Hello BYC'ers,
I have asked questions in the past, but never posted about something I learned. Anyways, I'll get straight to the point. I have discovered one of the most game-changing products for chickens, horses, and really any small animal.
Pelletized shavings.
I have had my first flock of six for three years now and have consistently used pine flakes. I have also consistently hated them (as in the flakes, not the hens). When one of my hens poops, the flakes stick to it. That's it. Then when another one comes along they step on it and smush it around, getting poop on their foot and just making grossness. It also means that the poop is exposed and so the coop stinks really bad. I have been using the deep-liter method, in which the shavings decompose and you add more, cleaning them all out every month or two. Honestly, the biggest pain in the butt ever. It makes lots of dust and the hens just push them all to one side of the coop.
One day I was at a friend's house and she showed me the shavings she uses. She used the Tractor Supply pelletized bedding. I was like "Whaaaaaaaaaa," after seeing how clean her coop was. I decided to give it a shot (although I was skeptical) and after amazing results, I thought I would share this amazing discovery.
First, let me explain how they work. They are pretty much clumps of sawdust rolled into little compact pieces that expand when wet. So, when the chicken poops on them, they poof up and then clump to the poop, making it dried out. This conceals all of the odor and if a chicken decides to step on it, nothing happens because it is not mushy.
Each bag is the same cost as a bag of flakes and covers about half the area. But, hear me out, it last about five times as long. I have been using the same pellets for 3 weeks and they look just like they haven't been used! Also, don't forget to buy a pitchfork or rake to clean out your coop.
Below I have attached photos with a step-by-step process of how they work and how to use them.
INSTRUCTIONS:
This is what the Pellets look like. They are each about a 1/2 to a full centimeter in length.
This is how high I stack my bedding. It's around an inch and a half to two inches. The chickens don't kick it around as much as the flakes which is nice.
So now you have been using the pellets for around two weeks and there is some poop in the coop. Well, using your pitchfork, sift through the pellets and gather any poop in a pile like shown in the picture. *Side note: Yes, I have food and water in my coop for my chickens but I removed them to take the pictures.
Then rake up the pile with your pitchfork, carry it to your compost pile (or put it in a wheelbarrow and wheel it), and then dump. I find that even after multiple uses, my pitchfork remains perfectly clean because the poop is not wet and gross.
Here you can see the after photos of my coop. While there are a few poops, they are small and don't smell. I find this quite impressive after 2-3 weeks of use with six birds.
I also use the pellets on their ramp/play structure. I expected them to just kick it off right away but they actually have kept in on the whole time. I have yet to convert the area of the run with flakes in it to pellets (I'm lazy hehe).
Here are my have hens in their coop!
LINKS:
Pelletized bedding:
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...-pine-pellet-stall-bedding-40-lb?cm_vc=-10005
The old flakes I used:
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...ium-pine-shavings-covers-8-cu-ft?cm_vc=-10005
Pitchfork:
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/little-giant-durapitch-1?cm_vc=-10005
CONS:
However, there are some things I should let you know about pelletized bedding. It requires not more work, but a different kind. Because you have to rake the pellets on every week or two (maybe three if you are really busy or have a small flock), it requires about 20 minutes of care every so often. However, this will save you the two hours of cleaning that comes with flakes. So, if you are more of a lot of work in longer incremental periods person, go for flakes (although I still think pellets are better for the animal). Lastly, some chickens don't like it. Our hens were a little sketched out at first and would not walk on it, but warmed up to it that night when they needed to go in the coop.
OTHER ANIMALS:
It is important to note that these pellets can be used for more than chickens. They can be used for horses, bunnies, hamsters, and really any poultry. While I have only used them for chickens I have heard of people using them for all animals, even cat litter!
I have asked questions in the past, but never posted about something I learned. Anyways, I'll get straight to the point. I have discovered one of the most game-changing products for chickens, horses, and really any small animal.
Pelletized shavings.
I have had my first flock of six for three years now and have consistently used pine flakes. I have also consistently hated them (as in the flakes, not the hens). When one of my hens poops, the flakes stick to it. That's it. Then when another one comes along they step on it and smush it around, getting poop on their foot and just making grossness. It also means that the poop is exposed and so the coop stinks really bad. I have been using the deep-liter method, in which the shavings decompose and you add more, cleaning them all out every month or two. Honestly, the biggest pain in the butt ever. It makes lots of dust and the hens just push them all to one side of the coop.
One day I was at a friend's house and she showed me the shavings she uses. She used the Tractor Supply pelletized bedding. I was like "Whaaaaaaaaaa," after seeing how clean her coop was. I decided to give it a shot (although I was skeptical) and after amazing results, I thought I would share this amazing discovery.
First, let me explain how they work. They are pretty much clumps of sawdust rolled into little compact pieces that expand when wet. So, when the chicken poops on them, they poof up and then clump to the poop, making it dried out. This conceals all of the odor and if a chicken decides to step on it, nothing happens because it is not mushy.
Each bag is the same cost as a bag of flakes and covers about half the area. But, hear me out, it last about five times as long. I have been using the same pellets for 3 weeks and they look just like they haven't been used! Also, don't forget to buy a pitchfork or rake to clean out your coop.
Below I have attached photos with a step-by-step process of how they work and how to use them.
INSTRUCTIONS:
This is what the Pellets look like. They are each about a 1/2 to a full centimeter in length.
This is how high I stack my bedding. It's around an inch and a half to two inches. The chickens don't kick it around as much as the flakes which is nice.
So now you have been using the pellets for around two weeks and there is some poop in the coop. Well, using your pitchfork, sift through the pellets and gather any poop in a pile like shown in the picture. *Side note: Yes, I have food and water in my coop for my chickens but I removed them to take the pictures.
Then rake up the pile with your pitchfork, carry it to your compost pile (or put it in a wheelbarrow and wheel it), and then dump. I find that even after multiple uses, my pitchfork remains perfectly clean because the poop is not wet and gross.
Here you can see the after photos of my coop. While there are a few poops, they are small and don't smell. I find this quite impressive after 2-3 weeks of use with six birds.
I also use the pellets on their ramp/play structure. I expected them to just kick it off right away but they actually have kept in on the whole time. I have yet to convert the area of the run with flakes in it to pellets (I'm lazy hehe).
Here are my have hens in their coop!
LINKS:
Pelletized bedding:
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...-pine-pellet-stall-bedding-40-lb?cm_vc=-10005
The old flakes I used:
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...ium-pine-shavings-covers-8-cu-ft?cm_vc=-10005
Pitchfork:
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/little-giant-durapitch-1?cm_vc=-10005
CONS:
However, there are some things I should let you know about pelletized bedding. It requires not more work, but a different kind. Because you have to rake the pellets on every week or two (maybe three if you are really busy or have a small flock), it requires about 20 minutes of care every so often. However, this will save you the two hours of cleaning that comes with flakes. So, if you are more of a lot of work in longer incremental periods person, go for flakes (although I still think pellets are better for the animal). Lastly, some chickens don't like it. Our hens were a little sketched out at first and would not walk on it, but warmed up to it that night when they needed to go in the coop.
OTHER ANIMALS:
It is important to note that these pellets can be used for more than chickens. They can be used for horses, bunnies, hamsters, and really any poultry. While I have only used them for chickens I have heard of people using them for all animals, even cat litter!
