Deep Litter

[NatJ]

Everyone says use pine shavings.

I've only seen about half of people recommending pine shavings. The other half have other preferences, for various reasons.

My own preference is for any plant matter that is dry and I don't have to buy (exception if it is really sharp or known to highly toxic.) That often includes dry leaves in the fall, but can also include pine needles, hay or straw, shredded paper, shavings, sawdust, wood chips, whatever vegetable trimmings the chickens don't eat, and so forth.

Some of those are prone to matting or need a bit of special management, but in general any and all of them can be used. A mixture often performs better than any single ingredient. For the ones that are most prone to matting, either they can be used in small amounts with other materials, or you can just keep putting in layers on top, and clean out a big block of manure & bedding at the end, all layered up like lasagna for the compost pile to eat.

I think shavings are recommended so often because they perform reasonably well, and can be bought at a reasonable price in most areas. The other things tend to either be seasonal (dry leaves) or regional (pine needles or hemp bedding) or have specific disadvantages (shredded paper mats badly if used alone).

As for pine shavings vs. other shavings, my understanding is that pine causes fewer problems than cedar shavings, while being more available and cheaper than shavings from other kinds of wood. Since I prefer not to buy bedding materials anyway, I haven't studied it in much more detail than that.

 

[3KillerBs]

I have read numerous articles that say that the pine has a bad effect on your chickens. The toxins that are in pine trees cause lung damage.

This is a myth promoted by people who are either making money from scaremongering and sensationalism or by people who have a vested interest in selling some kind of alternative (and by well-meaning people who have been fooled by such people).

Pine shavings have a long history of being safe for many kinds of livestock. If they were *really* as dangerous as the scaremongers claim they wouldn't be used for commercial chickens (where even a tiny increase in mortality would negatively affect the farmers' bottom line), and, especially not for such animals as highly-valuable racehorses.

There are many kinds of possible bedding/litter that you could use, each with its pros and cons, its advantages and disadvantages, its ups and its downs.

No one option is universally perfect. No one option is universally awful -- people even use mixes with cedar among the ingredients in their super-well-ventilated runs.

 

[RubySue]

I like your roost bars. Was trying to figure a way to put roost bars in my coop away from the window on the north wall. I am new to this also. Everyone says use pine shavings. I have read numerous articles that say that the pine has a bad effect on your chickens. The toxins that are in pine trees cause lung damage. I started out with pine shavings, noticed that one of my chicks kept itching. I changed to aspen shavings. They seem to absorb better and don't smell quite so strong. I have covered the bottom of my coop with the aspen shavings and when it smells a little, throw a couple of small buckets in and rake it around. Yes I do pull the soiled shavings out first.

Thanks! My fiancé seems to be mostly enjoying the coop build and doing a really good job. Hopefully he gave you an idea .

Eeks! If the birds have trouble with pine that’d be unfortunate because they will live in the woods surrounded by ponderosa pine

 

[NatJ]

Eeks! If the birds have trouble with pine that’d be unfortunate because they will live in the woods surrounded by ponderosa pine

I've never yet heard of live pine trees being a problem for people keeping chickens.

 

[Happy hen lover]

I use pine shaving and have for 2 tears now. I use deep litter method and as for original question I would save it if soiled. Start new I use the "mini" flake pine shaving and when they're older you can sift our poo with cat litter scoop, especially the overnight stuff. I love that stuff I tried straw and will never use it again. My hens love it in nest boxes too.

 

[Chinachik]

Thanks! My fiancé seems to be mostly enjoying the coop build and doing a really good job. Hopefully he gave you an idea .

Eeks! If the birds have trouble with pine that’d be unfortunate because they will live in the woods surrounded by ponderosa pine

The shaving expose the pine tar (pine is used in making kerosene) that is in the pine. Trees outside would be a different matter. The air is not closed up and only when they polls are or are cut up do they make dust. Not trying to say you can’t use them. Just that I did notice that my new peep had a problem with it. I also had a reaction to it so the aspen works well for me.

 

[Chinachik]

This is a myth promoted by people who are either making money from scaremongering and sensationalism or by people who have a vested interest in selling some kind of alternative (and by well-meaning people who have been fooled by such people).

Pine shavings have a long history of being safe for many kinds of livestock. If they were *really* as dangerous as the scaremongers claim they wouldn't be used for commercial chickens (where even a tiny increase in mortality would negatively affect the farmers' bottom line), and, especially not for such animals as highly-valuable racehorses.

There are many kinds of possible bedding/litter that you could use, each with its pros and cons, its advantages and disadvantages, its ups and its downs.

No one option is universally perfect. No one option is universally awful -- people even use mixes with cedar among the ingredients in their super-well-ventilated runs.

Good info. Commercial growers use pine because it is less expensive. They only keep the chicks for about 16 weeks. Then they are sent to slaughter. Laying hens are kept maybe 2 years. Just think if you had 2000 chickens in an average hen house 8 feet tall and 60 Feet long how much dust that would make (not to mention the chicken math). Free range is of course the best but with all the housing going up around the predators are numerous. So the modern backyard chicken keeper has to keep them in a small run and coop. Proper ventilation is a must but there is still dust. I started with pine. One peep had a problem scratching her neck. Looked around to find something that would help. Aspen seemed a better alternative than hemp. Changed the shavings.( they were also less dusty). The scratching ceased.
The articles I read were about how the pine dust affected their lungs. I am by no means trying to promote this just passing along what I learned with my chicks. Healthy chickens make great eggs

 

[Chinachik]

The shaving expose the pine tar (pine is used in making kerosene) that is in the pine. Trees outside would be a different matter. The air is not closed up and only when they polls are or are cut up do they make dust. Not trying to say you can’t use them. Just that I did notice that my new peep had a problem with it. I also had a reaction to it so the aspen works well for me.

Supposed to have been pollen not polls

 

[3KillerBs]

Proper ventilation is a must but there is still dust.

Most of the dust in a chicken coop comes from the chickens themselves rather than the bedding.

If million-dollar racehorses who live for 20-30 years can safely be kept on pine I don't think that it's any danger to our chickens.

 

[kmk]

Hello all!

New chicken owner here. I plan to use the deep litter method in our coop. Our chicks are one week old. I am getting ready to clean out their brooder and thought I could just move the shavings to the coop to get started rather than tossing them. Is that anything anyone has done or is it not a good idea?

Thanks!!

I'm new this year also and transferred the (clean) wood shavings from their brooder to the run so something would be familiar to them. I also added our forest surroundings (oak leaves, pine needles, sticks). The girls acclimated very well.
I'm employing a modified litter method. You can still see some wood shavings from early spring. I plan to add more in a month or two for deep winter along with more litter.
Enjoy.