experiment with bedding

[Vinniemac]

I don't have my chickens yet, but have been following this post with great interest. I found this by accident when planting new grass around my almost done coop. Its called Ultra Nu- Straw by Amturf its a double shredded straw with a bonding agent. I was a little concerned about the bonding agent so I emailed the company.They replied and said it would be safe for chickens the bonding agent is a product used in making ice cream.This stuff feels very soft for being straw.You can see this product at Amturf.com. I found it at True Value hardware for about $10 a 2.5 cu ft bag
Vinnie

 

[ImportTheBest]

Thanks! No ground cover that I could find there, and I called the obvious possible places around here and nothing I am looking for can be found, at least by me!

I ended up caving and doing sand for the run below and I bought the pine pellets to use in the coop above. As they get a bit bigger I'll divide the coop a bit and the section under the roost will have sweet pdz. I guess I am just destined to NOT have what I was planning for in my coop. Oh well. Adapt and overcome Thanks for the ideas though!.

 

[Jenikate]

I love the Lucerne Farms Premium Ground cover! Where do you get the Gold? I get mine at Agway in Hoosett...wondering if Agway carries the gold? One bag of this stuff goes SOOOO far!

 

[coolcanoechic]

I love the Lucerne Farms Premium Ground cover! Where do you get the Gold? I get mine at Agway in Hoosett...wondering if Agway carries the gold? One bag of this stuff goes SOOOO far!

Hi Jenikate!
I get it over in Nottingham at a really cool old fashioned feed store. They are terriffic to deal with and I actually enjoy going there. Look up Log Home Hardware online for directions. The number there is 679-1469. They are open weekdays 7 to 7 and Saturdays 8 to 5 and Sundays 9 to 4.
I think if you want to find it locally, try looking up places where they cater to horses, like tack shops where they also supply horse feed.
I am really loving the Gold. It is free of dust! I don't need a mask to clean the coop. It does not raise a cloud of dust when you turn it over. It smells so nice and stays so dry!
I just picked up 4 bags the other day. I expect it will last me for a few months.

 

[coolcanoechic]

Hi Vinniemac,
I looked at your post with your coop build pictures. It looks terriffic and roomy! I love the spring idea. That is very innovative! It makes me wish I had one!
I see that you are a new member here, so I want to say WELCOME to BYC!!!!! Yay! You shall soon become addicted to this site like the rest of us

It is packed with all the info you will ever need to persue the happy hobby of having chickens!

This straw you are talking about looks very interesting! I'll check it out. Maybe I can get it around here. If I can, I'll grab a bag to try. I'm always looking for a nice bedding for my girls.

 

[Vinniemac]

I'm still looking for the one your using in my area so far no luck. Do you use it your nest boxes also? I can't wait to get our first chickens in the spring.Everything I've learned so far is from books and this forum The coop is 8'x8' but half will be for storage. I plan on starting with 4 hens .I don't know what I'm getting into but I'm sure it will be fun.
Vinnie

 

[oldrooster]

I'm still looking for the one your using in my area so far no luck. Do you use it your nest boxes also? I can't wait to get our first chickens in the spring.Everything I've learned so far is from books and this forum The coop is 8'x8' but half will be for storage. I plan on starting with 4 hens .I don't know what I'm getting into but I'm sure it will be fun.
Vinnie

Vinnie I am in the same boat right now I am here for information and fun I can't have chickens where I live (yet I am trying to change that) but look up chicken math on these forums I see how it might be a problem.....

 

[Vinniemac]

One more question If I use this deep liter method will I still need a poop board.
Vinnie

 

[coolcanoechic]

One more question If I use this deep liter method will I still need a poop board.
Vinnie

Hi Vinnie,
I have never really used a deep litter method, but if you put your hay in there deep and stir it up once a day, it will last a ong time.

 

[Jenikate]

Here's my 2 cents on a poop board! I have 7 girls in a 4x6 coop and I couldnt live without my poop board It has only been with in the past month that they are all roosting (vs sleeping in a pile in the corner). I am amazed at the percentage of daily poop that happens at night! In the morning when I go to check for eggs, it looks as if I had just cleaned their coop...every day The floor of the coop is nearly spotless. They are in the run all day long right now, Im sure there will be more mess in the coop when they are confined more in the winter.
I actually made a modified poop board, posted a picture below. I laugh when I look at this picture...It was their first time in the coop from the brooder....the girls were SOOO tiny! Right now they FILL the floor space when they are all standing on it





It ends up working much like a litter box. It is a large wooden tray/board under the roost filled with granular sweet pzd about 2 inches deep (at the timeof the pic they were too young to roost, so the sweet pzd is not pictured). Very absorbant, and is a refresher so has that added bonus . I use a litter scooper every morning to pick up the mess and can put it directly into the garden or compost. This method works very well for me in this coop...it serves dual purpose as well. Under the poop board are the feed and water ..which hang from hook and eye closres. Avoids any potential dropping/mess in them because they are protected above by the bottom of the poop board..so for me, It increased the floor footprint for the girls. I would not have been able to have feed and water right under the roost with out a board there, so it would have used more floor space to have them out and away.
Right now though I am making more pvc tube feeders and I have waterers (from "The Chicken Fountain"...LOVE THEM!!!!.)..have them in my run and it works so much better for me, and again, takes less space, have to refill less often. Hoping changing this will give my girls even more room.