Bedding question

[CDA15]

My husband is almost done with the coop. He has yet to finish the inside of the coop - building the roosts, drop boards and ramp. I'm thinking we should put some vinyl flooring down to make clean up easier. As for bedding, we have a wood chipper so we can make mulch. He threw some down in the run just to see how it would work. Wood chips from our trees should be ok to use? I was going to use some PDZ and DE mixed in with it too.

 

[SoCha]

Hello,
I know that Pine Shavings are the best for chickens. Make sure the DE is food grade too.
Good luck!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'd avoid cedar and poison ivy but other than that I'm not aware of any wood that might cause a problem. We use bare dirt, sand, wood shavings, straw, hay, dried leaves, grass clippings, and wood chips. Some people just turn their run into a compost pile, tossing in all kinds of things including kitchen and garden wastes. Some people mix different things in it, some don't. Many people are convinced their way is the absolute best and everyone should copy them, but the fact is that many different things work.

More important than what you use is drainage. If water drains to the run and stands or keeps the ground soaked, you will have problems no matter what you use. If water drains away from the run practically anything works.

Since your chips are free using them sure feels right.

 

[cmom]

Several of my coops have wood floors. I use pine shaving on the floors as they are much easier to clean out.

 

[Sara Ranch]

I use the sand method. LOVE it! Easy clean up and more affordable than wood shavings for me. We have a wood chipper - hadn't thought of using that for the coop or the barn. Maybe when we have extra wood...right now we burn all of it, including twigs/branches.

I haven't tried vinyl on the floor, but have seriously considered it for new construction. Right now, I just retrofit the spaces I already have for the animals.

Please share with us if you use the vinyl and the pros/cons.

 

[CDA15]

Hello,
I know that Pine Shavings are the best for chickens. Make sure the DE is food grade too.
Good luck!

Yes, I have food grade DE. I use it our dog and my daughters guinea pig

 

[CDA15]

I use the sand method. LOVE it! Easy clean up and more affordable than wood shavings for me. We have a wood chipper - hadn't thought of using that for the coop or the barn. Maybe when we have extra wood...right now we burn all of it, including twigs/branches.

I haven't tried vinyl on the floor, but have seriously considered it for new construction. Right now, I just retrofit the spaces I already have for the animals.

Please share with us if you use the vinyl and the pros/cons.

We have a lot of trees so we used them for the smaller limbs/ brush and then the bigger pieces for firewood. I'll update about the flooring. There's a store here that sells remnants so I thought we could find a small piece to use. I'll have to look at the sand. Maybe I can use it with the PDZ for the dropping trays? Might be easier to scoop?

 

[CDA15]

I'd avoid cedar and poison ivy but other than that I'm not aware of any wood that might cause a problem. We use bare dirt, sand, wood shavings, straw, hay, dried leaves, grass clippings, and wood chips. Some people just turn their run into a compost pile, tossing in all kinds of things including kitchen and garden wastes. Some people mix different things in it, some don't. Many people are convinced their way is the absolute best and everyone should copy them, but the fact is that many different things work.

More important than what you use is drainage. If water drains to the run and stands or keeps the ground soaked, you will have problems no matter what you use. If water drains away from the run practically anything works.

Since your chips are free using them sure feels right.

The coop is on a concrete pad. We've had a lot of rainstorms lately and with the covered run it stays pretty dry! So I think we'll be good in that area!

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Leavings from tree work are a common ingredient in deep litter.... but many folks prefer to use aged rather than fresh due to concerns about harmful fungal blooms. It is a primary component in the deep litter of my run. I use shavings in the coop in a deep bedding and pdz in the poop board.

 

[cmom]

My suggestion is whatever works for you. Everyone is different and their coops are different. I have 12 coops and not one is the same as the others. I have some with wood floors I use shavings in and the ones with dirt floors I just rake them out once in awhile because it is all sand.