# Straw or Ground Corn Cobs??



## rackerman (Jul 29, 2009)

I want to put either ground corn cobs or straw on my loft floor for winter for easier cleaning, which would be better?? I want to go with the ground corn cob, but my concern is if the birds will eat it and get it stuck in their crop.

Thanks in advance for your replies!


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## akbird (Apr 29, 2010)

I've used the corn cob litter for years and never had a problem with the birds eating it.


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## mtripOH (Jan 4, 2010)

Where do you get the corn cob litter. I have read about it and it seems to make a good floor covering. Right now we use shavings which I hate because of the mess.


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## akbird (Apr 29, 2010)

I get it where I buy feed. They have to special order it because it comes in 40# bags.


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## Birds (Apr 11, 2011)

Where do you get the corn cob litter. I have read about it and it seems to make a good floor covering. Right now we use shavings which I hate because of the mess.
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I have seen it where I buy my feed . We have Tractor Supply Stores in our area . It runs about $6 for a forty pound bag if I am not mistaken . I have been considering getting and using it in my loft , but had the same concerns about them eating it . Apparently those that use it have had good outcomes . I have also considered using play sand , but again the issue of them eating that has concerned me . I don't want them to use that sand as grit since it will have droppings in it . I have a separate feeder than I put their grit in , but still concerned they may pass the crushed oyster shell , and red grit for the play sand . Another issue is dust , I wish there was a way to eliminate the dust . I sweep , scrape and dis-infect at least once a week , but that doesn't always eliminate the dust .


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

you have to be careful with the corncob bedding as it is a great place for fungus to grow like Aspergillosis.


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## rpalmer (Mar 10, 2011)

We have a Pet Supplies plus close by. I thought I'd see what kind if any bulk seed they sold. I saw a ton of bedding of differing types and price.


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## Birds (Apr 11, 2011)

spirit wings ,

What are your thoughts about using play sand ? Would that also help with dust ? Dobato , likes cement , I may in the spring , put about a 1 inch layer of cement over our now plywood floor ; Dobato liked cement because one could see their droppings better .


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## Birds (Apr 11, 2011)

rpalmer ,

What type of loft floor do you have ? As for bedding we use pine needles since they are so abundant where we live , plus from what I understand they somewhat deter little critters than get in nest boxes . Pine shavings are abundant also and we can get those by the truck loads for next to nothing here in pine tree county . There are saw mills everywhere .


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## poehlno (Jul 5, 2011)

For bedding in my loft, I use wood pellets. The same palette you put in a pellet stove for burning. Seems to work well, been on the floor for about two months, I just cleaned the piles of poop and add more pellets.
Norm


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

Birds said:


> spirit wings ,
> 
> What are your thoughts about using play sand ? Would that also help with dust ? Dobato , likes cement , I may in the spring , put about a 1 inch layer of cement over our now plywood floor ; Dobato liked cement because one could see their droppings better .


Birds, in your thread I mentioned my first choice would be concrete floors, with plywood as a second choice, perhaps I was not clear enough. Plywood floors are just fine, no need to cover with any cement.

Karyn


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## Wayne Johnson (Oct 1, 2010)

straw is full of fungus.


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## horseart4u (Jun 16, 2011)

i have a question, its getting colder here and i have sand flooring ( ground ), i was gonna put straw down to help with the cold, but if what wayne johnson says is true what else can i use, can i use hay or shavings, i can get a BIG bag of that from tractor supply for $4.99..


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## Birds (Apr 11, 2011)

horseart4u
I used straw last winter in my aviary , and it did indeed grow fungi . Are you talking about pine needles or hay when you say straw .


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

I've tried just about everything on my loft floor 
Straw and hay get nasty, and in my opinion...difficult to clean out. 
Pine or aspen shaving are messy...blowing all over the place and into the flight cage...didn't like that either.
Corn cob needs to be changed more often or it will grow fungus.
I tried the small wood chips that they use for horse stalls and liked that, they don't blow around and not too expensive, about $6. for 40#
Then I found 'reptile/bird litter' thru my distributor at work. It's an even smaller wood chip specifically for reptiles and birds. So far I like it the best. $5. for a 'store use' 50# bag. And I'm trying the 'deep litter' method.
I use that in the lofts and fine sand (which can be sifted) in the flight cages.
I leave their water dishes in the flight cage to keep the loft dry, and remove the wet sand under them every couple weeks and replace with new sand.
So far this is working great!


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## rackerman (Jul 29, 2009)

*Walmart carries it here.*


mtripOH said:


> Where do you get the corn cob litter. I have read about it and it seems to make a good floor covering. Right now we use shavings which I hate because of the mess.


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## rpalmer (Mar 10, 2011)

Birds said:


> rpalmer ,
> 
> What type of loft floor do you have ? As for bedding we use pine needles since they are so abundant where we live , plus from what I understand they somewhat deter little critters than get in nest boxes . Pine shavings are abundant also and we can get those by the truck loads for next to nothing here in pine tree county . There are saw mills everywhere .


My floor is bare wood. I do not use a bedding. If I were to use one I would use 2 inches of sand.


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## horseart4u (Jun 16, 2011)

Birds = 
straw, hay and pine needles are 3 different things. straw is yellow used for bedding and is hallow, hay is like grass horses eat, pine needles well you know... i use pine needles for nesting, i am looking for something to put down on the ground in my loft over the sand because it gets cold and i just want to help theses guys get a bit warmer on our colder nights.

spirit wings =
i can get those shavings / wood chips at tractor supply also...and they have the other bedding you spoke of to, i have seen what looks like cloth bits too but i don't think i'd use those.


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

horseart4u said:


> Birds =
> straw, hay and pine needles are 3 different things. straw is yellow used for bedding and is hallow, hay is like grass horses eat, pine needles well you know... i use pine needles for nesting, i am looking for something to put down on the ground in my loft over the sand because it gets cold and i just want to help theses guys get a bit warmer on our colder nights.
> 
> spirit wings =
> i can get those shavings / wood chips at tractor supply also...and they have the other bedding you spoke of to, i have seen what looks like cloth bits too but i don't think i'd use those.


How cold can it possibly get in Florida?!!... I don't get out of New England 
I don't close up my flight cage and loft until it gets below 30 degrees


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## horseart4u (Jun 16, 2011)

MsFreeBird = to me anything below 75 is cold.. it's 72 here now ,it has gotten down in the 40's so far so i sleep with blankets on and warm fuzzy PJ's. i grew up in delaware and i know cold, and being in FL the warm air has thinned my blood


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Donna, being in Florida, I don't think you really have to worry about keeping them warmer. When it gets cold there, it doesn't stay cold. That's like our birds living through the autumn here. I think they'd be fine just keeping things as they are. Using anything on the floor may just make things harder, don't know.


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## horseart4u (Jun 16, 2011)

thanks JAY3 i guess i am so used to having the birds up in delaware where i had to wrap old carpet around the flight pen to block wind and put boards on top to keep snow out i am paranoid  i did close one door as far as i could get it to block some wind and it is helping, thats the side the nest boxes are on.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

That's right! You can't close the aviary doors. I had forgotten that. You could maybe put up a sheet of heavy plastic or a tarp that you could attach somehow, and just drop down when it gets cold. Don't think you need to do much more than to be able to close that off if necessary.


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## horseart4u (Jun 16, 2011)

Jay3 said:


> That's right! You can't close the aviary doors. I had forgotten that. You could maybe put up a sheet of heavy plastic or a tarp that you could attach somehow, and just drop down when it gets cold. Don't think you need to do much more than to be able to close that off if necessary.


thats kinda what i was thinking, i am gonna put a tarp on the one side,
( same side i closed door on ), of the flight pen to help block the northern winds .


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## buttertup (Oct 16, 2011)

What is the deep litter method? I have 15'x15' to cover, something I am worried about.


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

horseart4u said:


> MsFreeBird = to me anything below 75 is cold.. it's 72 here now ,it has gotten down in the 40's so far so i sleep with blankets on and warm fuzzy PJ's. i grew up in delaware and i know cold, and being in FL the warm air has thinned my blood


LOL, We're going to have a 'heat wave' this week.....gonna be in the 60's!!! 
Nights are around 30.
I keep the loft door to the flight cage open year round. I cover the flight cage with plastic, except for the door (on the flight cage, because that's the door I go in and out) which I put a 'roll up' bamboo blind on. I roll the blind up every morning for the day. With all the plastic on the flight cage sitting in the sun all day, it's like a greenhouse. It was 50 yesterday when I was in there cleaning, and I was sweating! I only keep it closed when the temp gets around 20 or there's wind chills. Alot of my birds still enjoy staying in the flight cage, even when its really cold and their actually more active


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

buttertup said:


> What is the deep litter method? I have 15'x15' to cover, something I am worried about.


that is when you have an earthen floor you can put at least 7 to 9inches of horse stall pineshavings down on it..and then just stir it now and and then..as it decomposes with the droppings it becomes clean dirt..add more shavings as needed... soil microbs take care of the work of breaking down the droppings..this method has to be under a roof...not wet.


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