Standlee Hay Company Wheat or Barley Chopped Straw for Animal Bedding

Yes this straw is more expensive than the stuff you can buy from a garden center but I am very pleased to say that this is really high quality, very clean, dry, straw that is perfect for animal bedding. Also it is packed into the bag much tighter than any standard bale of straw you would get for gardening so you get more straw than you would for the same volume* (*for example if you just dropped some straw into a box and then compared that to a box that was stuffed with compressed straw, sure the container is the same volume but the one that was stuffed with compressed straw contains more straw than the one that wasn't compressed).The description says this bag contains 25 pounds of straw and I did not stop to weigh it before I opened the bag but it felt like 25 pounds to me. Also, it is very clean, and dry, without any dirt like you might find in the normal garden center straw so none of that weight is dirt or excessive moisture content. As for the use, I used it for bedding inside of outdoor animal house and I could not be more pleased and I would buy this again.As for the price, it is currently $34.30, so if you add an inexpensive book or other token item that is 70 cents or more you can get free shipping from Amazon. For me, not having to get straw all over the inside of the trunk of my car (normal unboxed or unbagged straw goes everywhere) and having it delivered right to my door, and in a bag that I was able to reseal (by just rolling up the open end like a bag of potato chips and putting some bag clips on the end) was a definite plus. To avoid any confusion, the straw is sealed in a bag and that bag was shipped inside a cardboard box provided by Amazon; I just wanted to make that clear so there is no worry of the bag getting torn during shipping since it is inside a shipping box.Having the straw packed in a plastic bag may not sound like a big deal, but it kept it perfectly clean and dry, whereas the stuff in a at the garden center bale can absorb moisture. Also it is nice not having to buy a box of heavy duty garbage bags to store any left over straw (I only ended up using about 1/3 of the 25 pound bag to cover the ground surrounding the shelter and the ground under the shelter, and a second floor inside the shelter, so it was nice to be able to reseal the bag and keep the rest for whenever).In addition there is very faint and pleasant smell to this straw, unlike garden center straw which can sometimes have a strong or musty smell.I have not posted them yet (and plan to later), but I did take some pictures that show some of this chopped strawnext to some standard straw and you really can notice a difference. The chopped straw is shorter and flatter. So I plan to post the pictures later but in the mean time I wanted to let anyone know, that is interested in getting straw as bedding for their pets or small animals that, yes it is more expensive than garden center straw, but in my opinion this is one of those products where you actually get what you pay for. Of course it is too expensive to fill up a barn with but if you need high quality, clean, and dry straw for animal bedding, this is very nice straw.

I do cat rescue and with something like 25-plus cat houses to clean and refill with fresh straw each fall I use a lot of this stuff. I've tried numerous other brands. Some were very good and some were pretty bad too. But of all of those I tried no one has come close to the amount you get for this price and quality is excellent as well. It comes in a large plastic bag and the straw is very compressed. It looks like it will fill about five or six cat houses (shelters made from 20-gallon plastic storage totes) but once I started pulling some out for two new ones I hardly made a dent in the bag at all! Amazing. There is lots of straw in a 25 pound bag. I bet if I dumped it out there'd be enough to turn my garage into one huge cat shelter and I'd be comfy in it too...and I'd probably still have some left over. I'm telling you it's like a bottomless bag of straw.And, unlike the longer strands of UN-chopped straw, the chopped straws are actually heated to kill off any seeds/etc. that could germinate and allow plant growth during warmer months (or even warmer days in winter). And straw NEVER retains moisture. If it does, it's hay, NOT straw. NEVER USE HAY for any animal bedding that is outdoors or not changed daily. If it's wet and the animal is wet, they can and most likely will get pneumonia and die before you realize they're ill.Seriously though, if you're into cat rescue or need straw (not hay--THAT holds moisture) bedding for animals look no further. You ain't gonna beat this quality and amount any place...at least, not on the same planet I'm sitting on right now. And remember it's also available UNCHOPPED. That type is NOTheat-treated though.Have a great day! Ad keep up the good cat-care work...god knows they need all the help they can get.

I like it, it doesn’t have a lot of dust and I have allergies.

I needed straw for a box I'm putting out for a local cat who has been visiting me. The cat is well fed and seems to belong to a home nearby (apparently a mostly outside pet), but it's nice and friendly and has been visiting me. I can't let it inside with my cats because I'm not sure of its shot status. Now we're about to get to freezing with a possibility of snow, so I'm putting a box out on my covered deck, covering it with plastic for water and wind proofing, and putting straw inside for a little nest. This was the straw I ordered, and it was a great choice. This is a LOT of straw for the money, and it's pretty short, very clean and soft. Very pleased.

There is no doubt that this is a great product, I currently use it for my chicken coop. However, the same product that sells here on Amazon for $39 sells at Tractor Supply for $15 (same brand, amount, type, etc). I am not sure why there is such a high price discrepancy, but we go through about 7 of these a year and it adds up.

I have ordered this product several times in the past for my small flock of chickens. I didn't have to order very often as the bag is packed very tightly and holds quite a bit of chopped straw. I would hardly make a dent in the bag. I did notice this last time that I had much less product in the bag and it only really lasted me through 3 or 4 changes in bedding, whereas before it would last at least easily 6 or 7 changes. I have never weighed the product, but could easily see that this last bag was packed no where nearly as tightly as the others. Matter of fact, the product is usually packed so tightly that I can hardly get any out without destroying the packaging and this was definitely not the case with this delivery. But all in all, the product is still great.