If you keep laying hens, the litter isn’t just the floor they walk on: it decides how much ammonia they breathe, how dry their feet stay and, in the end, how much work it takes to keep the house clean. A litter that absorbs well and controls ammonia means healthier birds and less management. Let’s look at what really matters in the choice, and how peat performs in the henhouse.
Why is ammonia the number-one problem in the henhouse?
Ammonia forms when droppings break down in a damp, low-acidity environment. For laying hens it’s a real problem: it irritates the respiratory tract, encourages footpad lesions (pododermatitis) and, when levels stay high, it affects welfare and laying consistency. A house that smells of ammonia is almost always a house with litter that is too wet and saturated.
Reducing ammonia, then, isn’t about odour: it’s a direct lever on flock health and on the working environment for the people in the house.
What makes a good litter for laying hens?
Beyond the material, an effective henhouse litter has four traits:
- High absorbency — it captures the moisture from the droppings and holds it, keeping the floor dry for longer.
- Ammonia control — ideally the material has a pH that hinders ammonia formation rather than favouring it.
- Low dust and low microbial load — because poultry’s respiratory system is sensitive to dust and moulds.
- Easy end-of-cycle handling — a litter that can be disposed of or composted closes the loop instead of piling up.
Peat as bedding for the henhouse
Peat starts with an advantage on exactly these points. Arber’s peat bedding absorbs up to 5–7 times its weight in water: the floor stays dry for longer and the droppings dry out instead of caking. And it’s naturally acidic — a pH that limits ammonia formation by up to 90% compared with a litter that turns alkaline, meaning less pungent odour and better air in the house.
Add to that a low microbial load and little dust, two factors that matter for the respiratory health of laying hens. The practical result is a drier, cleaner and more stable environment, with fewer top-ups.
Peat, straw or wood shavings: what changes for poultry?
Traditional materials work, but with limits. Straw saturates quickly, cakes under the drinkers and doesn’t buffer pH, so the environment drifts toward the alkaline that favours ammonia. Wood shavings absorb better than straw but can be dusty and vary a lot in quality and origin. Peat combines high absorbency and an acidic pH, the two factors that act together on ammonia and moisture — the henhouse’s two enemies.
The right comparison, as always, isn’t the price of a single bag but the cost of management: how often you top up, how much you dispose of, how much health and environment weigh on the flock.
Managing henhouse litter day to day
Even the best litter needs managing. Three habits make the difference: keep a base layer deep enough for the material to absorb; top up the busiest spots (under drinkers and perches) before they saturate; and ensure good ventilation, because litter absorbency and air exchange work together against moisture. At the end of the cycle, spent peat is compact and returns to the soil as natural compost, reducing the volume to dispose of. See how Arber approaches supply-chain sustainability.
Arber bedding for poultry
Arber natural bedding comes from experience in professional substrates — Baltic peat, from the same extraction sites year after year — and is designed for those who raise poultry and horses. It comes in three formats (70 L bag, 250 L bag and Big Bale) for henhouses and farms of every size. The same logic applies to the peat-versus-straw comparison for stables: the material is chosen for management and animal welfare, not price alone.
Absorbency and ammonia-reduction figures refer to the product technical sheet: always check them on the sheet for your specific use.
Want to try peat bedding in your henhouse? Request information or a sample and tell us how many laying hens you keep, or talk it through with our technical team.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best bedding for laying hens?
The best bedding is one that absorbs a lot and controls ammonia. Peat combines high absorbency (up to 5–7 times its weight in water) with a naturally acidic pH that limits ammonia formation, keeping the floor dry and the air cleaner than straw or wood shavings. Low dust and low microbial load also matter for the respiratory health of laying hens.
How do you reduce ammonia in the henhouse?
By acting on litter moisture and pH. A highly absorbent litter keeps the droppings dry, and an acidic material like peat hinders ammonia formation (up to 90% less than a litter that turns alkaline). Combine this with good ventilation and topping up the wettest spots before they saturate.
Does peat bedding create dust?
Arber selected peat has a low microbial load and releases little dust, two factors that matter for poultry’s respiratory system. Good ventilation in the house remains good practice.
Can spent peat bedding be composted?
Yes. At the end of the cycle, spent peat is compact and returns to the soil as natural compost, reducing the volume of material to dispose of compared with other litters and closing the loop more circularly.