Bare Ground or Straw?

[Maguma Zoo]

Below is a pic of my coop. The girls (and, apparently, a boy) pretty much just go in there to sleep at night. Do you think the bare ground is ok, or will it be better to dump some straw in there to make cleaning easier? I figure raking it out every few days may be more hygienic?

 

[pennyJo1960]

Hello Welcome pretty small coop there they will strip the grass are you going to build a bigger coop or run I would have shavings in the coop not the run they will take care of that

 

[Maguma Zoo]

Probably not. They have the run of the whole yard. That coop is pretty much their bedtime spot.

 

[pennyJo1960]

How many birds in there please saw 5 are they rhode island reds

 

[Maguma Zoo]

RIRs, yes. 5 girls and it seems 1 boy. But he's going to have to go.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Average is 4 feet of space in the coop per bird cover it with hardware cloth at openings
prefab coops are not that sturdy where do you live Please

 

[rosemarythyme]

Some form of litter is advised, as once they destroy the grass it'll just turn into mud in there when wet, and plain dirt is otherwise difficult to "clean" even when dry.

Straw may or may not work, depending on how much moisture you get. Other possible options: pine shavings, wood chips/mulch, sand.

 

[flyin-lowe]

I know they have the run of the yard but there are times (winter, bad weather, storms, etc.) when they will all be in the coop at the same time for extended periods of time. For that reason the recommended minimum amount of space is 4 sq. foot per bird of coop space. Problems can occur if you have them cramped into a small coop. They will be in the mud in no time if you don't keep some type of bedding in there. Inside my coop I add lawn clippings, leaves, etc. every week or so. In my run I just spread out a bail of straw so they have something dry and once that breaks down and things start to get muddy I add another bail. I also throw some grass and leaves in there from time to time and they love picking through it looking for bugs etc.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Depends on the climate where to op is as wetter climates your straw will mold

 

[wildswanfarm]

Easy answer that we learned from a commercial pullet seller, peat moss as your coops floor covering. The pests don't like it, and won't live in it. The ladies love pooping and peeing in it, it need only be scraped out once every 2 months as it absorbs like crazy (4inch thick), and odors are at a minimum. We have been deliriously happy since we learned to use peat moss.