Boise-girls
Songster
I currently have deep bedding in the coop (dry) and deep litter (composting) in the run. I love the deep litter in the run. The deep bedding is also working well except for one thing.
The coop is on a layer of pre-existing concrete, topped by those rubber things that go under pavers, then pavers, and then one of those rubber mats for foot fatigue, covered by 4-5 inches of bedding (chopped straw and hemp). It works great from a management standpoint, but the girls are always scratching down to the mat, so they're not always getting cushioning when they jump from the roost.
I was thinking that sand might stay in place better and thus provide more cushioning. (No worries about keeping the sand dry here.) However, I'd expect some transfer of the run's deep litter into the coop sand when they're flinging it around, and wondered if that would make the sand less effective.
The coop is on a layer of pre-existing concrete, topped by those rubber things that go under pavers, then pavers, and then one of those rubber mats for foot fatigue, covered by 4-5 inches of bedding (chopped straw and hemp). It works great from a management standpoint, but the girls are always scratching down to the mat, so they're not always getting cushioning when they jump from the roost.
I was thinking that sand might stay in place better and thus provide more cushioning. (No worries about keeping the sand dry here.) However, I'd expect some transfer of the run's deep litter into the coop sand when they're flinging it around, and wondered if that would make the sand less effective.