Aviary flooring ?

[Ponte]

Finished building an open aviary type coop for our 3 buff Orpingtons.
8x6x6. They will be out free ranging during daylight hours.
I see that many prefer the deep litter method, others prefer sand, and some have plain old dirt for the flooring.
I like the idea of deep litter method as it controls odors but heat is a concern.
Should I go with sand or go with our dirt. I plan to use a large poop board under the roost and rake the aviary daily.

Our situation:
Soil drains extremely well, hot and very heavy rains, persnickety neighbors and not zoned for chickens so need as little odor as possible.

 

[ketojenn]

Since you're going with poop boards, a deep litter won't got too dirty and should give you less work.

 

[Ponte]

Since you're going with poop boards, a deep litter won't got too dirty and should give you less work.

Thought I read that deep litter raised the temperature by 10 degrees. South Florida can be very hot and humid so anything that raises the temperature concerns me.

 

[ketojenn]

I haven't found that to be the issue, but if that is a concern then sand might work better. Just a bit of raking now and then.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Thought I read that deep litter raised the temperature by 10 degrees. South Florida can be very hot and humid so anything that raises the temperature concerns me.

Semi deep litter... I pick up poo regularly... and never add in enough green to make it "hot"... in other words.. it's pretty dry but still works well.

Sand... breeding ground for bad bacteria.. IMO... I have it as I thought it was best according to research for ME... added semi DL over the top.

SEMI DL... my suggestion.

 

[Ebony Rose]

South Florida... visit the rice farmers there and get their cheap (often free) rice husks and use that. Lots and lots of rice is grown in the everglades and west of Okeechobee. It's very slow to break down, doesn't get slick or snotty even when wet, exceptionally lightweight, will weather the storms well (but some will wash away if they're in the water flow). I buy rice husks here in Panama (Central America) for $1 per bag (they stuff their 100# feed-bag-size bags with the husks, so you're basically only paying them for the bag), and I haul 20 bags at a time home in the back of a pickup truck; lasts me about a year. Your chickens will help you turn it if you toss a snack on it (a small handful of whole grain usually does the trick), and if they don't turn it enough, it takes seconds to toss a shovelful over last night's mess. The husks weigh less than the grain, so poop and grain sinks as they scratch, encouraging them to scratch more as they chase that tasty grain, and poop settles to the bottom. Oh! And it won't add heat.

 

[aart]

and not zoned for chickens so need as little odor as possible.

They'll likely hear them before they smell them.

 

[blackdog043]

persnickety neighbors and not zoned for chickens so need as little odor as possible.

Do they know your gonna have chickens? I hate to see you spend the time and money to build this and have to get rid of them.

 

[Ponte]

Hoping for the best.
Am using old lumber and used hc so it’s costing about $60.00 and time.
Would speak with the neighbor but she is almost never home.
Hoping for the best.