Estimating bedding amounts for coop

[U_Stormcrow]

P.S. Would you kindly double-check the edit? I'm prone to make successive errors when this happens and I'm trying to correct.

More accurate than mine. I used .3, not .33 when I glanced. You are all good there.

 

[Poodlemum]

The bag of shavings says how many cubic feet it covers. TSC's Large Flake shavings expand to 8 cubic feet.

8x10 is 80 square feet. To cover it 4 inches deep would require 26.6 cubic feet -- 3 bags. So three bags would make a nice layer to start with.

I recommend Deep Bedding if it suits your management style. One of the advantages is that it requires less bedding over time: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/using-deep-bedding-in-a-small-coop.76343/

(Edited due to the math error so kindly corrected below).

Ooooh, I had no idea it was on the bags! Never thought to even look

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Lots of these questions are super variable right now, we’re pretty new to chickens are finding our preferences. Adjusting flock size to keep favourites and merging brooder batches, finishing coop design…

Just heard about poop boards, I’d like to use them when we finalise perches

Right now there’s 2 older pullets in the main coop area, 9 small pullets in a prefab in the coop, then 8 varied ages in my washroom. 3 outside babies are pending pickup, 1 inside is undecided pending breed

The older girls have access to a small run that’s predator proofed at all time. The babies are released around 7 am and put themselves to bed at nightfall. I’m considering leaving the prefab open soon so they can fully merge into the flock, then the brooder babies can move outside soon. The older girls free range when I’m home during the day

We all struggle at first to find what works best for us.

No one right answer, thousands of wrong ones. Lets us know how we can help, lots of experience here, and many happy to share their opinions. "Observe and adjust" is a practical, pragmatic responsible strategy when reality diverges from theory.

 

[3KillerBs]

Lots of these questions are super variable right now, we’re pretty new to chickens are finding our preferences.

That's the norm -- trying different options and figuring out what works best in your unique situation.

 

[Happy hen lover]

I buy extra baked of shavings and keep extra in metal trash can outside of coop. If you live close start with 3 and add to if needed.

 

[Fields]

what’s the recommended depth for bedding? My coop will be 160 sq ft, and I’ll be using mulch. Thanks!

 

[3KillerBs]

what’s the recommended depth for bedding? My coop will be 160 sq ft, and I’ll be using mulch. Thanks!

I start with 3-4 inches and build it up over time.

 

[Sally PB]

One great thing about the bags of pine shavings from TSC is how compact they are. Until you open them, of course.

I'll be getting another one to put in my coop soon. I like cutting the plastic from around the bale and letting the birds "play" with it and spread it around. After they get done being freaked out by it, of course.

 

[K0k0shka]

Shavings depth is a very difficult thing to calculate, because it varies so much depending on how compressed it is. It's packed tight and very compact in the bag, then you dump it out and fluff it up and it takes several times the volume of the bag. But then it gets walked on and compressed and shrinks again. The chickens will fluff it up some, but the individual flakes will break from being walked on and will lose some of their volume even when fluffed. Plus, they'll stick together when poop glues them down and will refuse to fluff like they used to. So depth will vary.

My coop is 5x7 and the initial bedding takes a bag and a half. That keeps it nice and fluffy for a while, deep enough that they can scratch without uncovering the floor. As it gets pooped on and compressed, I'll periodically throw some more on top from the remaining half of the second bag. I don't have poop boards and clean the coop out twice a year, so the remaining half of the second bag lasts until the next clean-out. The shavings in the bag don't fluff out until you start actually taking them out of the bag, so it won't take up more space once you open the bag. They are compacted really tight in there. I store the remaining half of the second bag in my garage, to grab from and refresh the bedding until the next clean out. So in total I use 4 bags of shavings per year for a 5x7 coop with no poop boards. If you have poop boards, you can stretch the bedding much longer and use a lot less. You'll just need to clean poop more frequently. The decision is just personal preference. The balance that works for me is to throw some clean shavings on top once a month, and only clean the actual poop out twice a year. Daily poop scooping is not for me. My setup has been working out great and I'm very happy with it.

 

[Sally PB]

My setup has been working out great and I'm very happy with it.

If it works, keep doing it. Isn't great to find a system that works with and for you?