Each week, we add fresh hay on top of the existing bedding, to form a nice warm layer above the concrete floor of the hen house. We certainly look forward to the wonderful compost we will be able to make from this bedding. We completely change the bedding 2-3 times per year or as needed. Spent bedding goes into the compost pile and eventually provides nutrients for the garden. For young chicks, we still use only pine shavings.
Chicks have difficulty walking on hay.
Eventually, we plan to substitute crushed corn cobbs for the pine shavings. Hen house diagram. We take a controversial approach to raising chickens and ducks because we focus more on quality of life rather than egg production. A healthy, happy hen will, in our view, produce good quality, healthy eggs. Table 2 presents an estimate of our monthly costs associated with the chickens and ducks.