Coop bedding and care

[jrhy]

I know this is a question and subject that has been asked and talked about before but... I am trying to figure out the best procedure and most economical solution to my coop maintenance. I know there are all different types of bedding and it's everyone's own preference. Currently I am using natural pine chips and I love them they just feel so clean and dry and the henhouse smells good too. They seem nice and comfortable and nesty for the girls but I feel that I am wasting a lot by cleaning them out everyday. I've recently gotten a small litter scooper and I'm trying to just scoop out the poop and put fresh chips on top. Is this alright to do, I mean I wouldn't want my girls to get sick, but dumping the whole henhouse of chips everyday is getting expensive. What do you do? How do you maintain the henhouse? I muck out the run once a week and put pine chips out there too. How often do you all clean the henhouse? What do you think the most economical bedding and cleaning system is? Thank you

 

[LindaB220]

I know this is a question and subject that has been asked and talked about before but... I am trying to figure out the best procedure and most economical solution to my coop maintenance. I know there are all different types of bedding and it's everyone's own preference. Currently I am using natural pine chips and I love them they just feel so clean and dry and the henhouse smells good too. They seem nice and comfortable and nesty for the girls but I feel that I am wasting a lot by cleaning them out everyday. I've recently gotten a small litter scooper and I'm trying to just scoop out the poop and put fresh chips on top. Is this alright to do, I mean I wouldn't want my girls to get sick, but dumping the whole henhouse of chips everyday is getting expensive. What do you do? How do you maintain the henhouse? I muck out the run once a week and put pine chips out there too. How often do you all clean the henhouse? What do you think the most economical bedding and cleaning system is? Thank you

Yes, just keep adding to the top occasionally and get deep litter. Throw down some scratch at bedtime and the next morning they'll be looking and digging and turn it for you. I only am going to do a big clean out right at spring and let it compost a little more Then start adding back your litter. I have no smell and the poop just disintegrates into the shavings. I also ferment my feeds. That is so healthy and keep stinky poop away.

 

[vehve]

You could check out this thread:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/906152/how-long-does-it-take-you-to-clean-your-coop#post_13787210

I'm too lazy to rewrite what I just wrote, and you can read some other people's cleaning routines as well at the same time.

 

[Julia62]

I have shavings and I use the kitty litter scoop every other day to take out the poop. Hardly any shavings are wasted. I haven't even added more yet and it's been almost two weeks. I was thinking every month taking it all out and starting fresh. I think that will work. We have four pullets.

 

[ConcreteThumb]

I have 12 biddies that share a 10x4 coop and an 8.5x6.5x4.5 run.
The run is dirt covered with an inch of pea gravels. I pretty much just level the gravel every few days and the rain washes away the poops for the most part.

For the coop, i do the deep litter method using pine flakes.
Every few days ill even out the litter and add a few handfuls of flakes.
Its been about a month and a half and i mostly smell their feed or the pine, if i smell anything at all.
I also hang bunches of aromatic herbs that i grow to help mask any smells.
I will probably clean everything out in September and put that into a compost bin for next year's garden.

 

[RonP]

Coop floor - kiln dried large pine shavings - 8 to 12 inches deep - changed out once per year, gets dumped into run.

Add more when it gets low, fluff when it gets compressed, or throw some scratch in it.

 

[jrhy]

Leave the pine chips for a month or more?? I'm not sure about that cause I live in a development on a small piece of property and I'm afraid it would smell after a while especially in this hot heat of summer. And what about disease? can't the hens get sick from living in their poop for that long? I realize that you are supposed to keep covering it up with fresh chips every so often but it doesn't seem like a very clean way to live. And what about the scratch I keep hearing about...throw scratch into the henhouse where they sleep? on top of the pooped up chips?? I was curious about food in the henhouse too. Currently, since they are still young about 11 wks, I have been leaving food and water in one area of the henhouse for night or morning use. Do you do that too or is their food supposed to be left in the run only?? I have the main food and water hanging in the run for them and a smaller pair in the house but I was thinking of taking them out of the house once they are full grown hens. Any thoughts on that? Thank you

 

[LindaB220]

Leave the pine chips for a month or more?? I'm not sure about that cause I live in a development on a small piece of property and I'm afraid it would smell after a while especially in this hot heat of summer. And what about disease? can't the hens get sick from living in their poop for that long? I realize that you are supposed to keep covering it up with fresh chips every so often but it doesn't seem like a very clean way to live. And what about the scratch I keep hearing about...throw scratch into the henhouse where they sleep? on top of the pooped up chips?? I was curious about food in the henhouse too. Currently, since they are still young about 11 wks, I have been leaving food and water in one area of the henhouse for night or morning use. Do you do that too or is their food supposed to be left in the run only?? I have the main food and water hanging in the run for them and a smaller pair in the house but I was thinking of taking them out of the house once they are full grown hens. Any thoughts on that? Thank you

double post

 

[MadAngler]

Leave the pine chips for a month or more?? I'm not sure about that cause I live in a development on a small piece of property and I'm afraid it would smell after a while ...

I keep getting confused. The terms coop, hen house and run seem to be used interchangably.

Hen house. This is where my chickens sleep. It is fully enclosed and protected from the rain. My hen house is 4'x6' and houses 6 chickens. This agrees with BYC guideline of 4 ft2 per chicken. In my hen house, I put down pine shavings about 2 months ago. I have not scooped hardly any pooop from the shavings. They still smell like pine. There is some dried poop in the shavings but it does not smell. BUT, I have a poop board with PDZ under the roost board. I scoop pooop from the roost board every morning.

Run. My run is 6' x 10'. Again, that is based on BYC guideline of 10 ft2 per chicken. The floor of my run is just dirt. The chickens spend most of their day i the run. The run does smell a bit. It isn't bad. It just smells a bit like chickens... I am trying to decide what to do with my run. Some folks like sand. I'm still undecided.

 

[MadAngler]

Here is a shot of my hen house. These pine shavings are 2 months old with no smell.