What is your preferred bedding?

Erin80

Songster
Apr 16, 2017
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What do you use in your coop? Why do you prefer it over anything else?

I want to use pine shavings, but I don't know where to get them that isn't going to cost an absolute ton. Our coop is a good size - 54 square feet...so it needs a lot of bedding.
 
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What do you use in your coop?
First I have a small coop only 4x8. I have tried most bedding and deep litter method. I also am a big fan of poop boards. My boards are only 3½ inches away from the removable roost. The close proximity of the poop boards saves eggs from breaking or cracking when they are laid through the night.

This year I am trying a different tack. I placed a steel wire grid suspended 3½ inches above my covered vinyl floor (the height of a 2x4). The raw hen manure drops through the grid and does not come in contact with my birds what so ever.

The positive results so far I have found are:

1) My chickens feet and birds plumage in general are cleaner.
2) The nest boxes stay cleaner longer
3) My eggs are cleaner as well
4) I eliminated the cost of bedding
5) My chicken manure is better for composting.
6) The manure dries to a hard pellet and for the most part just rolls off the vinyl flooring into the compost bin.
7) Where the coop is well ventilated the well dried manure gives of no noticeable ammonia smell so far.

I especially like this method for the warmer months when the hens spend the majority of the time in the run.
I may revert back to the deep litter method through the winter when my hens are confined to the coop. The wire grid may prove taxing to their feet time will tell.
 
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What do you use in your coop?  Why do you prefer it over anything else?  

I want to use pine shavings, but I don't know where to get them that isn't going to cost an absolute ton.  Our coop is a good size - 54 square feet...so it needs a lot of bedding.


My coop is 72 sq.ft., we use 2 of those large bales of pine flakes from Tractor Supply They are around $6.00 each. We clean out twice a year, so that's $24.00. Not too bad.
 
Agreed, if you want shavings, look for a Tractor Supply or Farm and Fleet near you, that's the easiest. Otherwise look for a farm feed store or feed mill, they all have shavings too. If you provide a location someone may come along with more specific ideas.
 
Too late now, but dried tree leaves work great for me. The birds pick through it looking for bugs and spiders, and generally break them up until they are compostable.
 
Im interested in knowing what would be the coolest for my chickens? I Live in central California so it gets pretty warm during the summer.The run is completely covered for shade.
 
I just discovered that a feed supply store really close to me has massive bales of pine shavings for $7! I'm so excited about this - up until now I was buying them at the pet store and they were RIDICULOUSLY expensive.
 

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