Long strands of golden straw brand a lovely, rustic-looking nest for photographing eggs, but straw does non belong inward backyard chicken coops for a multifariousness of reasons we'll hold off at inward this article.
In the starting fourth dimension one-half of the 20th century, chickens were undoubtedly the to the lowest degree valuable barnyard animal; their health, nutrition together with administration needs were non good understood past times farmers together with didn’t demand to be- if a chicken got sick, they were merely served for dinner together with easily replaced. The valuable, four-legged farm animals such every bit calves together with foals had their barn together with stall floors lined amongst straw to slumber on, hence the term “bedding.” Since at that spot was a plentiful provide available, farmers tossed straw onto the flooring of the chicken coop together with stuffed into adjacent boxes without a mo sentiment close performance. Meanwhile, sand for litter.
While livestock demand bedding for a layer of protection betwixt them together with the cold, damp flooring piece they sleep, chickens do non slumber on the ground, they slumber on roosts, therefore, they do non demand bedding- chickens demand litter on the flooring of the coop to deal waste.
Chicken coop litter is intended to boot the bucket on the coop dry out together with to help inward waste management. Straw performs neither of those tasks well. Straw is non absorbent, therefore, whatever H2O spilled onto it pools underneath, creating an surroundings ideal for mold, fungal together with bacterial increase which leads to disease, bumblefoot, frostbite, parasites, flies, unnecessary work, together with expense.
Controlling wet is a constant battle inward a winter chicken coop. Moisture from droppings together with wet produced from chickens’ high respiratory rates is a challenge to boot the bucket on upwards amongst fifty-fifty inward a well ventilated wintertime chicken coop every bit evidenced past times condensation on the windows inward some coops early on inward the morning. Moisture created from respiration together with droppings dampen the surface of straw, which fosters the increase of molds, fungi together with bacteria that crusade respiratory illness together with diseases such every bit Aspergillosis in chickens.
Peter Brown, aka The Chicken Doctor, states, “I don’t similar straw or hay. These kinds of things are non appropriate (as chicken coop litter) at all. They don’t absorb moisture, they mold really easily together with many times, when yous larn them, they’re moldy.” The hollow nub of straw serves every bit a cozy sanctuary non entirely for mold, but for insects including mites together with other parasites chickens would rather non accept hauled into their sleeping space.
Baled straw should never endure placed within a wintertime chicken coop for insulation. Even amongst the best ventilation practices, wet from respiration together with droppings create humidity within a winter chicken coop. (see hazards of wet on straw, above) This humidity is most noticeable within an inadequately ventilated wintertime coop starting fourth dimension matter inward the morn when windows are coated amongst condensation, fifty-fifty ice. H5N1 sand every bit litter. Winter chicken coop temperatures are kept to a greater extent than stable inward mutual frigidness weather condition together with hot weather condition using sand every bit litter due to its high thermal mass.
H5N1 mutual notwithstanding specious claim close using straw inward chicken coops is that it makes a chicken coop “warmer inward the wintertime past times trapping warm air within its hollow center.” The truth is that the temperature within straw volition endure the same every bit the air temperature within the coop; cold air within a coop way mutual frigidness air within straw. Straw does non possess a magical might to plough mutual frigidness air into warm air. Again, sand is a ameliorate litter alternative than straw.
Retains Heat inward a Hot Coop
In the oestrus of summer, hot air within the coop is retained within straw's hollow core. Straw's presence inward a hot summertime chicken coop is unsafe to chickens already struggling to remain endure given their express thermoregulatory mechanisms inward hot temps.
Beyond beingness a lousy waste product administration fabric together with propensity to endanger chickens’ unique respiratory systems, straw also poses a danger to chickens’ digestive systems. The stalky, fibrous leftover byproduct of the production of rye, wheat, oats or barley, straw, when consumed past times a chicken, tin mail away easily boot the bucket tangled some itself together with other contents inward the crop. Such a tangled volume of fabric within the crop is referred to every bit an impaction together with piece impaction tin mail away hand off farther downward the digestive tract, straw seldom makes it past times the crop where its failure to top is a life threatening emergency requiring surgical intervention. (see a video of a crop impaction surgical physical care for HERE.)
When I began keeping chickens, I sentiment I was supposed to utilization it inward the nest boxes without genuinely thinking close the role of lining nest boxes, which is to protect eggs from breaking every bit they drib out of a hen's vent. I chop-chop establish that hens scratched together with kicked most of the straw out of the nest boxes, leaving a hollow inward the middle of the box exposing bare wood, which patently rendered the eggs unprotected from breakage. For effective egg protection, run across the suggested solutions here.
In a wet chicken yard, straw before long begins decomposing, becoming a foul-smelling, rotting mess of poop together with mud- the ideal surroundings for pathogens such every bit coccidiosis to thrive.
With pino shavings, sand together with chopped varieties of heat-treated hay/straw/zeolite readily available to today's educated chicken keeper, there's no argue to lay chickens at take chances past times using straw inward chicken coops. Save the straw for egg photograph shoots, calf bedding together with decorating the fall chicken yard!
Chicken keepers, inward their ain words:
