't have access to hemp and have never tried it. I know some people compliment the sweet smell it has inside the coop. That would be nice. Every once in a while, I will put some fresh pine branches through my woodchipper and toss the fresh pine chips into the coop. Smells really good in the coop for a week or so.
Paper shreds get my vote for best coop bedding because it's free, practically dust free, light weight, and composts really fast. I only clean out my coup twice a year. I love the dry deep bedding method.
You can read about my experience in moving from wood chips to paper shreds in the thread: Using Shredded Paper for Coop Litter - As Good As Wood Chips?
The worst bedding I have ever used was sand. Although I live on a lake and can get all the free sand I could ever want, my sand always smelt bad, needed to be cleaned and replaced all the time, and was as heavy as can be. I know some people love sand as litter, but it just was not for me.
I used straw many years ago, but it would get wet and moldy. It smelt bad unless replaced frequently. Plus, I had to buy my straw, so it was not difficult to try other free options that ended up working better. Straw is low on my list due to my experiences with it.
I have also used leaves and dried grass. I have all the leaves and grass clippings I would ever need from my 3 acres of wooded property for coop bedding. However, leaves and grass clippings are very dusty. I find they work better mixed with other litter resources, like wood chips or shredded paper. But leaves and grass clippings are great for composting after use as coop litter. I would put leaves and dried grass in the middle of my scale.
I don't have access to hemp and have never tried it. I know some people compliment the sweet smell it has inside the coop. That would be nice. Every once in a while, I will put some fresh pine branches through my woodchipper and toss the fresh pine chips into the coop. Smells really good in the coop for a week or so.
