Bedding - Pro’s & Cons

[Justso]

Right around now is when I go raid the neighbors leaf piles in the street in front of their house. I'll bag up in black construction bags, throw behind the garage and pull out periodically when I've run out of my own leaves and pine needles. I'll layer in wood chips too. Don't over think it! Empty out your pots from summer flowers in there! Toss in that house fern you always hated!
Inside I use baled barn wood chips exclusively. I like the smell.

 

[aart]

I’m copying the deep liter idea I seen from Carolina coops on YouTube. For the coop itself.

Might be hard to do in Wisconsin.
Please link to video.

What is your goal, to make garden compost or keep poops managed to reduce odors and keep air healthy in coop??

This is how I keep coop clean and dry and odor free:
-I use poop boards under roosts with thin(<1/2") layer of sand/PDZ mix, sifted daily(takes 5-10mins) into bucket going to friends compost.
-Scrape big or wet poops off roost and ramps as needed.
-Pine shavings on coop floor, add some occasionally, totally changed out once or twice a year, old shavings added to run.
-Runs have semi-deep litter, never clean anything out, just add smaller dry materials on occasion, add larger wood chippings as needed.
-Nests are bedded with straw, add some occasionally, change out if needed(broken egg).
There is no odor, unless a fresh cecal has been dropped and when I open the bucket to add more poop.
That's how I 'clean', have not found any reason to clean 'deeper' in 5 years.

Right I forgot to say I’m about mid Wisconsin for climate questions.

You can add it to profile so it shows under your avatar. It's easy to do, then it's always there!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Do you have the leaves mulched? I wonder if the can be dried and baled. Not sure if you’ve seen the mini balers?

I collect leaves whole and store them in paper leaf collection bags or empty feed sacks in an unused greenhouse. I find whole leaves to be better for drainage, since just like wood chips, they form gaps that water can drain through and under. Last year I had 9 bags which lasted me until early summer, this year I'm already up to 10 and there's still more leaves to collect. I figure the chickens will handle the "mulching" - by spring, all the leaves I've put in the run for fall will be completely broken down into tiny bits and then I add more leaves.

 

[Rein Quest]

What is your goal, to make garden compost or keep poops managed to reduce odors and keep air healthy in coop??

I was hoping for a solution that controlled air quality for the girls and didn’t require much if any daily maintenance. It would be nice if it was monthly or longer. I’m not sure if that’s doable but the videos I watched talked about year or more interval cleaning and something about the birds being healthier with a composting deep liter system.

I’m also hoping I can take it straight from coop to garden because I’m not sure my neighbors want me to have a compost pile. I live in town.

 

[PirateGirl]

I was hoping for a solution that controlled air quality for the girls and didn’t require much if any daily maintenance. It would be nice if it was monthly or longer. I’m not sure if that’s doable but the videos I watched talked about year or more interval cleaning and something about the birds being healthier with a composting deep liter system.

I’m also hoping I can take it straight from coop to garden because I’m not sure my neighbors want me to have a compost pile. I live in town.

I understand the straight from coop to garden dream as my current system doesn't quite permit for this. It is worth taking a look at your town regulations regarding composting. My town has a very specific outline of rules on composting within town limits in close proximity to neighbors (and wildlife). I found that it was easier to build a compost tumbler from a trash can. As long as my compost was "contained" I didn't have to worry as much about the other regulations.

http://www.compostjunkie.com/homemade-compost-tumbler.html

I rotate my bedding, and it goes from coop, then to run, where it can further break down and compost.

Daily maintenance is really a personal thing. I've seen people on here that scoop every poop every day. If I felt this was necessary I'd never work, chickens are poop machines! Or I wouldn't be able to have chickens. My bedding choice is pine shavings and there is no science behind this decision, I just happen to have 2 friends with sawmills that I get shavings from for free. If I show up with a shovel, they are happy to have someone clean up their mess and take them away.

 

[chicken vet girl]

I have some questions about bedding too. Hope it is Ok to ask here
Is humidity or ammonia levels higher with deep litter bedding? Can sand be safely used in chicken coops? I read that horses can get colic or impacted when they live in sandy areas. I liked using straw but the long stems are hard to clean up. I tried chopped straw but it was very dusty. Does anyone know of chopped straw with pieces that are 3-6 inches long and minimum dust? I am currently using hay and want to change to something different.

 

[Rein Quest]

That’s a great question. I’ll need to go back to the videos. I think Carolina Coops mentioned some research that they based their design on. I’ll have to see if I can find it.

Edit: About humidity I doubt it would be much different if your coop is vented. I’d expect similar to outdoor air levels.

 

[Hoytman]

DE is not going to stop mites....save your money and leave that stuff at the store.

Depending on type of mite, they can live in the coop structure itself and only feed off birds at night or they can live on the birds themselves. Mites usually come into a flock from wild birds....or birds bought from flocks that already have them.
Bringing straw or hay in that has been stored in a barn that may also house wild birds might bring mites in with it.

What bedding you use depends on how you plan to manage the manure.
It can also be different in coop and run.
Can depend on your coop size/materials/configuration.
Can also depend on your climate.

I haven't read the entire thread but I wanted to address the post above.

My birds ended up with mites and were garage kept where no other "wild" birds, or otherwise, have access to. When I moved my birds outside I discovered the mites. I had to look hard, but I seen them...that I'm for certain. Little brown mites...all over.

So, where did they come from? You said possibly from another flock. I certainly believe that can be possible.

I ordered my birds as chicks though. Perhaps it's still possible they mites arrived on the chicks, or with the excelsior that was placed in the box to keep them warm. However, wouldn't I have detected the mites on the baby chicks? I tend to think I would have...even though I'm a new chicken owner. Then again, I'm a pretty good gardener and make a habit to look for insects on plants and animals regularly.

I bought my pine shavings from TSC and I doubt that's where the mites came from.

That begs the question then, at least in my case: Where did the mites really come from?

 

[aart]

Where did the mites really come from?

May be impossible to know for sure...I seriously doubt they could have come with hatchery chicks.
I just learned the other day that red mites can be carried by rodents:
http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/poultry-red-mites

 

[townchicks]

I just learned the other day that red mites can be carried by rodents:

I don't know if they were the same kind of mite, but a squirrel my dog caught was swarming with red mites.