Best litter method for prefabs?

[crazychickenman007]

Hi all! Still new to chickens and trying to figure out which method would be the best for me. I don’t think my coop is deep enough to do the deep litter method. Is there any other lower maintenance methods?

 

[Krugerrand]

While I built my coop, it's built small and hold only 3 hens. I keep about an inch or so of sweet PDZ on the bottom and it gets scooped daily or near to it. The nest boxes get pine shavings. Not sure from the pictures if that could work for you or not.

The girls have unlimited access to a secure run.

 

[crazychickenman007]

While I built my coop, it's built small and hold only 3 hens. I keep about an inch or so of sweet PDZ on the bottom and it gets scooped daily or near to it. The nest boxes get pine shavings. Not sure from the pictures if that could work for you or not.

The girls have unlimited access to a secure run.

Thank you! I think I’ll try that. Is the PDZ the “coop refresher”? And do you scoop it with like a kitty litter style scoop? I built a large run attached to the coop as well I just want to keep the inside of their coop as nice as possible for them.

 

[Krugerrand]

Thank you! I think I’ll try that. Is the PDZ the “coop refresher”? And do you scoop it with like a kitty litter style scoop? I built a large run attached to the coop as well I just want to keep the inside of their coop as nice as possible for them.

Same stuff but packaged for horses is much cheaper:
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/sweet-pdz-stall-refresher-25-lb?cm_vc=-10011

Yes, this and a kitty litter scoop is what I use. This one to be exact:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Vibrant-Life-Expandable-Aluminum-Cat-Litter-Scoop/646939508

A couple times a year I run it all through something smaller to get at smaller bits that get left behind.

 

[crazychickenman007]

Same stuff but packaged for horses is much cheaper:
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/sweet-pdz-stall-refresher-25-lb?cm_vc=-10011

Yes, this and a kitty litter scoop is what I use. This one to be exact:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Vibrant-Life-Expandable-Aluminum-Cat-Litter-Scoop/646939508

A couple times a year I run it all through something smaller to get at smaller bits that get left behind.

Thank you so much you’ve been super helpful!

 

[gtaus]

I don’t think my coop is deep enough to do the deep litter method. Is there any other lower maintenance methods?

I live in northern Minnesota. My birds live in their chicken coop all snow months, never going outside in the snow in the run. I had great success with using free paper shreds I make at home last winter. I use the deep bedding method, starting off with about 3-4 inches of paper shreds, and adding fresh shreds every couple of weeks throughout the winter. This spring, I had about 8 inches of paper shreds ready to dump out into the chicken run. My coop never smelled.

I think paper shreds would work for you, but maybe not as deep as what I use (up to 12 inches) and you might have to clean them out more often (I clean out twice a year). But, paper shreds are very lightweight, and you could probably use more of them in your prefab than other litter such as wood chips.

To be honest, I like to use anything I can get for free for use as litter in my coop. I have never had to buy any litter for my coop in over 3+ year. I have never tried the PDZ and/or horse bedding as mentioned by others. I have had great success with using free wood chips and free paper shreds, but have also used dried grass clippings and leaves in my coop. Just about anything will work if you monitor the system and clean it out before it starts to smell. I would consider all those organic litter resources as low maintenance.

Although I live on a lake, I don't use sand as coop litter. I found that I was constantly cleaning it out and replacing it with fresh sand. It was a never-ending chore for me. Sand also gets heavy and smelly and does not have much of a life in a compost bin after use. I much prefer using paper shreds these days because they are so light weight and make great material for composting once used up in the coop. If you have a garden, it makes sense to use organic coop litter that you can later compost.

I agree with you in trying to find a low maintenance method for your chickens. It just makes having a backyard flock so much more enjoyable if you don't have to do daily, weekly, or even monthly cleaning. With my deep bedding system, I only clean out my coop twice a year, in early spring and late fall, and honestly, I could get by with just a spring cleaning once a year and nothing else. I would encourage you to consider whatever free resources you might have available for use as litter before you go out and buy anything.