Bedding

[Littlehouseonhansen]

I am moving my chicks out to their coop next week and had a quick question about bedding for them.

So we got a bag of pine shaving at our local tractor supply when we first got them and used it in their brooder. I just put some in their coop and noticed that I will literally be flying through bags if I stay with the pine shavings we've been using.

What do you use for bedding in your chicken coop??

 

[Kusanar]

What is the floor in your coup? Are you at all interested in deep litter?

 

[Littlehouseonhansen]

We have just dirt in the coop. And yes, definitely interested in deep litter.. just not that familiar with it.

 

[Kris5902]

How many chicks and what type of coop do you have? Pictures help!

In our full time coop (confinement, no run, not my chickens ) we use two bales of peatmoss and chainsaw shavings we get from our firewood cutting. About 8” deep on a wood floor 6x6’ ish. They clean it out once or twice a year. One day someone is going to put a foot straight through the floor though!

 

[Littlehouseonhansen]

Hold on I'll go out and take a pic!

 

[PouleChick]

If you are doing deep litter you'll be surprised how little you'll actually need after the initial lay down as you can add lots of other stuff too.

 

[Littlehouseonhansen]

Pics

 

[Kris5902]

If you are doing deep litter you'll be surprised how little you'll actually need after the initial lay down as you can add lots of other stuff too.

And a dirt floor would lend itself well to Deep litter... no worries about falling through! with the raised wooden floor of the walk in coop we have, there is rot down there from wet spots where the waterer has leaked or been spilled.

 

[Kris5902]

About where are you located? Do you get much rain?

 

[Littlehouseonhansen]

Ok so I am going to have to start looking at the deep litter method.

If I understood it correctly from my previous readings of it... do I basically just save the leaves from my yard and shavings... add them to the dirt... keep adding?