What bedding do you prefer to use in your coop?

Which bedding do you prefer? *Please comment with a why, if you have one!"

  • Pine Shavings

    Votes: 5 62.5%

  • Sand

    Votes: 1 12.5%

  • Straw

    Votes: 1 12.5%

  • Other

    Votes: 1 12.5%
  • Total voters
    8
Date sort Score sort
AStitchofKate

AStitchofKate

Chirping
5 Years
Feb 24, 2014
220
27
98
I have been trying to decide this for our own coop when the time comes and here are some questions and thoughts I have and I would love to hear other sides or thoughts on this.

I worry that the sand would hold more moisture. (Like imagine a sand box, the top sand is dry but you turn it over and its all moist.) I worry that would cause moisture and issues for the chickens. So then I think pine shavings would be better. But maybe more costly than say straw, and more clean up work over time, however they would be more absorbent and thus easier to keep your coop dry. I guess I have mixed feelings all the way around!

SO! Give me your thoughts and suggestions, I would love to hear them!!
 
We used hay for a quite a while since we cut it on our property. Now we use pine shavings. I think it is just easier to deal with and easier to keep clean. We use it in the nesting boxes and on the floor.
 
We use sand inside our coop. Right now it's moist because it just got put into there, but I figure on the warm days I'll shoo the girls out, open the big coop doors, and it can dry out a whole lot more. I had pine shavings for the first week we had the coop, and that was enough for me to hate it. Stupid little wood things tracked everywhere! And it was a pain to get the poop out. I paid $24 for a ton of sand and will use half now, half later once I need to change in 6 mo to a year. In the meantime poop is super easy to clean up and it's so much cheaper in the long run than pine shavings. I don't think I want the upkeep deep litter involves.
 
We use hay... We were using pine chips, and that was fine, just seems they like the hay better and its lots cheaper. Out side the coop in their run during winter the hay definitely works better, if you get a little snow cover on it you just kick fluff it up.
 
I use a cultivated, composting deep litter of leaves, pine needles, pine shavings, organic matter from garden clippings, twigs, etc. My coop has no smell, no flies in the hottest part of summer, I never have to clean my coop, the poop just disappears from one day to the next after being turned into the composted litter, and my chickens also use it for gleaning extra food, for dusting, to keep busy and for insulation during the winter when the snow is too deep for going outside.
 
I really have appreciated everyone's input so far!! Thanks so much for sharing what has worked best for your coop!!
 
Hi, I use sand in my coop. It works great and is easy for me to keep clean. I put feed bags on the floor of the coop and tacked them down. [small big head nails]. Put about 2" of sand on top of this. I have 9 hens and a rooster, RIR. Every few days I rake the coop and ad new sand. The used sand and poop goes in the compost or out on the yard. I have found this works great and is very easy for great grandma and paw like us.
Hope this helps, Blessings
 
I am so glad I chose sand for the coop floor. It's so easy to clean! I just use a small rake and a kitty litter scoop. I clean it every morning and it takes less than five minutes. When the weather gets hot a squirt a little water in one corner of the coop so they have a cool place to lay. The coop is shaded in the hot part of the afternoon. I have shavings in the laying boxes, which are small Rubbermaid dishpans. Easy to take out and wash if necessary. I have six hens in a 4 x 8 coop and they free range in the backyard most of the day. They are about 15 weeks old, so no eggs yet.
 
I use a mixture of pine shavings and straw, probably 4:1 (shavings:straw) and put straw in the boxes. I tried sand in my outside chick brooder and hated it! Hard as a darn rock, there is no way it would have been a nice and easy thing for me to clean. I'm so thankful I tried it in the small brooder though because it would have been really expensive to buy enough for my coop
 

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