Coop Bedding?

[VH Chicken Farm]

That shovel is great, and is making consider changing from shavings. Being able to just shift out the poop seems really nice but there was no way I would want to do it with just a cat litter scooper (I have 20 birds right now). How dusty is it, though? What do you do with your poop?

We have a garden so the poop is a great fertilizer. The sawdust is not like the sawdust you get from a miter saw, it is from a saw mill where they are stripping trees and making boards. So there term for "sawdust" is normal shavings chipped into smaller pieces and it is not dusty at all. We love it it works great and it smells very good.

 

[Tonia K]

Hello!

I was just wondering what everyone has for bedding?

I'm thinking about either sand so I can scoop the poop with a kitty litter scooper
or straw with zeolite. What do you think is better?

I'll also be putting a droppings board under the roost.

Thanks!

For the upper part of my coop I use Stall Dry. For the lower which is on the ground sand. I don't have to provide additional grit as the sand does that. Both the sand and the Stall Dry absorb water and that help control the ammonia odor and keeps the moisture low. Takes 10 mins to clean with a kitty litter scoop every other day!

 

[VH Chicken Farm]

Here is a picture of what the sawdust looks like Exotica.

 

[barneveldrerman]

Love your reply!!
My sand in my coop is tiny bits of poop and dirty sand! Not the miracle clean lots of other chicken keepers talk about!
Pus, where do you put all that poopy sand once its dirty?

Going back to shavings this afternoon!

Thanks!

You can use a kitty scooper and keep most of the poop out of it. When you change the sand the old stuff can be washed and reused for something else. I still use shavings for most of the time but keep looking into sand.

 

[aart]

Quote: I do not think you can 'wash' pulverized poop out of sand......found this using sand as a brooder bedding.
Ended up using it to fill a gouge in the yard from an auto accident, grass grew back great.

 

[TLove99]

Has anyone tried rinsing and reusing their sand? I have a 12'x14' run that has a gravel base. On top of that is brick pavers then several inches of sand. I wonder if I take a hose to it if I can get it somewhat clean. I scoop it every day (mostly) but you know, if you don't get to it before they walk all over it the poop gets broken down into tiny pieces. Any thoughts on this?

 

[azygous]

Has anyone tried rinsing and reusing their sand? I have a 12'x14' run that has a gravel base. On top of that is brick pavers then several inches of sand. I wonder if I take a hose to it if I can get it somewhat clean. I scoop it every day (mostly) but you know, if you don't get to it before they walk all over it the poop gets broken down into tiny pieces. Any thoughts on this?

Oh yes! I've tried! It was a mess! All the dried poop particles ended up floating to the top instead of away with the water, and it stank to high heaven. It simply does not work to try to wash it.

Last fall I decided that I wanted clean sand so I shoveled all the old sand out and replaced it with clean new sand. It was a heck of a job, believe me, but well worth it.

I'm wondering now about using sawdust in the run instead of sand. It's a heck of a lot cheaper than sand since I can get it in bulk at a forestry mill nearby. Does anyone have any experience using sawdust in their run?

 

[Exotica]

Love your reply!!
My sand in my coop is tiny bits of poop and dirty sand! Not the miracle clean lots of other chicken keepers talk about!
Pus, where do you put all that poopy sand once its dirty?

Going back to shavings this afternoon!

Thanks!

^ Ahh, I was afraid of that! Maybe I should just stick with Koop Clean or pine shavings!

Love your reply!!
My sand in my coop is tiny bits of poop and dirty sand! Not the miracle clean lots of other chicken keepers talk about!
Pus, where do you put all that poopy sand once its dirty?

Going back to shavings this afternoon!

Thanks!

For the upper part of my coop I use Stall Dry. For the lower which is on the ground sand. I don't have to provide additional grit as the sand does that. Both the sand and the Stall Dry absorb water and that help control the ammonia odor and keeps the moisture low. Takes 10 mins to clean with a kitty litter scoop every other day!

I'm going to google Stall Dry right now! I'm willing to clean every other day so maybe the sand won't have too much poop? What happens when the poop dries and breaks up into little pieces though?

Love your reply!!
My sand in my coop is tiny bits of poop and dirty sand! Not the miracle clean lots of other chicken keepers talk about!
Pus, where do you put all that poopy sand once its dirty?

Going back to shavings this afternoon!

Thanks!

Here is a picture of what the sawdust looks like Exotica.

That just looks like pine shavings!! You're so lucky! That's a steal! If I had that option, I'd definitely go the same route you are!

Love your reply!!
My sand in my coop is tiny bits of poop and dirty sand! Not the miracle clean lots of other chicken keepers talk about!
Pus, where do you put all that poopy sand once its dirty?

Going back to shavings this afternoon!

Thanks!

I do not think you can 'wash' pulverized poop out of sand......found this using sand as a brooder bedding.
Ended up using it to fill a gouge in the yard from an auto accident, grass grew back great.

Oh yes! I've tried! It was a mess! All the dried poop particles ended up floating to the top instead of away with the water, and it stank to high heaven. It simply does not work to try to wash it.

Last fall I decided that I wanted clean sand so I shoveled all the old sand out and replaced it with clean new sand. It was a heck of a job, believe me, but well worth it.

I'm wondering now about using sawdust in the run instead of sand. It's a heck of a lot cheaper than sand since I can get it in bulk at a forestry mill nearby. Does anyone have any experience using sawdust in their run?

Oh man! Sounds like a lot of work shoveling at that sand! Maybe I'll just stick with the pine shavings for easy clean up and replacement

 

[chickens really]

I have a kitty litter scoop and a pitch fork covered in wire and still poop is falling through and becoming a mess.
I will try a better grade of sand and see how it goes!

 

[Exotica]

I have a kitty litter scoop and a pitch fork covered in wire and still poop is falling through and becoming a mess.
I will try a better grade of sand and see how it goes!

What grade of sand do you think I should use? What grade are you using?