Pine Shavings vs Hemp - DEEP LITTER METHOD - Ultimate Chicken Bedding Test

It's a battle of the beddings! We compare side by side using pine shavings vs hemp to see which lasts longer and which performs the best! See which is most absorbent, lowest dust, lowest odor, faster composting, most sustainable, and lowest cost for time of usage. #backyardchickens #chickencoop #chickens
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[@JohnnySahn]

For real guys, give this video a like. I mean it took a whole year to make this. That's a lot of time and effort to give us visual proof about how good hemp is for bedding. That's quality. I haven't seen a single video here on youtube showing this with the long timespan. After watching this I'm forking out the extra $$ to replace my pine shavings for hemp.

[@totoole346]

It is the "herbs" that are reducing ammonia, they aide in decomposition. I used chamomile in 10" deep pine bedding on concrete in 8x16 coop. Cleaned yearly. Glad to see hemp is on the market now!

[@rogerknight2267]

I’ve had chickens for about 3 or 4 years now. When getting set up, all my research pointed to hemp. Been using it from day one. No regrets. Works wonders in the coop. I clean out my coop every morning. No deep litter method. I use approximately two 33 lb bales per year. Worth it.

[@NathanielEberle]

Where do you get the big bales? I see smaller quantities at Tractor Supply, but would love to get bigger amounts. Thanks!

[@rogerknight2267]

@@NathanielEberle I go online to the Old Dominion website. I purchase the 33 lb bales directly from them. They use zero pesticides or other chemicals so it’s safe not only for the birds but also, your compost pile. Hope this helps.

[@myfavoritechicken]

Great thorough comparison of both bedding options! Thank you for sharing! ❤

[@kayrodriguez9480]

Thank you for this! This was really helpful! Greatly appreciated and great filming

[@aprildolan223]

Thank you for this experiment. Nice job!

[@joannaerhardt7294]

This was very helpful!! I definitely want to try hemp now!

[@adaywithaleks6556]

Thank you for the comparison video i enjoyed it and seeing your chickens explore their new bedding every time. 😊

[@BockBockBouquet]

So nice of you!

[@blackblue4287]

Great video!

[@SimplyBackwoods]

Thank you for sharing. I'm definitely going to do the hemp bedding. Mostly the dust is so much more with the pine chips and love the idea of the herbs in the hemp bedding too. Heard about you from Chickenlandia 😀

[@kismitj]

i Love hemp bedding, especially in the coop. since it rains so much here we have a combo of pine pellet with hemp/straw on top for the covered run :) and yes! a freshly reset chicken area is just so nice. one of the things i do to encourage my girls to scratch in the coop is to toss some dried soldier fly larvae in. if there's been a lot of rain or they've been inside a lot and poo's accumulated i'll throw a couple handfuls of hemp on top of the poop so its a little dryer before they are kicking stuff around in there. xyolite can help with ammonia, it binds it and is a drying agent. it Is dusty though so i put it in before the hemp so its not as free floating as if i put it on top. sweet pdz is one of the brands for it.

[@richardmatthys7133]

The osb will also absorb that to. I have linoleum on the floor and up the sides. I painted all the wood with gloss white oil based enamel

[@chippants]

Thank you for doing this experiment! I currently have Aspen shavings and it is not great for masking odors at all. I have been buying coop refresher, clay, lavender scented shavings etc to help with the ammonia but it is still a constant battle. I think the rule of thumb should be, if you don't want to be in your coop and breathing in that air then why should you make your chickens do it. I will be switching to hemp as soon as I can! Thank you guys!

[@margaretmurphy3726]

You make GREAT videos!

[@kayte13]

Youre the best at describing what to do for chickens. I am just starting to raise chickens and I had a chicken coop built, so thank you for all your information. ❤

[@BockBockBouquet]

Aw thank you! Enjoy your flock ☺️

[@ThatGuyTheOriginal]

I have been testing pine pellets for a few weeks in my brooder. Working great so far. If it works out, I will be changing to it in the coop also.

[@carlamahlberg1854]

Thank you for showing the difference. How many chickies can you fit in your coop?

[@user-qd8lf8wi2t]

What size coop do u recommend for 4 chickens? I want to be one a chicken momma this spring

[@veronicarichardson4323]

Where did you get your coop?

[@genejaytre]

What do you do with your chicken when on vacation for a week? I have some trips coming up and I would love some ideas

[@thegildedstork8167]

what do yall use in the chicken run? What do you recommend?

[@majesticlion5598]

Chickens ☁️🐔☁️🐔☁️🐔☁️ ...having a hemp party!

[@mipequenagranjitatrejoes9541]

Arduo trabajo 😊pero es muy hermoso tener Gallinas 😍🐔🐥🐔🐔🐔🐔🐓 👍

[@markroy3630]

New to the station, whare is the earbs from?

[@reservedrisk4767]

I think I missed it-- but how many lbs of hemp bedding were used within 6 months? Looking into this option as our coop is a 4 by 4, so not as large or as many chickens. Thanks for your videos!

[@cackleberrycottage2340]

I have been keeping chickens for over 20 years now and I have found that the only time the deep litter method has worked for us was when we had a dirt floor in our coop. Now that we have a raised coop with a floor, the poo just sits there in the pine shavings. I had tried it a couple of years ago and loved it but it was pricey and I hadn't been budgeting for it at that time. So I bought 6 bales of pine shavings on sale, and so I am slowly working through them and when they are gone, I will be switching to hemp. Yes, it is expensive, but I put a few dollars each payday away towards the hemp so by the time the pine is all used up I should have enough to get a couple bales of hemp and make the switch. I think it is worth it.

[@larryhunt1701]

I'm new at this, just got a small coop and plan on 3 chickens. The hemp sounds pretty good. I noticed that you coop floor looks like regular dirt, is that true?

[@susantaylor8507]

I'm looking into getting hemp for my chickens coop we just built a new chicken house so I need to buy quit abit how many bundles do you buy for in your coop

[@2200chuck]

Sorry about the hard drive. So it looks like the time from 1st new hemp fill to the next new fill was 6 to 7 months. How many times over that period did you mix and turn the bedding and how many times did you add another 10 pound box? I just started using hemp in the 3-1/2 foot by 7 foot elevated coop and I have sand on the floor of the run area. The whole thing is enclosed because I'm not allowed to let the hens run free, so I try to make it as nice for them inside as I can.

[@christinewilke893]

I'm going to try this. How much hemp shavings did you add monthly?

[@dinavoutour7796]

I am wanting to do deep litter in our coop. We have an open air coop and we are currently using sand after seeing how you were using sand. I think we would need to take out the sand build up the sides with one by fours or one by sixes and lay ply wood down. Currently I use a beach tool and pick up poo and wet clumps every morning. Sort of getting tired of that.

[@johnfolk1448]

I got lucky the first time and went straight for hemp. Came across the option watching Carolina coops, and having experiences the stink of pine shavings from other peoples coops. 4 years later, my hemp deep litter system is still going strong. Ive only had to turn it maybe a dozen times when i start to notice the ammonia smell becoming somewhat strong. Its really amazing.

[@BockBockBouquet]

Thats great! It’s true when others come over that use pine, they are amazed how good our coop and yard smells!

[@glennlewman4186]

Have you ever added Biochar to your deep litter?

[@user-so2og3nb4z]

I’ve been using shavings and it has worked well. I don’t think it is supposed to be actually stirred. You just layer. Only my experience

[@joshuadj22]

How many chickens stay in this coop?

[@TaraHaugo-le4zt]

I own that same rake lowes I’m a gardener I have a different style coop handmade

[@christieheyblom]

I use pine shavings and it does get a bit stinky. I can’t do the deep bedding method for as long as I’d like, but it’s better than nothing. I’m in Australia and I’ve never seen the hemp option anywhere. Would love to try it if I could

[@chuckymystic]

I use a mixture of fine pine shaving but mostly the coarse shavings. i mix it up every now and then, but it stays very dry

[@blackblue4287]

Oo

[@mikenuzzi4884]

Did you build your coop or purchase it?

[@BockBockBouquet]

We built it, we also build and sell custom coops and runs out of Southern California

[@a123phi5]

Could you grow hemp yourself, and then put it through a wood chipper at the end of the season?

[@susantaylor8507]

I know my chickens get bad respiratory issues with pine I put hay in thete old house for right now

[@SystemsPlanet]

1:27 holidays?

[@richardmatthys7133]

Hemp is the only way to go

[@mchudd]

I wish, since it’s so much more sustainable, it was cheaper! I’d love to try it, but there’s no way I could afford it. Also, throw some treats into your coop & your chickens will turn it. 😊

[@jmoss55ish]

How many chickens sleep in that coop?

[@BockBockBouquet]

This is intended for 12 chickens but could fit 14-15

[@TheRodgerB]

LOL that lil box wouldnt cover my Brooder lol

[@BockBockBouquet]

They come in bails too, same as pine

[@pseudopetrus]

What about poopless chickens? Just kidding, I use pine shavings but not the deep litter method. I clean them regularly.

[@markroy3630]

Ya you have to stir the hemp. Maybe they are spoiled!?

[@cliffarnold7463]

Lucy is beautiful. What breed is she? Thanks for the video and ideas

[@BockBockBouquet]

She is a mottled Orpington ☺️

[@WestTennessee]

👍🏻😎🇺🇸

[@MosaicHomestead]

I use pine shavings, my coop doesn't smell at all, your coop is too small, not sure why your pine shavings were clumping up, you might have a roof leak. Plastic water cups don't work, Chicken guard extreme don't work, but pine shavings work.

[@1966MrAlex]

You don't have enough airflow.

[@ChristianGuy7000]

Pine $7 36lb. Hemp $30 10lbs. Hmmmm pine still win.

[@wheelsuprn6591]

That wetness is not from the chickens. Your coop is getting wet, especially the back wall. I turn weekly. I don’t go more than 7-8 days.

[@cindywolf2259]

I haven't seen you clean their poor once...did I miss something?

[@benhuffington8482]

make a pile and they will turn it

[@TheRodgerB]

The rest of us that don't do infomercials for free stuff, will keep using pine lol

[@BockBockBouquet]

We purchase hemp bedding, especially for our brooders

[@TheRodgerB]

Until hemp is as cheap as pine shavings I will keep using pine shavings like I have for over 50 yrs.

[@BockBockBouquet]

I used pine for 30 years, but hemp has the best longevity especially in chick/duckling brooders. Sold us on the switch after our first bail. Pine works fine, but this video is intended for people curious to try something new. There’s a reason that when everyone switched to hemp, they didn’t go back to pine

[@TheRodgerB]

The birds are still walking in shit. You just don't get it. I clean my coop 1 time a year, spring time. You should learn how to do the deep litter method before you act like you know what your talking about.

[@BockBockBouquet]

It’s about moisture, size of coop, and how many birds living in it, this is our experience requested. Everyone’s results will vary.

[@marymarseglia4536]

Seriously. You've got to be kidding. That hemp bedding is sooooooooo way more expensive than Fine Pine and does a great job with sooooooo many homesteaders raising lots of chickens with the deep bedding method Why in God's name would you think the average small homesteader raiding 10-30 chickens could even afford this crap $7.50 bag of fine pine Not the flaked as doesn't work as well. Versed $50-80 per 10 lb bag of hemp bedding unbelievable!!

[@BockBockBouquet]

You may be surprised to find, that others may have different opinions besides your own. We’re all entitled to them. Thank you have a good day

[@marymarseglia4536]

Yes we all do have opinions. Some are good. Some are bad. Most people keeping chickens for eggs even meat, cannot afford $60-70 a bag for hemp My coop which is new this year so Im learning from those that have chickens and other farm animals, mine is 12'x24' newer Amish shed from 5 yrs ago I'm converting to chicken coop. Shit even if I had a smaller coop like yours most of us incl myself could not afford to buy this ridiculously expensive hemp. No reason to even charge the prices they are charging but they are so no friggin way

[@BockBockBouquet]

There’s a reason many are using it, it’s the most popular bedding for a reason. The price point matches its performance and duration of use. It’s okay you don’t have to try it lol, I grew up on a farm with pine shavings my entire life. This bedding has been a game changer for me and I would be “stupid” to not spread the good news. Unless tried with a side by side comparison, can we, you, anyone… really have an opinion on the matter?

[@marymarseglia4536]

@@BockBockBouquet yes we can have opinion. Did you use flaked pine or fine pine. Ever try sawdust although fine pine for chickens works better. Heck since the 80s I've taught people to use the fine pine as cat litter in litter boxes as all cat litters are very bad for cats except done few new ones without chemicals or dyes in them, but expensive as crap. Some cat rescue women thanked me so much was saving them $80-100 a month switching to fine pine So although hemp may work well for you, you apparently can afford to pay $50-70 a bag.

[@johnfolk1448]

Some people just seem to want to pick a fight... here's an idea. If you think hemp isn't worth the investment, then don't use it and just... (I'll keep it clean). For myself I bought several bails of hemp for my 40 chickens. It cost me more to ship the bails than the actual cost of the bails because I had to ship them to Hawaii. My neighbor uses pine, I use hemp. After two years my neighbor came to the realization that while pine is cheap, he has to keep replacing it while I only need to turn my hemp every so often. 4 years later and my original hemp bedding is still doing its job. I'll be changing it this summer but not because it's no longer working. I decided I need that shit for my garden, and so the chickens will be getting new bedding after 4 years. It's easily worth the expense. For you though, I think pine is better...

[@user-qd8lf8wi2t]

What size coop do u recommend for 4 chickens? I want to be one a chicken momma this spring