Best Bedding

[Mylittlefarmof12]

If you want to scoop poop everyday from your coop floor. Also keep in mind that sand is not a good insulator, so the coop floor will be cold, in the cooler months. I don't know your location, but there is snow in your avatar pic.

Yep, I live in Wyoming and it gets really cold.

 

[Below frigid]

Leaves and dry field grass. It's free. Stir it up here and there, add more leaves. Change it all out twice a year. Nesting boxes get the shavings mixed with leaves.

 

[Hokum Coco]

I have hay thrown down in the coop.

Questioning Bedding will give a vast array of answers. I have tried most in my time. I have 68 trips around the sun for decades I have been raising chickens
I use poop boards 3½ inches under roosts (catches and saves all eggs laid during the night) with no bedding just vinyl flooring I scrap off every day or so and hose of every once in awhile in the summer. Poop pops off easily with just a flex in winter.

I have gone with NO BEDDING. Instead a wire 2" grid (wire the size of a pencil) over my coop floor. Similar to what is pictured below with 4"x4"x4" cubed blocks stationed under neath the grid on top of a tarp to form a drop pit it worked excellent all summer and I will clean the coop before winter sets in and things freeze solid. The grid even keeps you chickens feet cleaner which in turn keeps your eggs and nest boxes less soiled. I live in Canada and am subject to -40º temperatures.

Clean up is simple replace the tarp with a second one. Spread the first tarp out in the sun to bake and dry. Then flex the first tarp over the compost bin and hose off any stubborn chicken poop.
Update: The tarp is even easier to clean when the poop is frozen it just peels or flakes off with a small scrub with the backside of an iron garden rake.

For years I have been lining my nest boxes with the folded empty nylon mesh feed bags.
When a bag gets soiled pop out the soiled and pop in another. Poop just peels off in below freezing temperatures and just flakes off when left out in the sun to bake and dry.



Oh! Remove the excess string from the open end of the bag it can get tangled in your birds legs and wings.
Easy Peasy Japaneasy.

 

[aart]

You'll get a different answer from each person and will have to decide what works best for you. May take some trail and error.
What you use may mostly depend on how you want to manage the manure and your climate can make a difference.
This is what I do:
I use poop boards under roosts with sand/PDZ mix, sifted daily into bucket going to compost. Scrape big or wet poops off roost and ramps as needed.

Pine shavings on coop floor, totally changed out each fall, old ones added to run.

Runs have semi-deep litter, never clean anything out, just add smaller dry materials.

Nests are bedded with straw, add some occasionally, change out if needed(broken egg or poop).

 

[Relleoms]

You'll get a different answer from each person and will have to decide what works best for you. May take some trail and error.
What you use may mostly depend on how you want to manage the manure and your climate can make a difference.
This is what I do:
I use poop boards under roosts with sand/PDZ mix, sifted daily into bucket going to compost. Scrape big or wet poops off roost and ramps as needed.

Pine shavings on coop floor, totally changed out each fall, old ones added to run.

Runs have semi-deep litter, never clean anything out, just add smaller dry materials.

Nests are bedded with straw, add some occasionally, change out if needed(broken egg or poop).

Are your runs covered?

 

[aart]

Are your runs covered?

No. Well, covered with mesh.

 

[Hokum Coco]

What do you like to use and why?

Questioning Bedding will give a vast array of answers. I have tried most in my time. I have 68 trips around the sun for decades I have been raising chickens
I use poop boards 3½ inches under roosts (catches and saves all eggs laid during the night) with no bedding just vinyl flooring I scrap off every day or so and hose of every once in awhile in the summer. Poop pops off easily with just a flex in winter.

I have gone with NO BEDDING. Instead a wire 2" grid (wire the size of a pencil) over my coop floor. Similar to what is pictured below with 4"x4"x4" cubed blocks stationed under neath the grid on top of a tarp to form a drop pit it worked excellent all summer and I will clean the coop before winter sets in and things freeze solid. The grid even keeps your chickens feet cleaner which in turn keeps your eggs and nest boxes less soiled. I live in Canada and am subject to -40º temperatures.

Clean up is simple replace the tarp with a second one. Spread the first tarp out in the sun to bake and dry. Then flex the first tarp over the compost bin and hose off any stubborn chicken poop.
Update: The tarp is even easier to clean when the poop is frozen it just peels or flakes off with a small scrub with the backside of an iron garden rake.

For years I have been lining my nest boxes with the folded empty nylon mesh feed bags.
When a bag gets soiled pop out the soiled and pop in another. Poop just peels off in below freezing temperatures and just flakes off when left out in the sun to bake and dry.



Oh! Remove the excess string from the open end of the bag it can get tangled in your birds legs and wings.
Easy Peasy Japaneasy.