Deep bedding

[DMOTS]

If I may- chickens go in their coop to purch, sleep, lay eggs, that is if you have your nesting boxes in the coop and most of all a safe place to go. This makes their coop the main place to go. First of all chickens don't care and they don't have a care, where they poop. So to jump ahead of all of the other stuff related to this subject, They poop in their coop and their liter system is takes the brunt of it. I don't care what system you use, they are going to poop in it and scratch in it. They will peck and peck in it. You are not going to change that. That is like asking a duck not to get into water. So what system do you choose. Several systems work, but they do different things. Some control the smell but you have to change it on a regular basis. Some control the moisture but you have to change it every other day or even daily. Some do a combination but you are still on a regular maintenance schedule. A Lot of it is based on cost. All of them work but with different results. For me, I want less maintenance and overall less cost. This is my choice and I believe that the Hemp product is the best product for the results and dollar spent. A lot of you will defend basic products because you have easy and affordable access but not everyone has that option. Imagine this, what if you never had to change your poop coop but once a year? What if you never had the bad smell that came with chicken poop, this is a big one? You can order it online. NO I don't make a dime on this product from any company. I just believe in the product, and what it says it can do and what it actually does do. Just my thought and experience. You need to find your comfort zone. For me, it is the Hemp system that does it for me.

 

[Vickischics]

Geographically curious.... Where a'rt thou?

Instructions for adding your geo location. Complimentary from aart.
This Info is Very helpful when receiving answers to questions.
I'm not sure why people don't list their geographical location in their profile.

 

[electrycmonk]

Instructions for adding your geo location. Complimentary from aart.
This Info is Very helpful when receiving answers to questions.
I'm not sure why people don't list their geographical location in their profile.

Well, I'll freely admit that I hadn't quite learned of the "bells & whistles" in this forum but, @aart also clued me in just the same....

Night night....

 

[aart]

Well, I am here, so I obviously have chickens. They only go in their coop when they sleep or when it's really bad weather

Los of people join/browse/post the forums for months/years before getting chickens.

 

[3KillerBs]

Am I the only one here that thinks chickens scratching around in their coop with all of their poop is unhealthy? Why would you want your chickens scratching around in their poop? Seems unsanitary to me.

Chickens can't be toilet-trained so the poop is going to be there.

Deep Bedding, whatever substrate you choose to use for bedding -- straw, shavings, stall pellets, hemp, rice hulls, shredded paper, sand, etc. -- dehydrates the poop so that no bacteria can grow. This renders it odorless and safe as long as it stays absolutely dry (which should almost always be the goal inside the coop).

Deep Litter, whatever substrate you choose to use for litter (see list above not including sand), creates a composting reaction with the poop, digesting and neutralizing it in a moist-but-not-wet environment. This also renders the poop odorless and safe.

They poop in their coop and their liter system is takes the brunt of it. I don't care what system you use, they are going to poop in it and scratch in it. They will peck and peck in it. You are not going to change that. That is like asking a duck not to get into water. So what system do you choose. Several systems work, but they do different things. Some control the smell but you have to change it on a regular basis. Some control the moisture but you have to change it every other day or even daily. Some do a combination but you are still on a regular maintenance schedule. A Lot of it is based on cost. All of them work but with different results.

Exactly.

Cost, and how much daily labor you're willing and able to put into it -- without fail, every day, no matter the weather or how you're feeling.

I like my deep bedding/deep litter because I can schedule maintenance around my work schedule, my arthritis, my asthma, and the weather.

Los of people join/browse/post the forums for months/years before getting chickens.

Yes. I was a member, posting questions and reading threads, for years before I got my first flock and periodically checked in between that flock and this new one.

 

[KarynVA]

Pretty much all livestock steps on, rolls in, and otherwise engages with their own poop on a nearly constant basis. While it sounds unhealthy to us, their systems have adapted to it and, while there can at times be issues with bacteria and mites, it is not solely because of the poop on the ground.

 

[Vickischics]

Well, I am here, so I obviously have chickens. They only go in their coop when they sleep or when it's really bad weather

" Well, I am here, so I obviously have chickens!" Ouch!!!

 

[KarynVA]

Well, I am here, so I obviously have chickens. They only go in their coop when they sleep or when it's really bad weather

Just curious. While your chickens sleep, do they poop? When it is bad weather, do they poop? Do you have a system whereby they remain above / away from the poop on a rainy day? Maybe there's a secret to chicken keeping that many of us do not know about! Please share.

 

[DMOTS]

Just curious. While your chickens sleep, do they poop? When it is bad weather, do they poop? Do you have a system whereby they remain above / away from the poop on a rainy day? Maybe there's a secret to chicken keeping that many of us do not know about! Please share.

In my opinion, and experience, they like a protected area preferably a coop. They like to perch up as high as they can in the coop, as a matter of fact there is a pecking order an the boss gets the highest point. I set all of my perches at the same height so they won't fight for the highest point. They do poop at night, hence the litter system. Some people use a poop board or any of the mentioned litter material listed in earlier post. I prefer the hemp product as mention before because I don't have to change it once a year. The chickens keep it mixed up with all of their scratching around. I'm not a chicken expert but I like to keep in simple and low maintenance.

 

[KarynVA]

That question was directed to Jenjens with regard to her post which I quoted directly above.

I realize, of COURSE, chickens poop at night and on bad weather days.