Do I need bedding for a dirt floor coop in winter???

[mommyofthree]

My chickens and ducks share a large coop which was an addition put on the back of the barn. It's a solid dirt floor which is really packed down, and due to the size I don't use bedding or litter on the floor I just shovel it out as needed. But I'm worried about my ducks with winter approaching. I'm sure the dirt floor will be very cold and I want them to be comfortable, should I put bedding or something in one section for them?? What would be best, and do ducks easily get frostbite on their feet?? I hate to even think of leaving them all outside in the cold winter months. Maybe I should just look into getting a furnace put in the coop. lol

 

[Beekissed]

Some nice and deep pine bedding would work wonders toward keeping it nice and cozy and absorbing all that moist duck poo that will be deposited inside all winter.

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

I would put a deep bed a straw or shavings in for them to snuggle in. Ducks are prone to frost bitten feet.

 

[dumb_cluck]

Definately! You need to provide them with"deep litter" to give them insulation from the soon to be frozen ground.

I start about now with straw and add a little each week as needed and let it accumulate through the winter. If it gets too messy, I'll scoop up some and replace with clean straw.

In the spring, I start removing layers until it's all been cleaned out. BTW, my ducks and chickens always have some straw bedding even during the summer.......

 

[duckyfromoz]

Keeping some form of bedding in there could actually make it easier to keep it cleaner. I have a layer of shavings topped with some straw hay. I find that I can just roll off the top layer of hay which removes most of the poop - and then add some more shavings before spreading more hay. I clean out the whole thing whenever the shaving are soiled beyond just adding more to the mix. With up to 20 ducks in there at times I wanted to make it as easy as I could for myself.

 

[K4zn4v3]

Quote:
I have been using straw in the coop for 2 years and this is the year I stop. There is two ways to handle cleaning out the coop when using straw. You can Clean it out everyday, or you can just keep adding more straw for a couple of weeks. Both options are a huge pain in the butt. So this year I will be switching to wood shavings. Nice and light and easy to dispose of.

 

[gofasterstripe]

Sorry to hijack the thread, but my ducks are in an old house on our property, let out to free range during the day and put in the back room at night time. The floor of the house is ab out 3 feet off the ground, then I have rubber mats in there and a small amount of shavings just to catch the mess they make. Will I have to do deeper shavings with them being so far off the ground or will they be o as they are. We live in SC do it doesnt get as cold as some people out there. Our clodest months can be Jan to March with a few days of freezing and maybe a day or 2 of snow.

 

[gofasterstripe]

Quote:
LMAO Edited to fix all my typos

 

[mommyofthreewithchicks]

I am putting litter in my coop- I think it keeps them a bit more comfortable. In the summer when they were on dirt floor I only did one area of litter for bedding. I have since moved them onto a concrete floor and think they need a bit of softness over the concrete.

 

[mommyofthree]

Thanks for the suggestions!! I do keep some straw in a corner for them now, but I want to cover the whole floor since it's going to be cold. Can I use sawdust or do I need shavings?? Straw is to messy and I have to clean it out too often so I would rather go with something more absorbent. We know some carpenters who can get us free sawdust but I don't know if that's too fine and they might eat it..??