Straw vs corn cob bedding?

[feather and mountain man]

I have both and usually use corn cob but I was wondering if I should use straw since it is so cold right now my babies are being mailed out to me today. So what are pros and cons to straw?

 

[Judy]

Straw being hollow will harbor mites/lice. Sometimes people run into problems with impacted crops with hay or straw, but then a lot of people use both and this never happens. I always have some hay in my coop and I've never seen a crop problem. If you are talking about whole corn cobs, surely hay or straw would be warmer to snuggle into.

Good luck with your chicks.

 

[sourland]

I use and love ground corn cobs in my pigeon lofts for deep bedding, but it is becoming quite pricey. I have also started using wood pellets and they work OK, but not as well as the ground cobs. This is on pigeons only not chicks.

 

[Judy]

Quote:
I don't know where you guys find all this stuff. I've read about rice hulls and I don't know what else. Locally I can buy hay or... hay. Even pine shavings are 30 miles away; I stock up when I have to go to the "big city." Locally, no grit, oyster shell, BluKote.... Ah well, more power to you.

 

[feather and mountain man]

I went with ground corn cob bedding it seems to absorb better. My chicks are all happy babies right now. I buy the corn cob bedding at Rural King in Jasper IN.

 

[classicsredone]

Not sure if it is available in your area, but we use Advanced Bedding Management pellets for our rabbit. It soaks up any urine, there is no ammonia smell for at least a week, and with larger animals you can just scoop out the dirty portion. Our feed store uses it for all of their animals, too. It is a little more pricey, but we save the difference by not having to change the cage every couple days.