I have read alot about the use of pine shavings as an ideal source of bedding material for the floor of the hen house. What about using shredded cypress mulch or pine bark chips, the kind sold for landscaping? Anyone tried that? Will it work for the deep litter method? I have greater access to that than pine shavings.

-- J Flynn (flynn4@netzero.com), January 18, 2002

Answers

The idea behing the deep litter method is to encourage composting which helps to warm the animals in the winter and keeps disease organisms in check through healthy bacterial "competition". You must therefore use a product that will decompose in a reasonable amount of time which cannot be said for wood chips and sawdust/shavings made up of tree species like cedar and possibly cypress. Landscapers like this because their mulches last longer! All you have to do is choose a species that rots like pine or fir or??? in the form of sawdust or shavings.

-- Kathy (homefarmbc@pacificcoast.net), January 18, 2002.