Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored nor do I get paid in any way to write it. No brands are mentioned on this post.
This review came about from a momentary lapse of sanity caused by being lazy—the poultry supply store I usually get my things from had bales of hemp bedding at the door and I didn’t feel like hauling wood shavings from the back so I ended up purchasing it on a whim—thinking if I don’t like it I can always buy shavings next time. You should always wear a mask when cleaning out poultry bedding since there are many fungi and bacteria that are terrible for your lungs. At the time of taking the video, it was 8 weeks from when I last changed it out, so about 2 months, for 16 quail.
I use a hand shovel but there are better scoopers on the internet, with a flat front rather than pointed.
Pros:
- Super absorbent – It stays loose and dry which makes it easy to scoop (without caking) during cleaning.
- Lasts a long time – I felt comfortable letting it go to 8 weeks before changing it out. That was the point it began to smell a bit for me. Normally I change out bedding every week to every two weeks, but with this I haven’t had to, so it lasts about 4-6 times longer. Considering it’s about 5 times more expensive, it works out to be about the same as cost wise wood shavings. However, the hour it takes me to change out the bedding in the two hutches is also technically money saved.
Cons:
- Higher up front cost – A 5 cubic feet (33lb) bale is about $35-$40 compared to $7-14 for 8 cubic feet (also about 33lbs) of wood shavings.
- Smaller and looser so you need a good scooper to both remove the old bedding and add in the new.
- Since it dries out the droppings so well, the droppings become dusty.
- Doesn’t seem to break down as quickly in the garden, but that may be due to the fact it needs a lot more moisture due to absorbency. Will see what happens in the spring.
Final Verdict
I tend to be a really anxious person so I guess it’s not as great for me right now since once I hit 2 weeks I’m checking constantly to see when I should change it (based on smell.) I imagine though once this becomes my new normal (every 6 – 8 weeks) I won’t be as concerned. Otherwise I would definitely use this over wood shavings unless I’m on a very tight budget, just for the time saved alone aspect.