Poultry Talk Ontario (pto.ca)

I've also noticed it gets kicked out of the nesting boxes quickly, find it helps to mix with regular straw in the nesting boxes

Thanks for the tip Robert Allen. I might be a happier camper then, and I WOULD prefer something that breaks down fast in the compost bin :).

@Ontario Chick , just to warn you, the TSC price for Straw Boss has shot up to over $9 per bale this year. I am down to my last bales too. Was it you that mixed the Straw Boss and wood shavings together and was happy with the results?

I use shavings only in summer, I find them cooler and lighter, so more air circulation.
Last fall instead of adding straw for winter deep bedding, I added the straw boss which created a pleasant mix that worked well thru the winter.
Actually by now if I was using regular straw the whole thing would have been cleaned out, but with the blend I find that "spot cleaning" seems to be good enough, so pretty happy with the result.
Seeing that all I used in a year was 6 bales the difference in the cost isn't really that important, although it was nice to get a deal last spring.

Ontario Chick wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 30, 2019 5:14 pm

[...]
Actually by now if I was using regular straw the whole thing would have been cleaned out, but with the blend I find that "spot cleaning" seems to be good enough, so pretty happy with the result.
[...]

I have found the same: spot cleaning seems to be enough. In past years when I was using wood shavings, it was high time for spring clean-out by the beginning of March. This year using Straw Boss, and with the occasional spot cleaning I had some wiggle room - which is a good thing because we did have a winter that dragged on.

Robert.Allen wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 30, 2019 1:34 pm

I've also noticed it gets kicked out of the nesting boxes quickly, find it helps to mix with regular straw in the nesting boxes

I still use straw in the nest boxes, found the straw boss sticks to the eggs too much and I can make a "nest" with the regular straw. :)

It seems quite absorbent so I don't think I'd use it in a broody nest. It might wick away moisture from a hatching chick causing it to shrink wrap?