Coops and Rain..HELP!

[Acre4Me]

I've seen people using cat litter, but it's expensive and has all kinds of crap in it. But. It's made out of some kind of clay that absorbs moisture, so maybe search the forums for cat litter and see what people say about it.

If you use cat litter, you need the natural clay type that has no fragrance since the fragrance can harm bird lungs. I use this under my quail cages (mesh floor with poop tray) and it seems to help lower the odor and is absorbent - just not as absorbent as "modern" kitty litters. Here is what I have purchased at Wal-mart:

 

[aart]

If you use cat litter, you need the natural clay type that has no fragrance since the fragrance can harm bird lungs. I use this under my quail cages

Very good point.....I wouldn't even use this where chicken can peck tho.

 

[Acre4Me]

Very good point.....I wouldn't even use this where chicken can peck tho.

Also a good point. However, this is from natural clay and certain areas of the country have natural clay in the soil where chickens peck and scratch, so I don't think I would expect to find that this would be harmful. That being said, I might then do some searching to find out if a chicken could "overdose" on clay consumption, maybe impacting a crop or something.

I haven't had to worry about this as we scatter this on the paper that lines the quail poop trays, and the little quail can't reach the trays.

 

[aart]

That being said, I might then do some searching to find out if a chicken could "overdose" on clay consumption, maybe impacting a crop or something.

That would be my concern....plus why add clay to soil.

I haven't had to worry about this as we scatter this on the paper that lines the quail poop trays, and the little quail can't reach the trays.

Sounds like a decent application. Wonders if Sweet PDZ granules might be a better product?

 

[Acre4Me]

That would be my concern....plus why add clay to soil.

Sounds like a decent application. Wonders if Sweet PDZ granules might be a better product?

Why add clay to soil is a good reminder, as many of us have to amend greatly our clay laden soil in order to get better drainage and soil in our gardens.

The sweet PDZ I was able to find was a bit pricey, and I only found it in one place. Cant remember the price though, but it was more expensive than I expected.

 

[deepbluesea]

I first used them when hurricane Irma blew through. It was a horrid rainy season and I had to clean and dry out the coop every day.
They soaked up the water that had blown in under the door of the coop. I already had regular pine litter in there, but that was getting drenched. Desperate measures! Out in the downpour, I caulked around the door (great caulk you can use on a wet surface) and screwed a "sweep" across the bottom of the door to act as a rain shield - it worked!!
The pellets literally turn into sawdust. Of course they have a capacity limit so can't be left to soak up water indefinitely, but when using them as regular bedding you wet them first and they expand into, well, sawdust. It's quite lovely to use, actually. Very easy to do a quick poop-scoop cleanup if you only have a few chickens. The nifty thing, if you're a gardener, is that they are terrific compost. Almost pre-broken down. I used to compost the shavings, and they never broke down. Just made a hard wooden mass in the pile. So if I didn't put them there, where would I put them? In the field to fill holes. What a pain. This is so much better.

I hadn't heard of these pellets--thanks! My shavings take waaaaay too long to compost, so I'm moving aways from them.

 

[aart]

The sweet PDZ I was able to find was a bit pricey, and I only found it in one place. Cant remember the price though, but it was more expensive than I expected.

I pay about $15 for 40#, so 2.66/lb...yeah, might be pricier than the clay, but might be worth it if your adding to gardens.

 

[Acre4Me]

I pay about $15 for 40#, so 2.66/lb...yeah, might be pricier than the clay, but might be worth it if your adding to gardens.

I just checked Tractor Supply for PDZ - Price is very good!

 

[aart]

I just checked Tractor Supply for PDZ - Price is very good!
View attachment 1398135

Note... that's a 25# bag.
The 40# bags I buy are a smidge less per pound.
Any idea what your clay litter is per pound?

 

[Acre4Me]

Note... that's a 25# bag.
The 40# bags I buy are a smidge less per pound.
Any idea what your clay litter is per pound?

I think that clay litter may have only been $3.95 for the 25# bag. I remember it was very inexpensive.