keeping chickens - bedding??

thepb

Hi,

is it ok to put cross cut paper shreddings into the nest box of the chicken coop?

also do B&Q sell wood chips for the run floor? are these expensive and do they need changing very often?
I know lots of people go to timber merchants, but I do not think we have one locally around here.

may thanks

baref

hi, i am the poud owner of 7 hens and have tried shredded paper and found it disintagrated into pulp! What i use is hay/straw from my local country stores, local pet shop also stock it. it costs under £2 for a really large bag (i have a lage pen so need to use 3 at a time). I use it on the floor and the nest box, i dont even spread it just leave the bale and the hens go mad scratching through it! clean it out once a fortnight and put straight in my compost bin. and have you given the girls grapes??? mine go mad for them!
good luck

7_week_wonder

Just to be contrary :

I have 3 hens at the moment and regularly use shredded paper in the nest box and in the roost. I then put a bit of straw on top and it does the girls absolutely fine for up to a fortnight.

I always get my straw from the country store because it is much cheaper than the pet shop - and when I did get it from the pet shop the stuff was awful, it was full of straw dust rather than decent straw.

Sorry I can't help about the wood chippings as our hens are in an ark straight on the lawn and get moved every few days.

hex2

I also have tried shredded paper which was ok but got very messy by the end of the week, and of course can be composted too. Best bargain was a bale of straw from the farm shop for c£2.50 which lasted for months. Mine are mostly free range so just night time use. Not tried bark.