Coop lining??

[h4farms]

I usually use hay, but I've heard there's better stuff to use. What do you all recommend on lining the coop?

 

[rapunzel162]

In the summer I use a mix of things. Sand, and gravel on the floor. I top it with fresh mown grass dried. I dry it in a large cardboard box. This can be used in nests as well for a soft nesting bedding. Then I top with softer sawdust. I then can have the peeps mix it up, and in the fall, use it on my veggie gardens, as a compost for winter.

 

[wsmith]

I am assuming you mean bedding, and not insulation?

For bedding, there are many options, and many people who know the option they use is "the best" What you use depends on several things. Where you are, what your coop floor is made of, what is available for bedding that is cheap, do you plan on using a deep litter method, or do you plan on cleaning out the coop frequently? Many people swear by sand, I don't...it doesn't compost well...

Personally, I use whatever dry organic litter/bedding is available. Dry leaves that would otherwise go into a landfill, straw, and old hay are the most common for my main hen house. For the brooders I use wood chips and pine shavings, adding straw, leaves, and hay as they get bigger and I need to add more bedding. I don't do deep litter in my brooders, as they aren't in use that long.

In the main hen house, I add bedding as needed, usually every couple of weeks or so depending on the condition of the current bedding / litter is. I clean out the hen house twice a year; in the fall and in the spring. All my old bedding/litter goes into the compost for use on gardens, etc.

 

[h4farms]

What is the deep litter method?

 

[rapunzel162]

Thats what Im doing so I can use it on my veggie gardens in fall and spring. I layer it. The peeps dig and mix it.

 

[Tanith BHH]

What is the deep litter method?

Please someone correct me if I'm wrong but (I think) the deep litter method is when you put a thinish layer of bedding down on the floor of the coop, then as it gets soiled just add more bedding over the top so that the top layer is nice and clean but you haven't cleaned it out. This way it keeps the coop nice and warm and isn't very time consuming. The litter/bedding layer can get quite deep though, depending on how long you do it for. Then you only have to clean it out a couple of times a year. You can't do this with all coops though, I know my current one you can't because it is too small. I just spot clean the coop every few days and I use chopped/shredded straw.

 

[rapunzel162]

Yes your right and thats what Im doing. I also spot clean everyday, with rubber gloves. But I add layers of soft grass, and tiny shavings everyday too. The lawn grass I dry, in a big cardboard box, after I dry it on the lawn first. It is SO soft. It can be used in the nests too. and is so nice and soft for henney pennies. I have several big moving boxes I store it in.

 

[SobbaChickens]

I usually use hay, but I've heard there's better stuff to use. What do you all recommend on lining the coop?

My chicks are still in their brooder but I just changed them from pine shavings to sand because the pine shavings made such a huge mess. I should have taken a picture before cleaning the area for the final time yesterday lol, I think I'm doomed to have those shavings everywhere for the rest of my life. I know if you did shavings in a coop you'd have to make sure the shavings wouldn't come falling out any doors. Sand is suppose to aid in drying the poop out for easier cleaning and the smell isn't suppose to be as bad. I'll be making a poop board for under my roosts with sweet PDZ. Depending on how sand words in the brooder I might use it in the coop. I'm either putting Blackjack 57 on my coop floor or laminate flooring. You need to make sure the bedding you choose will work with your floor.

 

[FremontCAguy]

would 3.5 inch high enough (basically using 2x4) for the deep litter method? I haven't decided yet (building a coop now...) Thanks,

 

[WoodlandWoman]

When we built our walk in coop, I planned to use deep litter. The pop door is elevated and has a ramp. I'm really glad I did that. I didn't want shavings to interfere with the door closing. That was especially helpful when we went to an automatic door. I think it also helps keep out rodents. They like to run along walls and they can't get inside that way, from the outside. They don't seem to want to go to the open area of the run and go up the long ramp to get inside, during daylight hours. Or else I've just been really lucky the last 20 years! My husband has had trouble with mice in his shed and that doesn't even have feed in it.

The door for people is wide enough to get my well balanced garden cart through, for easier clean-out in spring. I wouldn't put anything permanent in the doorway for mine, because I want it to be easy to get in and out with a garden cart. It's handy to be able to temporarily place a board or two in the doorway, though. A lot of the time, I've just kept the litter more shallow at the doorway, moving the excess back into the room as needed.

As for litter, I like wood shavings the best, but a lot of different things work. The one thing I wouldn't use here is straw. We have to watch out for mites in our area in the spring and they like to hide inside the hollow stems of straw. Plus, it doesn't compost as well.