Coop Litter: Novice to all of it

[Brooks_]

Contemplating Gravel, I imagine its for the run.

I would very much hope so, but we've seen stranger here.

 

[FredHill]

And best of all, what you recommend is FREE!!! Thanks U_Stormcrow

 

[FredHill]

I would very much hope so, but we've seen stranger here.

Well, from what I read the pea gravel was recommended for the COOP! Glad u guys stopped me!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

That's what BYC is for. Very best to you on your chicken keeping journey!

 

[RoyalChick]

Hi! I got so much great feedback on my coop design, here's my next question. I've read pros and cons on all the litter methods but am green as a gourd when it comes to hands on! I would like low odor low maintenance. (Wouldn't we all?) I've read that something called "river gravel" I think.. is very good. You just rake it out every day like cat litter in a way. It's smallish but not so small they'll eat it (I think). And not big either. I've read it can be hard to find. Perhaps at a landscape supply store. I live in central coastal Florida. And I plan to have 3 silkies and 3 smallish normal laying hens, if that matters. Has anyone tried this method? If so, what's it like? Thanks!

I have a bare dirt floor. I heap up loads of leaves in the coop which is at the high end of a slope and the chickens move it down and eventually out into their runs.
Somewhere along the way it seems to rot down - but it isn’t true composting because it is dry.
I use pine shavings in nest boxes and when soiled I tip those onto the floor with the leaves.
I mix in other ‘stuff’ like dried t-bags but there isn’t much of that.
There is no odor and I haven’t cleaned in three years. The chickens do alm the work except filling the lawn bags with leaves!

 

[RoyalChick]

Here's a pic of what I've been reading about
View attachment 3079891

That looks like a really bad idea to me.
I think it would get slimy and stink.
You want things that will dry up the poop. Wood shavings, leaves, shredded paper.
I already posted that I mainly use leaves. I have been adding some shredded paper into the nest boxes as well.

 

[RoyalChick]

I use Deep Litter - collected from my surrounding forest. Mostly Oaks, some hickory, ok mostly youpon holly, then oaks, hickory, a local Yew-like species, a few others. Some pine, but not huge amounts.

I tried pea gravel by my water sources, but the duck and chicken shit packed hard into it, you couldn't wash it out, it was like concrete during dry spells, and srtank like an open sewer the rest of the time. 0/10 do not recommend. Thankfully, only put down about 2 cu ft - was still a good half day of sweat to remove it.

I grew up in Daytona, later moved to Tampa - you will have similar leaves available in the scrub oak and live oak, maples, dogwoods, but of course lots more pine than I. Pine has a tendency to mat, so I don't recommend using pine straw. Same with palmetto. SOME is fine. As the majority source, its not.

I should have read ahead before posting. Storm and I do roughly the same. I do use Pine Straw but I don’t get enough of it to mat so I haven’t experienced that issue.
All my leaves are collected from the yard so are free and means I don’t need to dispose of them.
Win-win.

 

[3KillerBs]

Gravel and chicken poop are not a good combination.

This cannot be overstated.

Any dry organic material that comes to hand can be used as bedding/litter. Here in the NC Sandhills I have pine straw free for the raking in my yard.

I also have piles of wood chips from tree work.

People are much fussier about this than the chickens are.

 

[Battlepants]

At best, I would probably just use gravel in the run for mud mitigation. Rather just go with ground up plant matter for the coop and run floor. Got a cheapo wood chipper and I've been processing a bunch of random branches to put in my coop. Took last years dead garden and dropped that into the run.

And for refreshing the run, cutting back any green bushes that are in the way and just throwing that in there works wonders. They enjoy the leaves and the leftover stick makes for more mud mitigation.

 

[3KillerBs]

I would probably just use gravel in the run for mud mitigation.

Coarse wood chips, the sort you get from a tree-trimming service, are usually considered the gold standard for controlling both mud and odor.

Though my first thought in re: mud is always to improve the drainage around the coop and run rather than trying to treat the symptom.