coop bedding- what do you prefer??

[Motts]

I have a raised coop attached to a covered enclosed run.

Inside the coop I was using shavings and liked them but for the last 6 weeks or so I have switched to coffee chaff. It is very fluffy but so far I love it. 6 weeks plus and just changed the bedding for the first time and only because of the amount of poop. Zero smell. BUT, don't use it in the nest boxes! The chaff sticks to the eggs when they are first laid and are a pain to get clean. I just bought a small bag of pine shavings for $3 and it will last me a long time. The chaff is free

For the run I am using TSC pine shaving flake. I like these because they are not as fine as true shavings. Bigger pieces without being bark but very thin, so they last a while outdoors. They do break down (as in get smaller) but haven't tried to compost. I currently add grass clippings and dried leaves from my Giant Magnolia tree that drops in the summer. I bought, but have not added DE cuz I am thinking about composting. I have not changed out my run in 13 months and counting. Just use a rake to mix it up once a week or so. I will put in the caveat that I am in CA and we had very little rain this year. With the clippings and leaves I have not had to buy any flake in over 4 months now.

 

[Michael OShay]

I use dry leaves and some straw. And I grow Tobacco for their bedding too it keeps the lice and bugs away the seeds are cheap and its like a weed once you get it started also the flowers smell and look so wonderful when in bloom I decorate the house with them it does the same as hemp but its legal . Wouldn't want to explain hemp I don't think they would understand it if I got busted . So to keep it legal tobacco is the better way for me . It has three benefits keeps bugs away absorbs ,and composts nicely .
I grow it, use the flowers, then dry the leaves ,and it last all year. Very affordable .
When I am not using tobacco I put tangle foot on the yellow Styrofoam plates you get meat on in the grocery store and tack them in the coop to catch the bugs in stead of fly paper. Cheaper and they hold more flies and bugs. Tangle foot cost 8 bucks and has lasted me 4 yrs. now and still have plenty left I use it in the gardens too for the beetles and bugs too.
Just giving you something to think or read about . As for bugs in the coop I don't get many the chickens eats most of them .
to get back to the question Straw, leaves and tobacco are my choices.

Interesting. I keep the lice away from the hens by keeping a flat box with some wood ash in it in the coop for them to bath in.

 

[Celizwalsh]

I use a deep layer of pine shavings and then a deep layer of straw on top of that (in both the coop & nest boxes). Then I just use my stall fork and mix/fluff it up each morning. I have had the chicks in there for 6 weeks now and have not had to do any cleaning except spot clean under the waterer to keep things dry. I also did the same thing with our last flock and never had any problems. I had heard of people using sand and seriously thought about giving it a try but I have spent so much time working in horse/dairy barns that I am just too set in my ways to change lol. Plus they have the added bonus of making the coop smell good. My neighbor actually came over not to long ago and after seeing the coop said "I thought chickens were supposed to stink but it doesn't smell bad in there at all" LOL

 

[ladycat]

Wouldn't want to explain hemp I don't think they would understand it if I got busted . So to keep it legal tobacco is the better way for me .

"But Officer, I only grow it for my chickens!"

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

I use dry leaves and some straw. And I grow Tobacco for their bedding too it keeps the lice and bugs away the seeds are cheap and its like a weed once you get it started also the flowers smell and look so wonderful when in bloom I decorate the house with them it does the same as hemp but its legal . Wouldn't want to explain hemp I don't think they would understand it if I got busted . So to keep it legal tobacco is the better way for me . It has three benefits keeps bugs away absorbs ,and composts nicely .
I grow it, use the flowers, then dry the leaves ,and it last all year. Very affordable .
When I am not using tobacco I put tangle foot on the yellow Styrofoam plates you get meat on in the grocery store and tack them in the coop to catch the bugs in stead of fly paper. Cheaper and they hold more flies and bugs. Tangle foot cost 8 bucks and has lasted me 4 yrs. now and still have plenty left I use it in the gardens too for the beetles and bugs too.
Just giving you something to think or read about . As for bugs in the coop I don't get many the chickens eats most of them .
to get back to the question Straw, leaves and tobacco are my choices.

Interesting, I'd not have thought of hemp as a bedding product - but it makes absolute sense now that I sit and think about it. Given the recent moves in KY to legalize and explore the industrial hemp industry (I believe they finally got their seeds released and were able to plant them just in the last few weeks for the first test plots) that is yet another practical use for them to use as a selling point of industries that could grow from the production of hemp.

 

[Dumb Kluck]

I am very pleased with the crusher dust in the run. Crusher dust is a byproduct of making gravel and results in a fine sandy base with various particle sizes ranging from powdery to small gravelly bits. The girls love it for dust bathing and it cleans up quick and easy with a rake &/or cat litter scoop,
I put about 2-3" in the run, and a very thin layer on the floor of the coop (reserving straw for the nest boxes). Seems to keep odor and flies from accumulating and I can just scoop out the poops as needed. No more fluff in the water dishes, no more food bits lost in the loose straw, no more wheelbarrow loads of flith & fluff to contend with, just a small box, bag or bucket to collect only their waste in, and the scooping's are still composted because the gravel/sand/dust falls through the scoop with a shake or two, leaving just the dry poops to dispose of.

Was also told that the crusher dust was actually a good source of grit (unlike sand) because of the varying particle sizes and irregular shapes. Additionally, the crusher dust is well drained and if shaded, stays cool. I use a mister in the run on really hot days and the crusher dust gets damp on the surface without getting "wet" so it continues to cool the girls as they scratch & frolic in it. The girls also have a huge day run area with plenty of messy, loose organic matter to turn & scratch (like the straw I used to keep in my run but the crusher dust keeps the coop & secure run tidy and fresh with minimal effort and zero waste.

 

[Phoenixxx]

I have a dirt floor, but to make clean-up easier I toss in whatever I rake up around the yard (leaves, lawn trimmings when dry). When the coop needs cleaning, I just rake up the litter and toss it in the compost pit.

In the nest boxes I use dried moss that the chickens scratch up. Whenever I run out (winter, of course!) I buy a bale of hay (cheaper than straw) and use that in the nests. When the nests need cleaning, the used bedding gets repurposed as floor litter.

Over the winter, I use the deep litter method and rather than rake up the soiled litter I simply pile more on. Despite living in a coastal, extremely humid climate, I do not have any problems with dampness using these materials.

I don't have too much waste as my chickens are quite efficient at finding every last tiny crumb that makes its way down to the dirt underneath. I like using the hay because it's way cheaper than shavings and smells just as nice without potentially causing respiratory difficulties like the oils in pine and cedar shavings would. I think the hens prefer it, too

 

[vehve]

We used the hemp bedding in the brooder, it's super absorbent and a lot nicer than pine shavings, but at 24 euros for a 150 liter bale, it's not exactly cheap. I'd love to use it together with the peat though, if I could find it a bit cheaper somewhere.

If I've understood correctly, it was the cotton plantation owners that lobbied for banning hemp in the US, it would have cut down their profits greatly.

 

[SteveinDallas]

I use hay in my nesting boxes. I always need to use more than what it'd seem as they pack it down over time. I change it about every 6 weeks. The way the coop is built, It stays dry.
As for the run, i just have a dirt floor. I throw grass clippings and leaves in regularly so they walk on that rather than the dirt. I churn it under with my tiller occasionally. Also, I remove the top 3 or 4 inches of soil occasionally and mix into my garden area.
Seems to work for me. And, it's inexpensive.

 

[jtn42248]

Does anyone know if Tractor Supply carries the right kind of DE? I know there are safe & unsafe types (?) - I'm just not sure where to get the right kind?

Yes they do. I get their Red Lake Earth brand Diatomaceous Earth in 20 pound bags for 13.00. It has Calcium Bentonite Supplement. Check with your local store before you go. Mine is often out as we have a number of large back yard poultry operations (like mine) in the area plus it is used by goat and sheep operations, horse barns, in the yard and around the house to control insects, etc.