Coop Ventilation

[Yonah Feld]

Right. We will be using arborist wood chips in the run and were thinking about options for the coop. Pine shavings will get pricey and the wood chips are I think too bulky. Do you think sand would be a good option?

The purpose of bedding in the coop is to absorb the moisture of the droppings so that they dry out quickly -- neither stinking nor attracting flies.

A coop without bedding would be like a catbox without the cat litter.

 

[3KillerBs]

Right. We will be using arborist wood chips in the run and were thinking about options for the coop. Pine shavings will get pricey and the wood chips are I think too bulky. Do you think sand would be a good option?

I personally don't care for the idea of using sand in the coop because I don't want the extra work of daily scooping and dislike the idea of how the sand will REEK if it ever gets wet.

This is my article on using Deep Bedding in a Small Coop: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/using-deep-bedding-in-a-small-coop.76343/

 

[Yonah Feld]

I personally don't care for the idea of using sand in the coop because I don't want the extra work of daily scooping and dislike the idea of how the sand will REEK if it ever gets wet.

This is my article on using Deep Bedding in a Small Coop: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/using-deep-bedding-in-a-small-coop.76343/

Great article! I just don't think it would work in my coop because the pull out tray is very thin.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Right. We will be using arborist wood chips in the run and were thinking about options for the coop. Pine shavings will get pricey and the wood chips are I think too bulky. Do you think sand would be a good option?

The issue is pull out trays don't really work well - when there's poop and bedding in the tray, when you pull out, they tend to get squeeged off by the frame around the tray. There just isn't enough clearance.

I don't know how difficult it is to reach in there, but it might be easier to not pull out the tray and instead manually clean from the access door. So if you use sand for example (assuming that's not too heavy in the tray), you could reach in with a kitty litter scoop and sift out poop.

I do use wood chips in my coop but it won't work well in yours, because as you noted, it's too bulky in a small space.

 

[Mamatomany123]

Right. We will be using arborist wood chips in the run and were thinking about options for the coop. Pine shavings will get pricey and the wood chips are I think too bulky. Do you think sand would be a good option?

Pine shavings arent that expensive. I only use half a bag in my 10x10 coop. Yours will last much longer. And honestly I think pull out trays are no good. Even if you put nothing I feel like if you pull it out the GIANT poops that laying hens drop are not going to clear anyways. Theyll be scraped off just like shavings. I swear sometimes their poops are bigger that the eggs.