We completely understand your love and obsession for your chickens. They are almost human with the way they cause all kinds of coop drama with your other lovelies. Like caring for yourself or your kids, your chickens just as much deserve a comfortable place to lay their heads and nest. They also need safe bedding as chicks to walk on without worrying about splinters.
There is much debate among chicken keepers about what is the best bedding for chickens. Some swear by the traditional use of straw, while others believe that science says sand should be the go-to option. There are also many other popular options available. However, after testing the bedding ourselves, we can say with confidence that hemp bedding is heaven for your chicken coop.
You may be skeptical that we make such a strong claim since there are so many different beddings (and litters for that matter) that you can choose. What most chicken blogs and sites won’t tell you is that each has its own pros and cons. To clear the coop of any nasty bedding rumors you may have heard about this new bedding, we are going to tell you more about why hemp truly is the best.
Hemp Beats Straw, Sand, and Wood
Yes, we really meant what we said: hemp beats straw, sand, and wood. These three are the trifecta of chicken bedding for nesting boxes and coops. However, they each have major weaknesses that cause them to be lackluster. This is where hemp bedding comes in and triumphs as the top bedding for your feather friends.
Straw
Straw bedding is the longest used and most traditional chicken bedding option. It is affordable and readily available, whether through growing it yourself, purchasing through a feed store, or partnering with a local farmer. Sadly, straw does not live up to the glory it presents when it comes to absorbancy. Your coop will be smelly quicker and longer if you decide to fill your chicken’s home with this ineffective bedding.
On the flip side, hemp bedding is just as absorbent as peat moss while becoming the new fad for pet owners. Horses, small animals, reptiles, rabbits, etc all love this eco-friendly product in their habitats. Even chicken owners are beginning to realize how amazing hemp bedding is. It is already taking the litter/bedding world by storm, even though it doesn’t have the same history and lineage as straw.
Sand
Using sand is a popular option for coops that are large and outdoors. Sand is highly absorbent and creates a base that can be “turned” or raked to clean, thus eliminating a lot of work on your part as a chicken owner. Again, another popular chicken bedding fails, except this time at being too solid and sturdy for nesting boxes. There is nothing encouraging your chickens more than to lay their precious eggs on an uncomfortable, rough surface.
You can use hemp bedding, unlike sand, for nesting boxes by giving your chickens a dry, fluffy surface to rest on. Other chicken owners have suggested that hemp bedding’s fluff is similar to newspaper shreddings without all the impossible cleanup. When your ladies trot into their nesting boxes in a line and examine the new flooring, they will be in bedding heaven.
Wood
And finally are wood products, such as wood shavings or wood chips. They are one of the most popular options available on the chicken bedding market due to their absorbency. Wood shavings are an excellent choice for softness and comfort and are generally safe for chickens to ingest in small amounts. The scent from wood products also helps to mask unwanted smells.
It is vital to select a wood that is safe for chickens. Pine shavings and cedar shavings are among some available options at supply stores, but there is debate about whether these options are safe for chickens. The scents that they give off can cause respiratory problems for the sensitive systems of a chicken.
Hemp bedding, while receiving a bad rep in human consumption, is an eco-friendly option for your children. It not only decomposes faster than wood but prevents entire forests from being mowed down. Although hemp is odorless, you will not need any additional smells to mask nasty droppings since the bedding already takes care of that job.
Gentle Hemp for Nesting Boxes
This revolutionary bedding is perfect for when your feathered ladies need a break from their coop and take a nap in their nesting box. You know, unlike them, that it is really for the eggs, and hemp bedding does the job by promoting that process. It is a soft, fluffy material they are inclined to scratch and explore. They want to lay their eggs in hemp while abandoning other kinds.
Hemp Dominates the Coop
You may be thinking, “Okay, sand bedding is not the greatest option for nesting boxes, but it’s a great option for the coop floor.” We would agree with you on the many benefits of sand if there was not a debate surrounding whether it is harmful to your chickens. Play sand is universally accepted as toxic to your chicken children, and regular sand can cause respiratory disease, just like cedar shavings. They may like the dust baths at the moment, but later they will not have a say.
With sand out of the way as most chicken owners’ prime coop bedding, it is clear why we love hemp bedding. It has the many benefits of sand while dropping all the losses, protecting rather than harming your cherished chickens.
Hemp is the Best Bedding for Chickens
Do we need to say anymore? Hemp bedding is by far the best bedding for your coop full of chickens. It beats out straw, sand, and wood while emerging as its own unique type. From its light impact on the environment to its amazing absorbency and compostability, there’s no reason why you should not choose it!
Hemp bedding is a fairly new option on the market but has proven to be an excellent absorbent choice that chickens love. It has a quick growing and harvest season and therefore has a light impact on the environment. Even less popular alternatives, like recycled paper, shredded paper, and grass clippings, stand no match.
Italian Hemp Shavings are very soft and pleasant for digging and scratching. Hemp can be used with the popular deep litter method of stacking layers of bedding to create a thick soft base, thus saving on costs and maintenance.
We Sell the Finest Italian Hemp Bedding
As much as you love your chickens, they deserve the best, which is why we only sell hemp bedding of the Italian variety. It is a great way for you to make your animals as comfortable as possible, from chicklings to adults, while saving the planet at the same time.
We take pride in fueling your chicken obsession and helping show you a better way forward with chicken bedding than the traditional options. If you ever want to learn more about hemp bedding and ask why we believe it is the best, call our team at (866).322.5989.