Question Flax Bedding

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modern17
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Re: Flax Bedding

Post by modern17 » Wed Oct 31, 2018 9:59 pm

Flax bedding is hard to find as of late with good reason. I used it for awhile .. but the mold that is produced when ever this product gets damp is a real health hazard for man and beast. Blue mold seems to be a major issue with this stuff. My local feed store used to sell it by the pallet load . Then several had issues. Like me mold was starting to affect health of horses. Now no one in our area carrys it ???? Anyway each to their own. Straw can contain black mold .. not such a risk for chickens but ducks can be very sensitive to it.A friend of mine found that out the hard way last fall. Personally I use " Champion Brand " sifted and kiln dried shavings. They are made for the equine market and are 99 % dust free. We have used them for the past 3 years at OPB and I have personally used them for the past 6 years. Only a dollar or so more than regular dusty shavings .. worth it in my opinion...
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Jaye
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Re: Flax Bedding

Post by Jaye » Thu Nov 01, 2018 8:53 am

I never had an issue with mold when I was using flax bedding and I used it for several years. I think the problem may have been more with where and how the bedding was stored at the store. The place where I bought mine always stored their inventory indoors, but I have heard tell of retail companies that stored the bags outside when they carried it.

Champion brand sifted and kiln dried shavings sounds like a good option too. It would be a good alternative for flock owners that have potential issues with their poultry eating straw bedding.

The reason my flax bedding source cited for no longer being able to carry flax bedding is because their wholesale source was originally Rona, and after Lowe's bought them out, they changed their purchasing policies; i.e., retailers now have to buy by the shipping container load; smaller quantities are no longer sold. Since they don't have the space to store a container load of flax bedding they can only offer it if the entire container load is pre-sold and picked up at time of delivery to the store. Some of the larger poultry enterprises may be able to buy as a group, but because small flock owners don't really buy in larger quantities, they are out of luck.
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Re: Flax Bedding

Post by Ontario Chick » Thu Nov 01, 2018 9:31 am

Jaye wrote:
Thu Nov 01, 2018 8:53 am
I never had an issue with mold when I was using flax bedding and I used it for several years. I think the problem may have been more with where and how the bedding was stored at the store. The place where I bought mine always stored their inventory indoors, but I have heard tell of retail companies that stored the bags outside when they carried it
No issues here either, but stopped buying them after Wool COOP in Carleton Place stored them outside and had a whole load go moldy, the plastic bags had openings and once water got in it was only question of time before mold set in.
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Kbr42
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Re: Flax Bedding

Post by Kbr42 » Thu Nov 01, 2018 11:35 am

My real issue with wood shavings is what do you do with the used stuff. I don't want a big pile of used shavings on my property. With sand I just scoop the poop and throw the sand and the poop in the back woods. By spring it's fertilizer for the trillums.

Where the wood shavings just sit forever in a pile. What does everyone else do with there used shavings?
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Jaye
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Re: Flax Bedding

Post by Jaye » Thu Nov 01, 2018 11:54 am

@Kbr42 , this thread is worth a read: Building a "digester"
I throw my spent bedding from the coop either out into the uncovered part of the run or into my compost bin and it breaks down pretty quickly. In the Fall I also use the clean out bedding as a mulch on my raised beds after the growing season is over. If you use the small wood shavings they break down faster than the larger stuff. You could spread your spent bedding out in your backwoods, just like you do with your chicken manure now. Because it's a combination green and brown organic matter (chicken poop = green and wood shavings = brown), given a little time it should break down into lovely compost for the trees and plants growing there. It's composting in situ.
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RIP Scooby, AKA Awesome Dog. Too well loved to ever be forgotten. "Sometime in June", 2005 - January 24, 2017.
"Until one has loved an animal, part of one's soul remains unawakened" - Anatole France

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