“Litter Scoop” mod for hemp bedding?

[Imataken]

I also use hemp bedding after trying everything else but I absolutely love the hemp bedding I spend less money since I find the hemp lasts much longer. I pay 18.00 for 40 pounds of hemp bedding from a local feed store near me I find the stall pellets with the hemp bedding ontop works really well for us. Especially since my yard is extremely wet 40 pounds of stall pellet bedding is only 5.99

 

[Orpingtons Mom]

Anyway, if anyone has suggestions for maintaining hemp bedding, especially fashioning a not too expensive “poop scooper”, that’d be very helpful!

YES YES YES!

Same issue. Any suggestions people???

 

[Goldenlace]

YES YES YES!

Same issue. Any suggestions people???

I use a kitty litter scoop and it filters the hemp through and leaves the poo. You can add a handle it you like by duct taping it to an old rake etc handle.

 

[SycamoreHorsesFarm]

So I thought I might try hemp bedding in one section of the coop (approximately 9’ x 14’) instead of the usual TSC pine shavings. From what I’ve read about it, I’m hoping that I can get it to last 3-4 months before needing to clean out and therefore cost would roughly be the same as buying pine shavings and having to clean more frequently. (Im not that concerned about cost, but it’s hard to swallow $22/bale of hemp bedding …). Anyway, I don’t use deep litter (have a wood floor), so I figure I could fashion something like a giant cat litter scoop. The only things I could find were using regular cat litter scoops for hemp bedding, but those were for very small spaces. So I got a cheap stall scoop thingie and kind of wrapped it in chicken wire to get a small opening size between the tines. Yeah, doesn’t really work much. Also on the fence about hemp bedding - the poo does seem to “disappear”, but really I think it’s just blending in better. Also I’m kind of noticing a faint ammonia odor more, whereas with the pine flakes I didn’t really notice an ammonia smell at all.
Anyway, if anyone has suggestions for maintaining hemp bedding, especially fashioning a not too expensive “poop scooper”, that’d be very helpful!

I think what you want is a fine tine manure fork. 3/8” tine spacing.

https://www.sstack.com/fine-tines-manure-forks/p/08235C/sku/08235/

 

[bunsmac]

So I thought I might try hemp bedding in one section of the coop (approximately 9’ x 14’) instead of the usual TSC pine shavings. From what I’ve read about it, I’m hoping that I can get it to last 3-4 months before needing to clean out and therefore cost would roughly be the same as buying pine shavings and having to clean more frequently. (Im not that concerned about cost, but it’s hard to swallow $22/bale of hemp bedding …). Anyway, I don’t use deep litter (have a wood floor), so I figure I could fashion something like a giant cat litter scoop. The only things I could find were using regular cat litter scoops for hemp bedding, but those were for very small spaces. So I got a cheap stall scoop thingie and kind of wrapped it in chicken wire to get a small opening size between the tines. Yeah, doesn’t really work much. Also on the fence about hemp bedding - the poo does seem to “disappear”, but really I think it’s just blending in better. Also I’m kind of noticing a faint ammonia odor more, whereas with the pine flakes I didn’t really notice an ammonia smell at all.
Anyway, if anyone has suggestions for maintaining hemp bedding, especially fashioning a not too expensive “poop scooper”, that’d be very helpful!

had some hemp in my coop and my chicken stripped the leaves bare,Cedar is a good bug repellent too.been mixing it with de earth ..just saying what works for the girls and me(**)

 

[rosemarythyme]

had some hemp in my coop and my chicken stripped the leaves bare,Cedar is a good bug repellent too.been mixing it with de earth ..just saying what works for the girls and me(**)

Hemp bedding has no leaves, it's chopped stalks.

Cedar is a respiratory irritant and generally is not recommended for use around chickens or rodent. Do you know what type of cedar you have? Unlike most folks on here I do use some Western red cedar chips in my coop and run, and have had no issue with it, but I have ample ventilation in the coop and my chips have been aged to the point where it's odorless (which means it has lost the repellent qualities).

DE is also be a respiratory irritant but some people on here use it, some don't.

 

[Hummingbird Meadows WA]

So I thought I might try hemp bedding in one section of the coop (approximately 9’ x 14’) instead of the usual TSC pine shavings. From what I’ve read about it, I’m hoping that I can get it to last 3-4 months before needing to clean out and therefore cost would roughly be the same as buying pine shavings and having to clean more frequently. (Im not that concerned about cost, but it’s hard to swallow $22/bale of hemp bedding …). Anyway, I don’t use deep litter (have a wood floor), so I figure I could fashion something like a giant cat litter scoop. The only things I could find were using regular cat litter scoops for hemp bedding, but those were for very small spaces. So I got a cheap stall scoop thingie and kind of wrapped it in chicken wire to get a small opening size between the tines. Yeah, doesn’t really work much. Also on the fence about hemp bedding - the poo does seem to “disappear”, but really I think it’s just blending in better. Also I’m kind of noticing a faint ammonia odor more, whereas with the pine flakes I didn’t really notice an ammonia smell at all.
Anyway, if anyone has suggestions for maintaining hemp bedding, especially fashioning a not too expensive “poop scooper”, that’d be very helpful!

I am going to be using Hemp bedding in my coop and I found these:

https://www.amazon.com/EXPAWLORER-L...extra+large+chicken+poop+scoop,aps,188&sr=8-7

https://www.amazon.com/Yangbaga-Det...pY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU&th=1

Hope that helps!!

 

[Hummingbird Meadows WA]

YES YES YES!

Same issue. Any suggestions people???

I just replied with some amazon links to the original poster

 

[hollytruitt]

I thought I’d reiterate that I also use hemp on my 16’X21’ indoor chicken run/greenhouse floor and also in the nesting areas of my three Eglu coops. I started using it after trying the usual shavings, straw, bark and sand. Hemp is amazing. It absorbs odors and liquids, deciccates droppings and it keeps ammonia down. It’s fluffy so air gets trapped in it and keeps the hens warmer, even as it breaks down over time. The hens don’t eat it so no worries about impacted crops and it keeps the eggs nice and clean. It’s not cheap, but it definitely makes up for it in ease of maintenance. I spread a few new bales every 6 months or so to keep a nice layer on the floor of the greenhouse and compost the nesting box material every few months. It breaks down great and is a nice addition to the garden, too. All around worth it.View attachment 2889248

Ok this is interesting to see you use this in your run. Are you still using Hemp in your run? Thanks

 

[Stephoney]

Hi— Yep, I’m a faithful hemp user. I’ve found it’s superior to every other bedding. It’s also cheaper and less work to use hemp than any other options considering that I usually buy 6 or 7 bales per year, spread 5-51/2 bales on the greenhouse floor in the fall and use the rest throughout the year as bedding in the coops. At most, I rake out the feathers and poop that doesn’t disintegrate every now and then. That’s it for the cleaning up the run. It’s also been great to use the used bedding in my garden beds. I’ve been rebuilding the soil this year and the veggies are coming up like gangbusters. When I first started keeping hens, I used pine shavings and found that there was too much to dispose of every time I cleaned out the coops. The poop didn’t desiccate so much as clumped so I found I removed a lot of it from the floor of the greenhouse every few weeks, too. I compost, but my compost pile was ridiculous- not to mention the smell. With hemp I only take out the nesting box bedding once every few months. It’s easy to just dump it right into a garden bed and there’s little if any smell. It breaks down quickly in the soil, too.

It does feel like a steep price upfront when buying hemp, but I’d rather that than have to run to Tractor Supply every other week for bedding that doesn’t really work for my setup.