coop bedding

[silkiechick05]

What do you chicken experts recommend for the coop floor?


i have silkies, so they wont be roosting, they'll be on the floor...


kitty litter?

sand??

ideas??

 

[ZooMummzy]

I just use white shavings. I kind of do the deep litter method...but not for as long as other people do. I change it out about every 2-3 months because I can't stand it after awhile. I add DE and/or Stall Dri every couple days and a thin layer of shavings.

I had sand in my last coop. It was ok, but I didn't like it for warmth in the winter and it really wasn't that much easier to clean.

edited to add I have silkies also...1/3 of them roost, 1/3 of them sleep in the roost pans under the roost poles! and the other 1/3 sleep in the nest boxes.

 

[Klorinth]

I used pine shavings in the brooder and in the temporary coop. Then I mixed shavings with some straw. That worked really well actually.

I'm trying something new at the moment. Compressed straw. It is heated(dried) and then compressed into little brickets. Looks just like BBQ brickets. Supposed to be very absorbent. It's not the softest thing around. Shavings are nicer for a soft nest.

This is it right after placing it in the new coop. I'm curious to see what it will look like in a couple of months.

 

[Marbleheader.]

Consider using wood pellets. They cost more than shavings, but IMO they do a better job of keeping the coop clean and dry. Shavings get kicked up into the feeder and waterer and don't dry all that quickly. Pellets stay clean and dry and on the floor.

I was using pellets made for bedding -- not sure whether you could use pellets made for pellet stoves. Most have chemicals in them, but I bet there are some that don't.

 

[gsim]

I use grass clippings all year and stockpile straw, leaves, etc for wintertime. Free litter for 7 months of year. I do have a linoleum floor over 3/4 OSB. I also ran strips of linoleum up the sides of the 4 walls between the studs and it laps out over the base plate of the wall frame to prevent poop buildup and subsequent odor. Should be easy to just hose out when I change the litter. I did caulk it along the sides and top so that water would not get behind if if I do hose it off. Have seen no poop there yet tho. The way I did it tho, they cannot stand on the wall base plate because the strips come down at a steep angle from the outer sheathing. Nowhere for them to stand. I am going to use leaves all winter until I run out, then I will switch to straw. I want to buy as little as possible and use all the free stuff that I have here first. I have not done poop planks but am considering them. Would like to make them with linoleum tops for easy scraping/cleaning.

 

[michickenwrangler]

Quote:
TSC sells pelleted bedding for horses. I bet that would work.

I use white pine needles for bedding

 

[HarryBun12]

I have a playhouse coop with a small elevated coop part. I used the pelleted bedding for several months. It breaks down after a while into sawdust, which is still okay. I only have 5 chickens (3 of them bantams) so I scoop the poo every day with a cat pan scooper. Last week I replaced the bedding but only had pine shavings which I use in the run. Not so easy to scoop. I'll switch back to the pelleted bedding, I think. It's not very expensive and lasts a very long time.

 

[silkiechick05]

How often do you clean out your coops??

Also, wouldn't using pellets be difficult to pick out the poop, even with a cat scooper?


I have silkies, and i am going to show them, and need something that will quickly absorb the poop and not get caked on their feathers.

GSIM: Can you post a picture??

 

[silkiechick05]

will cat litter work?

or will they eat it and it cause a blockage?