BREAKING DOWN 'Unintentional Tort'. In certain cases, a person causing an accident may be held legally responsible for their negligence and may have to pay a plaintiff for physical injuries, property damage and/or financial loss.
Straw is normally used for a bedding material, while hay is used as a feed supplement. Straw is dried out and works well for building nests and providing cushioning for animals to sleep in. It is not moist like hay and is unlikely to mold.
Lesson learned: Don't use hay as bedding in a chicken coop. It's amateur hour over here at Simple Life Ain't Easy. I'm pretty sure I was warned specifically about using hay for bedding in a chicken coop, but we all learn our lessons better if the mistakes are our own.