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different types of flooring- pine needles?

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post #1 of 4

5/5/12 at 10:56am

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birdfishfarms

Joined: 5/2012
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hello again everyone, so i decided to try pine needles on top of my dirt floor in my coop instead of hay. I was wondering if anyone had ever tried this method, weather its a bad idea, or weather it wouldnt madder if it was hay dirt or pine needles

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post #2 of 4

5/19/12 at 7:21pm

Kikiriki

Location: Central Florida
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Down side to hay is that I have heard the chickens will eat long pieces that cause an impaction in the crop, so I personally wouldnt use. Why did you pick pine needles? Availability? I cant stand them! My neighbors tree drops them in my garden and they drive me nuts. The downside for their use is they are pretty acidic and not very good for absorbing moisture, and they get hung up on each other and the rake which makes raking out a pain.

Why did think you needed something other than dirt? I thought my girls would like some litter and found they hated it...they wouldnt go on it where it was deep, and scratched down to dirt where it was not!

I am considering adding in some Sweet PDZ for odor. It is $14 for a 40 lb bag of granuals at my local tack shop. Feed stores didnt have it, oddly enough...

I'm not a rooster, but I reserve the right to crow! 1 husband who wants a rooster and will not get it, one son who flew the coop, one lovely german shepherd, one amazing adopted farm dog, three gold sex links, two who hit 17 weeks old the first week of July and laid first eggs 7-15-12!!

post #3 of 4

5/19/12 at 7:27pm

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Location: Cooped up in Connecticut
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I use pine needles in our run ~ glad to have them.

We mix them with fallen leaves: maple/oak/bamboo

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I'm so egg-cited! Have an egg-cellent day!

post #4 of 4

5/19/12 at 7:46pm

roosterjrm

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Pine needles work best for me, helps keep odor down, easy to rake up, hens like it. Hay & straw is a mess when it gets wet, so I'm sticking to the pine needles I like to keep a clean coop so I change them out about every 4 -5 weeks.

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