Straw for Chicken Coop Bedding: Pros, Cons and How to Do It Right - The Featherbrain (2024)

Straw is one of the most common types of bedding used for chicken coops in the United States. This is mainly due to tradition and availability.

Today, however, we tend to care more about the health and happiness of our chickens than previous generations. Is straw still the right choice for chickens today?

Straw is a fairly good bedding material for chicken coops because it contains little dust, insulates well and chickens like to scratch on it. However, straw does not release moisture well, does not stay clean for long, harbors pathogens and must therefore be replaced frequently.

In this article you will learn everything you need to know about using straw for stable bedding, including:

• What is straw

• The benefits of using straw litter

• The disadvantages of using straw litter

• How straw litter scores compared to other types of ground cover

• Where to find straw and how much it costs

• How to use straw bedding in your chicken coop

• Use of straw litter in the incubator

• Use of straw litter during the run

If you want to read a more scholarly source, check out my article The Best Bedding for Chicken Coops: Sand vs. straw versus pine shavings. I literally searched dozens and dozens of academic studies to write this article. If science is your thing, you'll definitely want to give it a try!

What is straw?

Straw is simply dried grain stalks. Straw yesdoesn'thay, which is grass that has been cut and dried for use as animal feed. Hay generally does not provide good bedding because its moisture content is too high.

High humidity can cause mold and pathogens to grow and multiply in your chicken coop, potentially leading to serious health problems for your chickens. For more information on hay, check out my article,A comparison of 21+ chicken coop bedding materials.

You want to usechopped straw in your chicken coop. Unchopped straw can have consequences for the crop. Chopped straw is the safest choice. (See more on this topic incrop impact sectionbelow.)

There are different types of straw that you can buy.

Pro #1: Straw litter is very absorbent

One study found that of nine bed types tested, straw was the second most absorbent, after peat moss. The study showed that straw can hold ~7 times its own weight in water! For more information about this research, see my article,The Best Bedding for Chicken Coops: Sand vs. straw versus pine shavings.

Absorption is important because you don't want moisture to get on your bedding and your bedding to become soaked.

Unfortunately, while straw retains moisture well, it is absolutely terrible at releasing moisture (more on this inmoisture drainage section below). High fluid retention means increased growth of pathogens.

Pro #2: Straw bedding can be cheap

In many parts of the country, straw is plentiful and cheap. See more about the costscosts of straw littersection below.

Pro #3: Straw litter can be dust-free

Because chickens have very sensitive airways, a non-dusty bedding is very desirable. Some straw litter has been found to contain little dust, but unfortunately other sources can be very dusty. See my article,The Best Bedding for Chicken Coops: Sand vs. straw vs pine shavings,for information only.

Unchopped straw is usually low in dust, but again, you don't want to use it as bedding. Unchopped straw has a greater risk of impacting the crop and tends to clump, leading to the growth of pathogens.

Pro #4: Chickens like to scratch in straw beds

Many people like to throw a handful of grain into their straw and let their chickens excitedly scratch around the straw looking for it. Chickens love it and so do their keepers!

For me personally this is not really a pro. I never throw cereal in bedding because it is unsanitary. Chickens inevitably eat feces and litter in their search for the grain, and they get feces all over their feet.

Because organic waste can contain many dangerous pathogens, you don't want to encourage your chickens to do anything that increases the consumption of pathogens. It is best to throw their grain outside in clean grass and let them forage for it.

Pro #5: Straw litter is excellent for the deep spreading method

The deep soil method has become extremely popular among homesteaders in recent years. With this method you rarely change the bedding. When it starts to smell or becomes too rough, add more fresh bedding to the old bedding, making the bedding deeper and deeper.

The litter composts slowly over time and after 6 months to a year you finally take it out and use it as compost. An added bonus is that when bacteria break down the bedding in your home, heat is released, which (probably) makes the coop a few degrees warmer in the winter.

I've tried the deep bottom method and hated it for several reasons, but you'll find others who love it and wouldn't do it any other way. Many who use the deep ground cover have opted for straw as ground cover.

Pro #6: Straw bedding composts quickly in the compost pile

Many chicken keepers who do not use the deep litter method would still like to use their litter for compost later. As they remove old waste from the garden, they add it to their compost pile. Many say their straw composts very quickly.

Pro #7: Straw mulch compost can be used in gardens

And with compost comes garden fuel! Those of you who have a garden will love putting your old bedding and chicken waste to productive use!

Pro #8: Straw litter insulates

Straw litter has some insulating properties and can lead to a slightly warmer garden in winter. However, many have complained that straw also leads to a warmer garden in the summer.

Pro #9: Straw bedding is widely available

Straw is readily available in most areas. See the section below for advice on where to find straw. Find and buy straw bedding for your chicken coop.

Pro #10: Straw litter is lightweight

Straw litter is super light compared to sand. You will be able to maneuver him in and out of your cage much easier.

Disadvantages of using straw for chicken coop bedding

Con #1: Straw is not a great nest

The fact that surprised me: chickens need bedding, not litter

I've talked about this before on the blog, but now I'm going again. I read one a long time agoalreadyby Chicken Chick, which contained this little tidbit of knowledge:

Stunned.We always talk about chicken litter, but chickens don't need litter. Chickens don't 'lay' – they rest.We don't need any material for them to lie on. What we need is a material that acts as waste for their feces.

Waste has these properties:

• Good moisture absorption/release

• Keeps odors down

• Dry out the stool

• Does not degrade

Straw does none of these things! Okay, okay, it's great at absorbing, but straw is so bad at releasing the moisture it absorbs that it almost doesn't matter.

In one study, straw was the worst at releasing moisture of the nine bedding types tested. Read more about this research and others in my article,The Best Bedding for Chicken Coops: Sand vs. straw versus pine shavings. Because straw is poor at releasing moisture, you will need to replace it often.

The only chicken coop litter that has all the properties of good litter is sand. For more information on why sand is king of the garden when it comes to bedding (or should I say litter?), check out my article: Use sand for chicken coop bedding.

Regardless, many people hate using sand in their chicken coops and like straw. As I always say, different methods work for different keepers (and for different chickens, for that matter).

Disadvantage #2: Straw litter does not release moisture and has elevated pathogen levels

Straw does not wick moisture well, and this is perhaps the worst quality bedding for chicken coops. Straw holds more water than most (perhaps all) other ground cover types, creating a rich environment for pathogen growth.

Straw is more susceptible to mold growth than many other types of ground cover. In fact, some people who use straw for the deep ground cover method have reported that this has been a major problem for them.

Some fungi can bother chickens, but some fungi can kill very suddenly and silently. Unfortunately, you can't always see dangerous mold with the naked eye either, so if you start losing chickens, you won't know what's causing it.

I have read several scientific studies describing the increased growth of pathogens in straw. Several studies have shown that straw is a culprit in the presence of pathogens that cause respiratory diseases in livestock. Check out my article,The Best Bedding for Chicken Coops: Sand vs. straw vs pine shavings,for more information about these studies and what exactly they found.

One thing you can do to prevent these problems is to water regularlyzeolite crystals in your straw bed. Zeolite is a mineral that absorbs moisture very well. Many chicken keepers who use straw in their chicken coops swear by it. To seezeolite hair on Amazon.

Disadvantage #3: Straw litter does not stay clean

Because straw does not absorb moisture very well, the litter does not remain clean. This can be particularly unpleasant for several reasons:

1. Chicken dust bathes in bedding -they may have much better dust bathing equipment just outside the coop, but many chickens will still occasionally dust bath in the litter. If you have moist, poopy bedding, your chickens will literally cover themselves in it from head to toe.

2. Chickens eat bedding and clingit's inevitable. This may not be a regular part of their diet, but I always catch chickens eating litter or feces as they forage around in it (research has shown this too, you can read more in my articleher). This applies whether I use straw, pine shavings or sand. (But don't do thatever use pine shavings - see why in my article,her).Of these three bedding materials, straw is definitely the dirtiest and most pathogen-laden because it also does not release moisture. In all studies into the purity of the litter, straw was rated low. For more information on straw purity studies, see my article,The Best Bedding for Chicken Coops: Sand vs. straw versus pine shavings.

3. Chickens poop on their feet -While this in itself is gross and may not be pleasant for the chickens, they also bring poop into the nest boxes, contaminating the nesting material and smearing feces on the eggs.

Cons #4: Straw may contain pesticides

Many farmers use pesticides on their crops and therefore the residual straw can be full of them. Pesticides can seriously harm your chickens. You definitely don't want these toxins in your home.

Just ask the person or store you want to buy from if they have used pesticides on their straw. Of course, you should also be sure that you trust their integrity before purchasing anything. There are plenty of straws that are pesticide-free, so just keep looking. I have used this strawon Amazon, specifically designed for chicken coop bedding.

Disadvantages #5: Straw can cause blighted crops

Straw can damage crops, but so can litter if chickens eat too much of it.

The biggest problem arises when you buy straw that has not been chopped. These long pieces of straw clump together in the crop and can clog the digestive tract, leading to shock.

An infestation is a serious problem that can be cured if caught in time, but otherwise your chicken will die. She will starve and the impact itself can be very unpleasant, especially since the harvest becomes very large as she tries to eat more and more food.

If you buychopped straw,Your chickens' risk of crop impact decreases dramatically.

Many chicken keepers have used unchopped straw and have never had problems with impaction, but others have sob stories to tell. It is of course up to you whether you want to take the chance or not. If you are going to use unchopped straw, think carefully about throwing in crabs or treats. Your chicks may accidentally eat the straw while looking for a treat.

Disadvantages No. 6: Cheap straw may only be available in large quantities

Although straw is very cheap in some parts of the country, you may have to buy it in bulk. You may need to purchase one or more bales (and this is usually unchopped straw). If you have a small home, this means you will need to keep your straw in a very dry, well-ventilated place where it will be safe from moisture and animals that eat it.

You could buy straw in bags instead at some local feed stores, or you can even find ground beefStraw bagged here on Amazon. This is what I used before I changed my bedding to sand.

Negative 7: Cages with straw litter can be more difficult to clean

This disadvantage is relative. Straw litter, which is initially light, can become very heavy and clump with feces once it is used in the garden. So it is much more difficult to remove it from your garden than pine shavings, which remain light. is still not as difficult to remove as sand, which is considerably heavier.

Just an FYI: pine chips are poisonous to chickens, so don't use them. For the latest research, see my article,Pine shavings in the garden: the secret chicken killer?

Cons #8: Rodents and insects love straw litter

Rodents like to nest and hide in organic bedding, such as straw. However, you can largely prevent rodents from entering your cage if you have a wooden or concrete floor that they cannot tunnel into. It can also help to raise your coop off the ground. I have never had a rodent in my cages, regardless of the type of bedding I used.

Insects (including those pesky flies) also love rotting organic bedding like straw that breaks down due to the added chicken feces and moisture. The only types of litter with significantly fewer insects are sand and gravel – you can read more about the research into this in my article her.

Straw versus other types of bedding

Check out my well-researched article,A comparison of 21+ chicken coop bedding materials. You will see that of all possible bedding materials, straw is number 2, after sand.

Find and buy straw bedding for your chicken coop

If you buy straw, make sure you buy itchopped straw.Straw mats are easily loosened and when mixed with manure they form huge, moist clumps. This is exactly what you don't want in your home.

Additionally, if your chickens eat the unchopped straw (which some inevitably will), they have a high chance of impacting the crop because the straw is so long and stringy.

Where can you find straw bedding for chicken coops?

You can find straw at most local agricultural stores, such as Tractor Supply and D&B. You can also ask around – straw is quite easy to find if you know someone who lives in the countryside (although chopped straw is harder to find than unchopped straw).

Craigslist is another place where you can find people selling straw. But be careful: make sure the straw is dry, mold-free, pesticide-free and chopped before you buy it.

Some farm stores may have bagged straw, especially for chicken coops. These are more expensive to purchase than bales, but they have their advantages. Chicken straw in bags is free of pesticides, cut small, dry and free of dangerous molds.

Also store bagged straw in a dry place, such as on a shelf in your garage (you just want to make sure it stays completely dry and rodents can't get to it). You can even find itstraw in bagson Amazon and have it delivered to your home! That's what I used to do.

You can also buy straw and straw mixes in which the mineral zeolite has already been mixed. This type of bedding goes a long way toward keeping your home clean and dry (kudos to the zeolite). Look at this straw-lucerne-zeolite bedding mixture of Amazonia.

How much does straw bedding for your chicken coop cost?

Straw bedding varies in price depending on where you live and what time of day it is. When I bought straw at my local D&B in the summer, I paid$ 8/balher meSouthwestern Idaho.Still, I prefer to buystraw in bags on Amazon because it's easier to store.

Here are two other examples I found online:

1. Lisa Steele fromFresh eggs daily- "Strokost cani dollars pr balle haar in Mainewhere we are and I usually use one to two bales at a time in the yard (depending on the time of year) so it adds up quickly.”

2. Lisa Murano outChicken farm Murano(I couldn't find her whereabouts) – “Around hereI can have straw bales for between $2-4 each, throughout the year. Even if all five houses are empty, I can fill them all for less than $10. That's certainly a price I can live with!”

You can also order bedding online as I am used to, seeherfor how muchstrawIgoes after Amazon.Checkherto see the current price for onemixed straw-lucerne-zeolite litter.

How to use straw bedding in your chicken coop

Straw bedding supplies

Here is a list of the supplies I use with Amazon links to each:

• Spade

• Snow shovel

• Tape-mes

• Plastic carrying bag

• Zeolite crystals
  

How I use these supplies is explained in detail below.

How to move straw bedding to your chicken coop

If you have a straw bale, use onepowerful shovelto scoop the straw into the bucket. I've used one toopowerful snow plow to move straw in particularly large copper eddies.

If you have onebag of straw, you can just open it and empty it into your coop, or use your hands to pick it up and spread it around.

Clean up the straw and make sure there are no lumps in it. Clumps are more likely to retain moisture on the road.

How deep should the straw bedding be in your chicken coop?

Your bedding should be at least 3 to 4 inches deep, but your chickens will appreciate it if you give them a depth of about 6 inches.

How to keep the straw bedding in your chicken coop clean

The only way to keep your straw litter clean in the pile is to reduce the amount of chicken scraps in it. The best way to do this is to place litter boxes or cat boards under your chickens' perches.

Your chickens poop a lot when they roost at night, and having boxes or shelves under their roost can help keep this large amount of droppings out of your bedding.

Simply scrape the hills with one every daytape mes. I cancel the hills into oneplastic attitude and then empty the suitcase in a designated place outside.

This simple trick will significantly extend the life of your bedding, regardless of the material you use!

How often should you replace the straw bedding in your chicken coop?

How often you replace the straw bedding in the coop really depends on the size of your coop, how many chickens you have in the coop, and how clean you want it to be for your chickens.

Because straw does not release moisture well, you will have to replace the straw bedding more often than other bedding materials. Keep in mind that if moisture builds up, your chickens will be exposed to high levels of bacteria and possibly mold, which can kill them.

If you're like me, you'll want to replace your straw quite often, about every week, and certainly no longer than two weeks. Chickens love fresh bedding, so as far as they're concerned, the more often you change it out, the better. I really hate it when my chickens walk around with poop on the legs of the litter, so I prefer not to leave the litter in the coop for too long.

If you have a lot of chickens in your coop (which I don't recommend, but many people seem to do), you may need to change the bedding every day or 2-3 times a week. This is especially true if your chickens only have a short run. The smaller their run, the more time they spend (and spend) in their coop.

On the other hand, some people with large chickens, low chicken densities, and free-range chickens (which spend less time in the coop) can go a month or more without changing the litter.

If you notice that your straw is getting wet, you smell ammonia, or it just smells unpleasant, it's time to replace the straw.

If you want to use the deep bedding method, you can go 6 months to a year without changing the bedding (6 months is better for your chickens). I don't like the deep litter method for several reasons - I tried it my first year raising chickens, and promised:never again, but this is a very popular method at the moment. Many people love it.

However, with this method you run a risk simply due to moisture retention in the straw and increased growth of pathogens.

If you use the deep litter method, make sure your coop is very well ventilated as you will have more ammonia and bad odors in your coop. Also keep a close eye on the bedding and make sure it doesn't get it. too damp, and if you smell even a hint of ammonia, immediately add more bedding and mix it in.

One more thing: if you use straw, especially if you use the deep bedding, consider investing in apose zeolite crystallizerto spread in your straw. Zeolite helps absorb much of the moisture and prevents ammonia from building up. This provides a healthier environment for your chickens and helps enormously against odors and flies.

You can even find some packets of straw litter that already have zeolite mixed in. You can find these mixtures at your local farm store, and you can even find them on Amazon, like this onestraw-lucerne-zeolite bedding mixture.

How to extend the life of your straw litter

I mentioned above one way to extend the life of your straw litter: use litter boxes or cat shelves under the lounges to prevent the straw from getting dirty overnight.

Another idea comes from Lisa Steele, from the wonderful blog Fresh Eggs Daily. She wrote onealreadyon a method she uses.

When her straw bedding needs to be changed, she puts it out in the open air or in the garden on a very warm and sunny day. She says the sun's UV rays help kill bacteria, mold and other pathogens in the bedding.

She piles up the litter a little to appeal to the chickens and lets her chickens roam around the litter all day. She recommends throwing a handful of mealworms or seeds into the bedding if necessary.

The chickens spread the litter throughout the day and the sun dries up all the moisture.

At the end of the day, Lisa puts the dry bedding back in the garden. She says the straw looks brand new. She notes that she separates the really dirty waste and throws it in the compost pile.

Lisa says she can do this 2-3 times before throwing the litter away (and for her, throwing the litter away means putting it in the compost pile and then using it in the garden).

Lisa says this is one way to really save money on your chicken bedding.

I've included this anecdote from her blog post in case it's useful to you. Personally, I wouldn't use this method. I'm still concerned that the litter is dirtier than it looks (some fungi and bacteria are very hardy) and I would prefer to give my chickens fresh, clean litter, but different methods work for different keepers! And Lisa has had great success with this technique, so maybe you will too.

Straw litter can be used in the incubator. Make sure it is free of pesticides and very dry.

Here's something every novice chicken keeper needs to know about brood bedding: Start by covering it! That's right, cover the bedding with paper towels, rubber board liners, or other non-toxic material that the puppies can't eat.

Chickens don't automatically know what to eat, they have to learn what to eat. You don't want your chickens to eat anything other than chicken feed. If you don't cover the bedding, they will most likely eat the bedding. The crop may be affected and die, or they may simply decide that cover crops are food and then not get the nutrition they need to survive.

You only need to cover the litter for a few days, usually just long enough for them to learn to eat chicken food. However, I want to be on the safe side. To be on the safe side, I cover bedding for 5-7 days.

Can straw litter be used while running?

The short answer: Straw bedding can be used in the run, but some people have difficulty with this approach. Yep, you guessed it: it's fluid retention and the pathogens are rearing their ugly heads again.

I've never used straw for running, so to find the answer to this question I read every article I could find on the subject (and there are no academic articles) and searched what felt like a million forums. It seems like most people have had bad experiences with straw while running, but there are situations where using straw while running can be an excellent choice.

Most people agree that laying down straw in the beginning can be a good thing. For chickens it is initially much nicer than a hard sand run (this is what the ground looks like after the chickens have been in the run for a month or so, no matter how nice it started). But then it becomes strawwet, smelly and dirty, especially when it rains.

Most people who have tried using straws in racing recommend it (or at least the people posting on the forums recommend against it, because they are clearly biased).

On the other hand, there are people who take advantage of the benefits of straw while on the run. These people can usually be divided into three camps.

1. The first camp is the people who live theresandy areas— Water drains well in these areas, and straw seems to do so toostays drier and does not smell.

2. The other camp is people who use strawson top of snow-because everything is frozen, this straw usually works well, andthe chickens love it.

3. The third camp are people whodo not use straw to cover the entire run, but just tear out a bunch of straw during the race. With this last method, chickens enjoy scratching through the straw and suchbreaks quite quicklyfor compost (as long as conditions are not too wet).

I don't think it's worth the risk to use straw in the run. Sand is usually a better option - see my article,Use sand for chicken coop bedding, for information only.

You may also be interested in:

• The BEST Luxury Home You'll Ever Buy: Treat your chickens to Rita Marie's

• Chicken coop ventilation: 21 design ideas with pictures

• Use sand for chicken coop bedding

• Pine shavings in the garden: the secret chicken killer?

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