To have pine shavings or not???

[H2Momma]

Here is a pic of my new coop my hubby and son built me

! We've left the back wall off during the extreme heat this summer and plan on building a removable wall this fall. As of right now they have dirt in thier run and really soft dirt (from them scratching) in the coop itself. My question is, should I plan on putting bedding (pine shavings) in thier coop this winter? I really like how easy it is just to rake out the poo-poo's once a week vs. the thought of stripping out bedding, but I do want my girls warm and happy! Any advice? PS We live in N. Texas where it does get cold, but not like up north. Thanks for your input!!!

 

[Hawkeye95]

What about sand? It doesn't look like you have any way to keep shavings in and keep them from blowing away, either. So, I'd vote for really nice play sand. Put it down nice and thick and then just rake that out when you need to. It will drain nice and keep it from becoming too wet or muddy. That's my vote. I'm using pine shavings, but I have a fully enclosed coop that was build for deep litter. BTW, I think your coop is cute and perfect for your zone.

 

[FarmGirl01]

I think I would go with sand. I have one similar and I used Pine mulch over sand. After about 6 months it breaks down and I just add some more.

 

[hcppam]

yes I vote sand too. Sand is not warm but it will keep them dryer.

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[CheekyMare]

No advice, but I like your coop.

 

[H2Momma]

Thanks for all the input...... I had never even thought about sand. What a great idea!!! Glad every likes my set up, I still want to do alot to it, like add a covered front porch, decorations on the front, chicken cam, automatic waterer... etc! Guess I gotta do a lot of sweet talking to my men!!

 

[fireguy56]

Wow, Love the coop. Great idea using cedar fence boards as siding......you stole my idea...I thought I invented it. Seriously, love the look. Here is my newest coop using the same principle of fence boards horizontally for siding.
Erik