Drainage and cleaning...

[aart]

If predators are a concern, a welded wire or hardware cloth apron outside the coop is a better option. Runs shouldn't be hosed out (the one exception might be a concrete floor) because moisture + poop = smell and increased bacterial growth.

Ditto Dat^^^

Would it be ok to mix food grade DE into the sand???

Don't bother wit DE.
You'd be better off mixing in Sweet PDZ(the mineral zeolite found in the horse aisle of farm stores) to help control odor.

What you use for run bedding may depend on your climate.
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, (laptop version shown), then it's always there!

 

[Trevorusn]

Ditto Dat^^^

Don't bother wit DE.
You'd be better off mixing in Sweet PDZ(the mineral zeolite found in the horse aisle of farm stores) to help control odor.

What you use for run bedding may depend on your climate.
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, (laptop version shown), then it's always there!
View attachment 1815716

NH, where weather can be rather erratic at times. And I just got 2 small bags of DE today lol, what drawbacks are there with DE compared to PDZ? And for run bedding I was planning on river sand.

 

[trumpeting_angel]

NH, where weather can be rather erratic at times. And I just got 2 small bags of DE today lol, what drawbacks are there with DE compared to PDZ? And for run bedding I was planning on river sand.

DE is problematic. It is very fine, dusty, and is an irritant to chicken (and human) respiratory systems.

Some folks swear by it for pest control. Last year I lined our porch and kitchen with it, and the ants marched through without any attrition. I think I’ll mix the leftovers into garden soil where it may not do any good but won’t do any harm.

 

[Trevorusn]

DE is problematic. It is very fine, dusty, and is an irritant to chicken (and human) respiratory systems.

Some folks swear by it for pest control. Last year I lined our porch and kitchen with it, and the ants marched through without any attrition. I think I’ll mix the leftovers into garden soil where it may not do any good but won’t do any harm.

I have read that, and it seems using small amounts is the idea some folks have used and sworn by. Right now I am quite open to anything, and I have also read that if not for run use it still seems good for dustbath use.

 

[trumpeting_angel]

I have read that, and it seems using small amounts is the idea some folks have used and sworn by. Right now I am quite open to anything, and I have also read that if not for run use it still seems good for dustbath use.

I’m sure it looks good for But that’s the activity that stirs up clouds of DE (probably) more than anything else you do with it. The dust flies everywhere when my girls get going.

 

[PirateGirl]

I guess my question with your method is where is this poop water going when you hose out the coop? If the dropping stay in the coop with some sort of organic material (straw, pine shavings, dirt) the chickens will scratch at it and help break it down/compost.

 

[EggWalrus]

Any kind of sand is great. Water drains out of it quickly, dries quickly, easy to muck the droppings out of it like with cat litter. It's always best to keep the floor dry, but if it does get soaked, it doesn't turn into slippery poop mud.

 

[Trevorusn]

I guess my question with your method is where is this poop water going when you hose out the coop? If the dropping stay in the coop with some sort of organic material (straw, pine shavings, dirt) the chickens will scratch at it and help break it down/compost.

I squeegee it out and it dries fairly quickly. I always thought it harmful to leave it all in there, but glad to know if combined with sand it won't become a biohazard to the chicks. I was originally going to put a layer of dirt over the boards but thoughr that might encourage dampness and be difficult to clean out.

 

[Trevorusn]

I’m sure it looks good for But that’s the activity that stirs up clouds of DE (probably) more than anything else you do with it. The dust flies everywhere when my girls get going.

Good to know, I guess I'm still at the experimenting stage so this info helps greatly.

 

[aart]

I have read that, and it seems using small amounts is the idea some folks have used and sworn by.

Yeah, well. Most of that is hogwash.

NH, where weather can be rather erratic at times. And I just got 2 small bags of DE today lol, what drawbacks are there with DE compared to PDZ? And for run bedding I was planning on river sand.

PDZ absorbs ammonia, DE just does nothing much in most situations.
I would not recommend sand in your climate, it'll freeze solid in the winter.

I squeegee it out and it dries fairly quickly. I always thought it harmful to leave it all in there, but glad to know if combined with sand it won't become a biohazard to the chicks.

Any moisture will 'feed' organisms, water is life, and in some places you want to keep things as dry as possible to keep the bad bugs from proliferating. Even if you squeegee, that wood and the ground under it will stay damp. Not good for chickens, and their 'odors'. Wet poops stink.

You'll need to think about the long term 'big picture', for now and over winter.
Those prefab 'dollhouse' coops can be very hard to maintain in a harsh climate.
Is there a larger run than what is under the coop/run combo shown?


What kind of bedding you use may depend on how you manage the manure.
This is about cleaning, but covers my big picture

-I use poop boards under roosts with thin(<1/2") layer of sand/PDZ mix, sifted daily(takes 5-10mins) into bucket going to friends compost.

-Scrape big or wet poops off roost and ramps as needed.

-Pine shavings on coop floor, add some occasionally, totally changed out once or twice a year, old shavings added to run.

-Runs have semi-deep litter, never clean anything out, just add smaller dry materials on occasion, add larger wood chippings as needed.

-Nests are bedded with straw, add some occasionally, change out if needed(broken egg).

There is no odor, unless a fresh cecal has been dropped and when I open the bucket to add more poop.

That's how I keep it 'clean', have not found any reason to clean 'deeper' in 5 years.