do you have to have a dirt floor to do the DLM??

[redhen]

my coop floor will be linolem...also..do i need to keep shavings on the entire coop floor...i was going to have the deep shavings only on like 1/3 of the floor...with thin shavings on the rest..so we can walk in the coop..but will they be too cold w/out the deep litter in the winter?..Thanks, Wendy

 

[Dilly]

I have the same thing. Lino on the floor. Well shower board. I am going with the shavings about four inches thick. I felt the floor and it stays cool. I just put up a small strip in front of the walk through door so the shavings stay inside. You just need a pair of mucking shoes or boots to slip on when you go inside. I leave mine on a shelf just outside the coop. Fortunately our coop is inside and cycloned so nothing walks off.

I do not see how you will be able to deep litter only a portion of the coop sucessfully. Use a poop bin under your roasts and that will cut back on a majority of mess.

Dilly

 

[redhen]

i was goona use a 12 inch wide board across the coop floor..seperating the coop..? and have the deep stuff on one side.. and the thinner stuff that i will change more often in front..where we will walk..?..or does the whole thing need to be deep..to keep them warm in winter?..thanks, Wendy

 

[Dilly]

I guess it would depend on how large the coop is. Where you live?
How many chickens?

The only reason I need to go inside is to clean. If you need to access it daily, You may want to block off a couple feet for your easy access to feeders, water and eggs if needed.

I have access to all from outside the coop. I also plan on a complete shavings cleanout every two weeks tops. Daily in run and poop bin.

Dilly

 

[simba49450]

hey

i live in michigan, i have a metal shed and in the winter straw is the best thing i found and just keep it bare floor. then i get a burn barrel and burn the used stuff in there and that way there is no mess or piles of nasty straw. my first set of chicken that i had my ex used boards laid on the ground. and to my surprise they were peg board. being that he has has chickens in the past i thought he knew what he was doing, well later that year i found out that my babies were sick all the time and meds didn't work. i took them to the vet and had them put down. i had 16 of them at the time. i started cleaning and ripping up the old floor and found out that they had mold poisioning. then the kicker was the way my ex and his family was about chickens it was no wonder that my babies were ill. bear in mind it was my first time owning chickens, and i didn't know about this site. now i know better.