Bedding for chickens?

Question

i am getting some ex-battery chickens soon. i've bought a coop, but i'm not sure what they use as bedding. do i put straw in? or do i need something else?

also this coop has no rail to roost on. does this matter? they never had one anyway, being battery hens, so would they be ok or should i put one in? thankyou :-)

Answer 1

Wood shavings are best for chickens. They don't need to have a roost but they enjoy it more than roosting on the ground so if you have the time and materials to build something to roost on I highly recomend it.

Answer 2

I put down a sheet of large cardboard and straw on top... yes they like a roost.. you can make one easy... just have 2 parallel sticks and nail 2 or 3 cross wise and lean up against a wall

good for you for rescuing them

here is an interesting link on pet chickens

http://www.gomestic.com/Pets/Unusual-Pet...

DO NOT use cedar shavings - these put out toxic fumes.. pine is bad but not as bad

Answer 3

Congratulations on making the decision to get ex-bats.

We got 6 last October and they are an absolute pleasure to look after.  You will have great fun with them, and get the most delicious eggs.

We use 'dust free' wood shavings and have had no problems.  Chickens can suffer from respiratory problems so it's important to choose a brand that is labelled as dust free.

We put a very thick layer down and then every day we go out with a bin bag and a pair of rubber gloves and remove any pooh.  This can be done at any time of day as the chickens tend to do most of their indoor poohing during the night.  It literally only takes a few minutes, and we find that it is a lot less hassle than leaving it for a few days and then having huge amounts of pooh to deal with - not nice for the girls either.  Plus, it's good to spend lots of time with them, especially in the early days so that they learn to trust you - it makes inspecting them a lot easier and if you do ever need to take them to the vets it will be a lot less stressful for them.

As for a perch, I think it's probably best to give the birds the options.  Because they are ex-bats they won't necessarily use it though - out of our six, we have about four that do, one that sleeps in one of the next boxes, one that sleeps on the floor and one that sleeps on top of the one on the floor!!!  I guess that's just what they were used to in their cages.

We put our hens straight into the coop when we got them, but left the door open so that they could come out.  You may need to give them a bit of a helping hand on the first night to get back indoors, but after that they will take themselves in with no problems - no matter how far they have gone they always come back once it starts to get dark.  I wouldn't let them go completely free range for the first couple of weeks though as they will be a bit confused.

Don't forget that they will need to be wormed.  We use Verm-X once a month.  And they do like treats - cauliflower, bananas and corn on the cob are real favourites.  Oyster Shell grit is also important to keep the eggshells nice and strong, and they'll need constant access to lots of drinking water - they really do drink a lot!

This website has quite a bit of information about ex-bats, and if you have any specific queries about their welfare they do respond very quickly to e-mails.

http://www.bhwt.org.uk/

Best of luck.  You have made a fabulous decision.  Although the hens may not be the prettiest and may suffer from health problems along the line (because of all the drugs that have been pumped into them during their short lives), you will find that they are great pets and produce a really good supply of eggs.  Ours were laying throughout the winter, when all the other hens in the street had stopped.  So there!

Answer 4

use straw or cedar or pine shavings, straw is easier to clean out. The chickens would porbably like a roost (just buy a thick dowel rod and install it in the wall.) but they wont die without one.

Answer 5

I wouldn't recommend straw as it's the perfect breeding ground for parasites which reproduce and nest within the tubes of each straw strand.

Hay isn't also a very good option as they can eat it risking crop complications and I've lost a hen because of this.

I use hemcore or aubiose for the nest boxes as it's dust-free, offers great absorption properties, the hens don't eat it and it's easy to keep clean and easy to change. You can buy this from most livestock and equestrian supply stores for about £12 for 25kg bag which should last you around 5-8months depending on how many hens you get and how many nest boxes you provide.

For the flooring I use wood shavings but make sure it have low to no dust content as chickens respiratory systems are quite delicate.

Hens should be able to roost and your hens will do this naturally. Therefore it's best to provide a perch. You're best option is to fit one that can be changed easily as they should be replaced every 6 months to fight against red mite and other parasites. Also your hens won't be treading in their faeces if they roost off the floor.

I use this site for information and advice on keeping hens, it's an essential resource for me and I think beginners to keeping hens should definitely check it out! http://www.henkeeping.co.uk

Answer 6

Straw is the usual bedding for chickens

Answer 7

I use wood shavings. (like the ones you get for rabbits).

Straw is OK but it can be difficult to keep clean without having to empty it all out. With wood shavings you can remove the poo daily without having to clean them out completely. You can then clean them weekly.

You can use any piece of wood as a rail as long as it is rounded off. (square ones can cause bumble foot)

When you get them be sure to leave them inside for 24 hours so they learn where home is. Otherwise they may not return to roost at night or to lay.

Ex-battery hens can live as long as any other chickens. But you may find that some just die for no apparent reason.  They can go on laying for 3-5 years after you get them.

You are doing a good thing by re-homing them. But if you live in a cold area (like northern Scotland) you should consider taking them into a poly-tunnel or similar in the winter.

Answer 8

They do need a perch really, well, they definately do if you have cockerals so they can get away from being mated with.  But they are more comfortable to perch.

We use straw, its like £1.30 for a small bale.  Or you could use sawdust or just use the shredding from your paper shredder.  They only get fungus or breathing problems if you allow the bedding to get wet and don't clean it out often enough.  Clean them when they get dirty, and make sure there is always pleny of ventilation and you should have perfectly healthy chickens!

Answer 9

i have a few ex-battery hens. i use straw which works great. if possible a rail to roost on would be nice for them though they might take a while to get in to using it. my ex-battery hens are now 6 or 7 and wonderfull fun frendly chickens. they still lay eggs even at their age but not so regularly but theyre big eggs.

  enjoy your new chickens and well done for giving them a chance of a propper life.

Answer 10

Can I ask you a Q, why would you get then if they dont live long at all.?

anything like straw or hey will work, or shavings from store. Spread it out a couple inches and clean every couple weeks.

They need, like all chickens a wooden rod like to roost on going across the cage, they feel sager up high.

Yes, put one in

Answer 11

straw is the normal thing for chickens

I presume they will be coming out of the coop in the day so its ok not to have a rail but they would probably like one