Deep litter and required moisture ?

[lazy gardener]

I have a bucket full of semi dry creeping charlie and mint to add. Added benefit of fragrance, plus DL material, and coop play.

 

[Backyard Bruce]

When I die I think I want to come back as a chicken owned by a BYC member.

 

[coach723]

With time and practice you won't even have to think about it. Do what works. If it stinks, something's wrong, if it doesn't, then it's good! I throw all kinds of herbs in when I have them, chickweed from the garden when I weed, etc. As said above, there really isn't one right way, just what works for you and your birds. And some people have a different scale of what they accept as 'clean' in a coop. My birds are healthy, no stink, no issues, so I'm good with it, and it leaves more time to do the other stuff that needs doing. I think the number of birds in any given space impacts it also. Too many birds in too small a space and probably nothing but constant cleaning is going to work.

 

[PetesChicks]

I keep about 5-8” of pine shavings on the floor, and use a poop board with sand & PDZ. Everything stays dry in the coop, except when the bunny used to spill water (RIP Pepper). The shavings do break down, but slowly.

Every once in a while, I’ll take a wheelbarrow or so of shavings from the coop and add them to the run, and add fresh shavings to the coop. Scoopings from the poop board go into the compost pile. When I did a thorough cleanup last fall, I did put a wheelbarrow load of shavings partially decomposed shavings into the compost pile also. I put a lot of cut grass in the run with the shavings, but not in the coop. I never have any odor issues, unless there is a fresh poop.

 

[Kayla's Lunch]

Does the deep litter in the run differ from the deep litter in the coop? I have mostly heard of just using pine shavings in the coop and a mix of stuff in the run. Is there some reason to do it that way? My run in pretty much finished with the chicks already living there and my coop may finished today or tomorrow.

 

[coach723]

Most people use what they have available that is economical for them. Using what's in the yard, in the run is a lot cheaper than buying shavings as runs are generally larger. On a dirt floor run they will compost faster than shavings. Shavings in the coop generally will last longer and need less change out depending on your set up, and it's a smaller space so less $$ for shavings. I'd just experiment a bit to see what works best for you.

 

[PetesChicks]

What I do in the coop is actually called deep bedding, not deep litter. About the same, but since it’s dry & a wood floor I guess it’s got a different name. Just shavings, and a sprinkle of PDZ once in a while.

The run gets old shavings, grass, leaves, hay, anything like that. No smells in either place.

 

[TAM Farm]

Are cedar chips safe to use in the coop?

 

[PetesChicks]

Are cedar chips safe to use in the coop?

Cedar chips can cause respiratory issues in chickens. You would be better off with pine shavings. A lot safer and probably cheaper also.

 

[TAM Farm]

Cedar chips can cause respiratory issues in chickens. You would be better off with pine shavings. A lot safer and probably cheaper also.

They would be free my neighbor has a ceder snag they are having chipped, I could find a use for the cedar elsewhere hopefully. Are there other trees and possible bedding material to avoid?(where is the chewing on finger nails emogi?)