Coop questons....

[amynbrent]

We are getting our coop set in the next couple weeks and have a few questions....

1. What is the best thing for the floor....cheapest but best prefereed, hay, wood chips, sand?

2. I thought I read there is something you can put down to help the smell or to harden up the poop....or wishful thinking.

I think that's it but I'm sure I'll have more questions.

 

[lorihadams]

We put a piece of vinyl on the floor of our coop and we use the "fine" wood shavings from Tractor Supply Company. They are more like sawdust and I usually just throw a few handfulls on top of the poo under the roosts every couple of days to keep the smell down and then when it gets to a depth of about 6 inches I scrape the whole pile out and put it in the edge of the woods and let the chickens spread it around. Either that or I add it to the compost pile but I like the fine shavings cause they break down faster in the compost.

 

[snazzyboots]

do you mean the de. diatomaceous earth? you must get food grade. can get it at feed stores and probably online too. i put it in the brooder shavings and it really helps. i plan to use it outside too when they get there. some add it to feed as well. as to the floor i would think it depends on where you are and the climate. i know a lot of byc peeps like sand. mine is a moveable coop so they will have grass. good luck with yours

 

[FiveHens]

Pine shavings is generally the best. Hay gets wet and stinky, and the other things just don't absorb like they ought to. If you have enough good, dry pine shavings, the poop will dry up quickly and not smell too much. The chickens like to dust-bathe in them, too.