Bedding

[DraigAthar]

LOL....oh well.......

I think it's because it is just too big and cumbersome. It's a major pain to clean it off and it wasn't making my life any easier. If I made a lighter one that is easier to use, I'm sure I would like it much more.

 

[chickengirl1193]

I use flax and pick clean several times a week.. we mainly have fluffy footed breeds, so i like clean.

you use flax.seed as bedding? Around me flax is to expensive for bedding...

 

[MoonShadows]

Quote:
OK, now I understand. I have 3 large pans on my poop board filled with Sweet PDZ. All I have to do is use a kitty litter scoop to clean it.

 

[dczeropski]

I bought drawer liner the rubber kind that has the small holes. It goes over chicken wire in the bottom of the coop, but I only have a small tractor coop for eight chicks. I have pine shavings over that. I sprinkle more pine shavings over the top each morning and the once a week mix it up. They never walk on the wet stuff. Then about every two weeks I dump it all in the compost and use the hose to spray off the liners. Then I start over. I don't know how to compare the cost because this is my first time. I am going to get straw for the nesting boxes but right now they have shavings In them. My hubby and I are also going to build a larger coop soon.

 

[AmieH]

I absolutely love the idea of the rubber matting. Do I really
Need to put hay or any other bedding down? It's such a mess! My chickens soil their water with hay within hours even with the water elevated. I have a large run and my chickens spend all day outside, they only go in their coop to eat, drink, or roost. They are not old enough to lay yet so no nests. The idea of a rubber mat has me very excited! It would be a lot nicer to shake the droppings off into my garden without bits of hay or shavings and it's something I can just hose off. Is this alright until they nest?

 

[GA_Gypsy]

For those that change bedding not very often, what do you do then to fight off mites/lice? I have a basic coop right now with just wood floor and have been trying to figure out a good and easy floor to clean and install but since we were hit with mites before its always on my mind. Would you sprinkle in Sevin dust and just leave it? Thanks, still a newbie to some of this

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I absolutely love the idea of the rubber matting. Do I really
Need to put hay or any other bedding down? It's such a mess! My chickens soil their water with hay within hours even with the water elevated. I have a large run and my chickens spend all day outside, they only go in their coop to eat, drink, or roost. They are not old enough to lay yet so no nests. The idea of a rubber mat has me very excited! It would be a lot nicer to shake the droppings off into my garden without bits of hay or shavings and it's something I can just hose off. Is this alright until they nest?

Rubber mats would be not something I would use personally unless you have a substrate on it like sand or sweet PDZ. The droppings would stick to their little feet. In freezing weather it would be impossible to clean.
There is a "poop board convert thread" that is very good. You may want to check it out!

For those that change bedding not very often, what do you do then to fight off mites/lice? I have a basic coop right now with just wood floor and have been trying to figure out a good and easy floor to clean and install but since we were hit with mites before its always on my mind. Would you sprinkle in Sevin dust and just leave it? Thanks, still a newbie to some of this

I use sand in my coop- even in the nest boxes now. I don't have to toss all those shavings and when I treat for mites I just shake the dust everywhere in the sand and I don't throw out my sand. I rake daily with a small plastic rake then scoop with a kitty litter scoop. Wear a mask as it is bad to breathe in. I buy washed sand - delivered but have used the play sand from Home Depot in the past.

Having dealt with mites extensively, I have found that I have fewer mite problems with my sand. But I do offer them a dust bath with woodstove ashes in the winter, and DE in the summer (feed grade only). That helps too. I use poultry dust in the coop - I shake it all over and of course treat the chickens and then retreat at 7 days (for lice retreat at 7/14 days).

There is a "got sand you should" thread that is very good.

 

[dczeropski]

The rubber matting works but I still put the hay over it. But I clean it out every 3 days and spray of the mats. It just makes it easier to lift out the hay cause I just grab each end of the mat and most of it stays on the mat. Sometimes I just throw the hay on one mat over to the other and then go spray off the mat with the hose and replace it with an extra set of mats I made. Then I transfer the old hay into a new clean mat. The mats do t get that dirty under the hay. Then I spread all the hay around again when both clean mats are in place. I don't change the hay until about 8 weeks or if I think it needs it sooner.

 

[6 littleHens]

Could you spray the rubber mat with oil and then sprinkle sand everywhere (thin coat) and use a spatula type tool and clean each pooh out daily? lol, sounds crazy but could that work (like greasing and flouring cake pan)?

 

[6LittleHens]

Whenever we mow I pile up the grass and let it sit for a few days then bag it up. I use one trash bag full for my coop and change it every week! In the winter I change it more often.:cd