chicken coop help

[faty lump is #1 chicken]

ok so im getting ready to put my chicks in the coop and i was wonderinig if i put straw down in the little area for them to walk around in so if you know something please help thnx

 

[gritsar]

Pine shavings would work great. They can snuggle right down in them. Make sure they are pine shavings and not cedar. Cedar shavings give off fumes from the aromatic oils that can cause respiratory problems in birds.

 

[faty lump is #1 chicken]

ok thnx for the help

 

[henningheather]

What does that mean? Roll eyes. Her answer was perfect but straw would work if you have nothing available in the wood shavings dept. People here are very knowledgeable and try to give the best answer they can. When you need help, and you treat people with respect, you will always walk away with good answers. Then you can pick and choose which ones will work best for your situation and for what you have available. Best of luck.

 

[Wynette]

Just a note on straw - since the shafts are hollow, it's a good place for parasites like lice and mites to hide. So, it's really best not to use it at all, to avoid problems. Some folks do use it, but IMO, why take the chance?

 

[Airilith]

Quote:
Can you use shavings for the deep litter method? I thought that was only straw.

 

[mediazeal]

Quote:
Can you use shavings for the deep litter method? I thought that was only straw.

Most people use pine shavings for the deep litter method
4 inches deep at least
You can buy it in big bales very cheap at the feed store or even at walmart.

I have an 8 by 16ft coop/run combo all covered and use at least 3 bags on the bottom to get the desired depth.
I also mixed a little FOOD GRADE DE in (i actually just put it on the floor in a thin layer before putting in all the shavings) and it's been great. They do all the mixing and no smell, no pests as yet.

Hope that helps

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Can you use shavings for the deep litter method? I thought that was only straw.

Most people use pine shavings for the deep litter method
4 inches deep at least
You can buy it in big bales very cheap at the feed store or even at walmart.

I have an 8 by 16ft coop/run combo all covered and use at least 3 bags on the bottom to get the desired depth.
I also mixed a little FOOD GRADE DE in (i actually just put it on the floor in a thin layer before putting in all the shavings) and it's been great. They do all the mixing and no smell, no pests as yet.

Hope that helps

I agree. I used pine shavings and do the deep litter method.

 

[vabrown1]

i used both, and they didnt seem to care one way or the other, so i found that straw was more managable to clean-up

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Not trying to be argumentive, but as Wynette said, you can have more problems with parasites with straw. Also, if it gets wet it can turn moldy, causing respiratory issues.