Winter bedding?

[Susan Skylark]

Just bought some pine pelleted bedding to try (have used shavings and sand). I have double decker pens (top and bottom), the birds in the top kick all their bedding out and the bottom birds end up with deep litter (quite a hint for eggs!). Maybe the pellets won’t be any better than the shavings but is it necessary to have more than an inch or two of bedding come winter? I know it is nice for the birds but some people keep them on wire and I’m guessing they survive even so. They are inside an insulated garage (good 20F warmer than outside) and though it can dip to -30F overnight occasionally long stretches below zero are uncommon. Just curious going into my first winter and wondering what to expect.

 

[le_bwah]

I used straw, cut longer than chopped straw—they sold it by the bale at my local D&B, but not sure where else to get it or what it's called.

Worked wonders! They moved little hollows and tunnels during the day and settled down into their own little craters of straw at night. At its thickest, it was maybe six inches, and two on the low side.

This plus tarping up the sides of the smallest section of their cage helped keep things dry and cozy—much less puffing up of feathers than I've seen other years without straw.

Been doing this six years now, and it seems like windbreaks and access to cozy hides/shelters is as important as bedding to keep their feet dry and help them snuggle in at night.

 

[Nabiki]

They need to be able to keep their feet warm, so you want to give them enough bedding that they can bury their feet if they're cold. If you have small boxes/shelters in there as well, they will huddle in those and their body heat will warm them up.

 

[Susan Skylark]

I like the short cut straw idea, usually can’t stand it (grossed me out when wet and dust is bad for allergies), but these are birds, not calves with diarrhea so won’t be as prone to nastiness. Might just have to do it because they are adorable hiding in it!

 

[HollowOfWisps]

I like the short cut straw idea, usually can’t stand it (grossed me out when wet and dust is bad for allergies), but these are birds, not calves with diarrhea so won’t be as prone to nastiness. Might just have to do it because they are adorable hiding in it!

As someone with horses I agree the idea of straw bedding grossed me out initially as well. I have seen way too many nasty cow and horse barns using straw bedding that made me want to shower and scrub every inch of my body as soon as I got out of there. However, the chopped straw doesn’t create that thick impossible barrier and is very easy to turn with only poultry droppings. I use it in the winter for my ducks and chickens now with great success. I however, still refuse to use it for my horses because yuck.

 

[Susan Skylark]

Horses tend to pee quite a bit (also why we don’t own rabbits!). Nothing is worse than crawling inside a calf hutch to mess with a scouring Holstein, ugh! Don’t have that issue with birds unless your population density is a nightmare.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Horses tend to pee quite a bit (also why we don’t own rabbits!). Nothing is worse than crawling inside a calf hutch to mess with a scouring Holstein, ugh! Don’t have that issue with birds unless your population density is a nightmare.

Yeah I had to do that once and my husband is having trouble convincing me to get cows now. I told him if he wants cows he gets to deal with the cow I will clean horse stalls, sheep, goats, chickens, ducks…just not cow poop after treating calves with scours

 

[Susan Skylark]

Don’t mind cow manure, except nursing calves, bleh!