Straw

[Quail_Antwerp]

We are using the straw for bedding. The chickens and ducks love it and it helps insulate the coops. We also layered the floor in the goat shed so they have something soft to lay in. Oh and for the dog houses. We have a blue heeler that is petrified of being in the house....he literally goes stiff! so we layer the inside of his box with it and the lab mixes box, too.

 

[unclejoe]

We don't use straw but we do pay $4 a bale for hay. We get 40 -45 bales at a time for the horses and I snag 1-2 from them for the coop.

 

[miss_thenorth]

Straw-$2/bale. hay we lucked out this year at $2.75/bale. Both local.

 

[enjoy the ride]

Why would wheat straw be bad for animals, outside of it being really slippery on rubber mats? I normally use rice straw but could only get wheat from the feed store this time.
I thought it looked to shiney and would not be too absorbant but it has turned out to be pretty good- just ends up getting pushed to the edges each day.

 

[FarmerChick]

straw--local farmer about 1 mile from me.
$2.50 per bale. Don't use straw on the farm. Use shavings and such for chicken bedding.

Hay---we grow about 80 acres. Don't need to buy.


the prices on the straw is so high. you all blew me away with some of those prices. I don't ever need to price this stuff...LOL..wow

 

[patandchickens]

Why would wheat straw be bad for animals, outside of it being really slippery on rubber mats?

I think they just meant "not a grade suitable for animals", i.e. probably got rained on and a bit moldy.

Wheat straw in general is fine for animal bedding. Some straws, I believe it's rye and/or barley, you gotta watch out b/c there can be some seeds left in it and the sharp awn of the seed can be like a bad splinter in sensitive parts of animals.

I use shavings, personally, b/c I don't have anywhere dry to store lotsa straw. I use so little bedding (the horses live Out) that I just buy bales of shavings at the feedstore when I need 'em, plus extras can be stored in the barn b/c dampness isn't a mold risk like it is with straw.

A straw-bedded horse stall sure does look nice though

Pat

 

[enjoy the ride]

Unfortunately for me- it rains a lot (a really lot) and the goats spend a good part of each rainy day under the covers. I don't want them lying in poop and found straw (even at $7 per bale) to be cheapest for them. The horses are not so rain adverse and they just have rubber mats under their cover.
The only thing I don't like about goats is that they poop wherever their rear ends are pointed= and I swear they poopout more than the horses. And I hate those rolly little balls that are hard to clean up.
It takes me 15 minutes each day to clean after the horses and 1 1/2 hours to do the goats.I was actaully thinking about grading their night pen so that I could just push broom the berries down to the edge. I even have a portable wet/dry vac for hard to reach spots.

 

[FarmerChick]

ETR
You have me laughing. Oh yes I know they poop wherever their rear end is facing and in every mineral holder, every bucket, water trough,,,,you name it there is goat poop..HA HA HA

 

[pioneergirl]

Sorry folks, I get mine for free...LOL BIL cuts and bails his, and I have an endless supply for my chix and dogs.. Bedding and it works good not only in the dog boxes but on their outside runs, too...poop picks up easier and they aren't walking in mud.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Sorry folks, I get mine for free...LOL BIL cuts and bails his, and I have an endless supply for my chix and dogs.. Bedding and it works good not only in the dog boxes but on their outside runs, too...poop picks up easier and they aren't walking in mud.

We would do this, too, if we had the proper means to do it. No farm machinery here I told DH we just need to whack it down with a weedeater LOLOL

We do cut hay by hand. But that's timothy hay and we feed it to the critters.