coop bedding- what do you prefer??

[JayVee]

I started raising chickens last year. I have been using small flake pine shavings and it has been working well for me. I even made a sifter using 1/8" hardware cloth on a 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 foot frame to clean out the poop and extend the life of the bedding a bit.

 

[ladycat]

I don't have an enclosed coop. I have pens with tops on them. There's just plain dirt on the bottoms.

I use shavings in brooders and in nest boxes.

 

[Redtractorranch]

Somebody asked where I get my rice hulls. Fortunately, here in CA they are available at the same feed store that I buy my feed at. If you have the ability to give it a try, hulls over a concrete floor makes a really nice base for the chickens. Its light and fluffy, not too dusty and easy to shovel out even when wet (aka. broken waterer flooded). Also it works nicely for the "deep litter" method of bedding chickens.

 

[Krisselou]

Not sure if that's directed at me, but probably, lol! My scraps go in the run only. Once a day I give them something from the garden (usually whatever is too far gone for me to want). Part of a melon rind, corn cob, greens, etc. Not a lot - just an afternoon pick-me-up.

Does anyone know if Tractor Supply carries the right kind of DE? I know there are safe & unsafe types (?) - I'm just not sure where to get the right kind?

The "right" kind is food grade DE. I don't know about Tractor Supply, but my local farm stores carry it. Amazon also has it at a reasonable price. Commercial/pool grade has been heat treated and is toxic. Food grade is not toxic, but can be harmful if inhaled for humans and chickens alike. I wear a face mask when applying and I apply it sparingly to bedding, {nests}, and dust baths. I have read advice on BYC that if there is too much dust getting kicked up, the DE can cause respiratory issues.

As for bedding, I'm too new to have much to comment. My first flock is about 6 weeks old and has a mixture of pine shavings and a bit of DE in their brooder. My plan for the coop is a poop board with sweet PDZ, pine shavings for floor, and still trying to figure out the nest boxes.

 

[tomofhb]

I currently use pine shavings in the coop. Pine shavings really keep the eggs clean. I'm thinking of adding sand to their run.

Has anyone ever used hemp bedding? I've heard that it absorbs really well, lasts longer than straw, hay and pine shavings. I also heard that is composts really well. Pine shavings, for me, take awhile to break down in the composter.

 

[subhanalah]

I currently use pine shavings in the coop. Pine shavings really keep the eggs clean. I'm thinking of adding sand to their run.

Has anyone ever used hemp bedding? I've heard that it absorbs really well, lasts longer than straw, hay and pine shavings. I also heard that is composts really well. Pine shavings, for me, take awhile to break down in the composter.

hemp has natural antibacterial and anti fungal properties. Imagine the the revenue from industrial hemp in the pet/livestock industries! And it's a renewable resource. Textiles. That's how America became great on agriculture.

Anyway, as is...it's probably too expensive because all hemp textiles have to be imported...talk about stealing American jobs...

I'm not one of those "they're takin our jerbs" guys or anything, I'm just pointing out the irony of the arguments.

But if I lived somewhere that it was a more accessible option, I'd at least have to try it.

 

[Michael OShay]

I've tried sand and if it gets wet, its a horrible mess. And the sand get cold. With chicks, I use shavings and with adult layers, straw.

That's another reason that I use a fine pea gravel. Because of the larger spaces between the pebbles, the water seeps down through it far more efficiently and it dries much faster than sand.

 

[KWSRetMSgt]

I use straw with occasionaly pine shavings mixed in. One, straw is cheap and it has alot of weed seeds mixed in so it's also an addition to their feed. Then if i notice alot of moisture from waste then I mix in the pine shavings, and they help absorb the moisture. Works good for me, but my 20 girls are out of the coop most of the day because they have over 500 sg ft of protected run to scratch and bath in.

 

[tomofhb]

hemp has natural antibacterial and anti fungal properties. Imagine the the revenue from industrial hemp in the pet/livestock industries! And it's a renewable resource. Textiles. That's how America became great on agriculture.

Anyway, as is...it's probably too expensive because all hemp textiles have to be imported...talk about stealing American jobs...

I'm not one of those "they're takin our jerbs" guys or anything, I'm just pointing out the irony of the arguments.

But if I lived somewhere that it was a more accessible option, I'd at least have to try it.

I agree with you on the hemp laws. It's too bad, it has a lot of uses.

I think many states are reversing their anti hemp laws. Maybe that means we could soon see hemp bedding more readily available and less expensive. Amazon sells it for $11.99 plus shipping. Too pricey for me. I'll stick with pine shavings for now.

 

[chiklee]

That's another reason that I use a fine pea gravel. Because of the larger spaces between the pebbles, the water seeps down through it far more efficiently and it dries much faster than sand.

I use dry leaves and some straw. And I grow Tobacco for their bedding too it keeps the lice and bugs away the seeds are cheap and its like a weed once you get it started also the flowers smell and look so wonderful when in bloom I decorate the house with them it does the same as hemp but its legal . Wouldn't want to explain hemp I don't think they would understand it if I got busted . So to keep it legal tobacco is the better way for me . It has three benefits keeps bugs away absorbs ,and composts nicely .
I grow it, use the flowers, then dry the leaves ,and it last all year. Very affordable .
When I am not using tobacco I put tangle foot on the yellow Styrofoam plates you get meat on in the grocery store and tack them in the coop to catch the bugs in stead of fly paper. Cheaper and they hold more flies and bugs. Tangle foot cost 8 bucks and has lasted me 4 yrs. now and still have plenty left I use it in the gardens too for the beetles and bugs too.
Just giving you something to think or read about . As for bugs in the coop I don't get many the chickens eats most of them .
to get back to the question Straw, leaves and tobacco are my choices.