Coop bedding and care

[RonP]

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

First off, my coop (hen house) and run, using deep litter, has no offensive odors, even during our hot and humid weather.
Do a search on the benefits of deep litter. If done properly, it is actually healthier for your birds.

I do not over crowd. I planned ahead to eventually have around 15 birds and built the structure accordingly.

I currently have 12 birds in a well ventilated (15 square feet of ventilation), draft free, 50 square foot print coop, and an attached 24/7 200 square foot run.

I keep their main food and a water source in the coop 24/7.

I also keep water in the outdoor run 24/7, where they spend most of their awake time, weather permitting, their choice.
Their run is totally secure against all local predators.
I have no need to lock them up at night, the run is as secure as the coop.

The run has not been cleaned now in excess of 5 years, and smells no different than the surrounding wooded area.
I keep a very deep litter there, 10 to 28 inches deep now, from readily available organic "brown" matter (last years leaf harvest), to tie up and decompose the nitrogen rich manure.

The run is also used as my compost pile, dumping most all organic household, and landscape waste.
If the birds don't eat it, they bury it!

Very low maintenance...