Straw over sand in coop

[Tnate]

Honestly prior to this coop in the south ...sand served us well up north. I believe it is what stone is used regionally to make the construction sand. Up north it is more granite/slate based..down south it may be more limestone based....just a guess. But the dust is just ridiculous.
We have plenty of ventilation, it is just the angle of picture.
3 windows,a predator proof man door are open 24/7 plus a fan and an exhaust fan.

 

[SchwartzLakeFarmNC]

Honestly prior to this coop in the south ...sand served us well up north. I believe it is what stone is used regionally to make the construction sand. Up north it is more granite/slate based..down south it may be more limestone based....just a guess. But the dust is just ridiculous.
We have plenty of ventilation, it is just the angle of picture.
3 windows,a predator proof man door are open 24/7 plus a fan and an exhaust fan.

Ok, so ventilation seems good then. We used the big bags of sand from Lowes, it's construction grade and there is very little dust at all, so maybe it's the type of sand you received? Our sand has all sorts of sizes mixed in with it, some pebbles and small rocks as well. I have also used a pump sprayer in the hot summer to mist the sand down when it got really warm and raked it in, I'm sorry your having such a problem. Everyone is different and every situation is different so you may have to experiment with different materials until you find what works best for you.

Mixing top soil with our sand in the "dust bath" area seemed to work very nicely, they end up using it to cool down in the run sitting in that combination too.

 

[Tnate]

Ok, so ventilation seems good then. We used the big bags of sand from Lowes, it's construction grade and there is very little dust at all, so maybe it's the type of sand you received? Our sand has all sorts of sizes mixed in with it, some pebbles and small rocks as well. I have also used a pump sprayer in the hot summer to mist the sand down when it got really warm and raked it in, I'm sorry your having such a problem. Everyone is different and every situation is different so you may have to experiment with different materials until you find what works best for you.

Mixing top soil with our sand in the "dust bath" area seemed to work very nicely, they end up using it to cool down in the run sitting in that combination too.

Yes, it's all an experiment at this point. The top soil idea () I will stash away in my brain...lol
I will use up the bale of straw and decide at that point how things are working. Thanks for ur input!

 

[ChickyCh00k]

I am not scooping in the main floor area where straw is.

Unless the chickens are kept in the coop for long periods, they aren't going to be pooping in it except when they're roosting. I scoop the overnight poop from under the roosts every morning and there is not a single poo in the coop the rest of the day, despite the fact that they go in and out to use the nests. If it were me, I'd take the sand out of the coop completely, and nix the straw (it can harbor bacteria and parasites). Hemp is very low dust and is good for DLM.

but how do those who have sand as a natural soil base succeed with DLM

I don't think people are doing this in their coops (I think this is typically done in the run), unless the coops have no floor, in which case, they are using a lot of organic material (wood chips/shavings, hemp leaves, pine needles, etc.) and allowing the poop to be mixed in so it will break down (no poop board or separate poop area that gets cleaned). You could do the "dry bedding" method.

Again, I'm no expert in DLM in the coop, as I use Sani-Care bedding and scoop overnight poop out daily. I have just read a lot about it. Additionally, if I understand correctly, if a coop has a floor (not directly placed on grass/dirt), and poop is scooped from a poop board or sifted out regularly, it is called Dry Bedding instead of deep litter (DLM requires moisture):

https://www.backyardchickens.com/posts/26181478/

I did start my 10×26 run with sand, but quickly learned that it wasn't going to work for me, so I switched to several inches of woodchips over the sand (and I do not scoop poop at all, it gets mixed in with the wood chips and eventually breaks down), but I'm not sure this method would work in a poopless coop.

 

[Gax000]

Have you thought about using bedding pellets? They break down with use and shouldn’t cause any problems when used over sand.

 

[igorsMistress]

I'm not sure that deep litter works without poop in the mix... I believe you either use a droppings board OR do deep litter. I also don't think deep litter will work on top of sand as sand won't compost (which is how the deep litter method works)...

Maybe someone will correct me.

This is the right answer.

 

[Tnate]

Unless the chickens are kept in the coop for long periods, they aren't going to be pooping in it except when they're roosting. I scoop the overnight poop from under the roosts every morning and there is not a single poo in the coop the rest of the day, despite the fact that they go in and out to use the nests. If it were me, I'd take the sand out of the coop completely, and nix the straw (it can harbor bacteria and parasites). Hemp is very low dust and is good for DLM.


I don't think people are doing this in their coops (I think this is typically done in the run), unless the coops have no floor, in which case, they are using a lot of organic material (wood chips/shavings, hemp leaves, pine needles, etc.) and allowing the poop to be mixed in so it will break down (no poop board or separate poop area that gets cleaned). You could do the "dry bedding" method.

Again, I'm no expert in DLM in the coop, as I use Sani-Care bedding and scoop overnight poop out daily. I have just read a lot about it. Additionally, if I understand correctly, if a coop has a floor (not directly placed on grass/dirt), and poop is scooped from a poop board or sifted out regularly, it is called Dry Bedding instead of deep litter (DLM requires moisture):

https://www.backyardchickens.com/posts/26181478/

I did start my 10×26 run with sand, but quickly learned that it wasn't going to work for me, so I switched to several inches of woodchips over the sand (and I do not scoop poop at all, it gets mixed in with the wood chips and eventually breaks down), but I'm not sure this method would work in a poopless coop.

My girls actually do spend time in the coop,especially in the heat because I set up redneck ac on extreme days so they literally lay in the coop in front of it. They free range (monitored) 2-3x a day..depending on weather and schedule.

 

[aart]

Just some straw won't make 'deep litter'.


What kind of bedding you use may depend on how you manage the manure.
This is about cleaning, but covers my big picture

-I use poop boards under roosts with thin(<1/2") layer of sand/PDZ mix, sifted daily(takes 5-10mins) into bucket going to friends compost.
-Scrape big or wet poops off roost and ramps as needed.
- Large flake pine shavings on coop floor, add some occasionally, totally changed out once or twice a year, old shavings added to run.
- My runs have semi-deep litter(cold composting), never clean anything out, just add smaller dry materials on occasion, add larger wood chippings as needed.
Aged ramial wood chippings are best IMO.
-Nests are bedded with straw, add some occasionally, change out if needed(broken egg).

There is no odor, unless a fresh cecal has been dropped and when I open the bucket to add more poop.

That's how I keep it 'clean', have not found any reason to clean 'deeper' in 9 years.

 

[Tnate]

Have you thought about using bedding pellets? They break down with use and shouldn’t cause any problems when used over sand.

Yes I have...and if this doesn't work well for me that will most likely be my next experiment.

 

[Tnate]

Just some straw won't make 'deep litter'.


What kind of bedding you use may depend on how you manage the manure.
This is about cleaning, but covers my big picture

-I use poop boards under roosts with thin(<1/2") layer of sand/PDZ mix, sifted daily(takes 5-10mins) into bucket going to friends compost.
-Scrape big or wet poops off roost and ramps as needed.
- Large flake pine shavings on coop floor, add some occasionally, totally changed out once or twice a year, old shavings added to run.
- My runs have semi-deep litter(cold composting), never clean anything out, just add smaller dry materials on occasion, add larger wood chippings as needed.
Aged ramial wood chippings are best IMO.
-Nests are bedded with straw, add some occasionally, change out if needed(broken egg).

There is no odor, unless a fresh cecal has been dropped and when I open the bucket to add more poop.

That's how I keep it 'clean', have not found any reason to clean 'deeper' in 9 years.

I am not a fan of pine shavings, tried that yrs ago.if I layer and add for months I may get a semi deep method. There is far less smell after I started spreading straw. I do love hearing all the different ways people address their coops/runs.
Thanks!