Floor bedding for chicken coop.

[kubaduba1]

What's the best floor material I can dump in my chicken coop ? They have perchs and using TC shavings for the brooding box. I'm looking for something I can use on the ground in the coop.
Thanks !

 

[aart]

The best is what's easiest for you to do the job.
Much can depend on the size and layout of your coop, how many birds, etc.


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.
- Large flake pine shavings on coop floor, add some occasionally, totally changed out once or twice a year, old shavings added to run.
- My runs have semi-deep litter(cold composting), never clean anything out, just add smaller dry materials on occasion, add larger wood chippings as needed.
Aged ramial wood chippings are best IMO.
-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 9 years.

 

[kubaduba1]

The best is what's easiest for you to do the job.
Much can depend on the size and layout of your coop, how many birds, etc.


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.
- Large flake pine shavings on coop floor, add some occasionally, totally changed out once or twice a year, old shavings added to run.
- My runs have semi-deep litter(cold composting), never clean anything out, just add smaller dry materials on occasion, add larger wood chippings as needed.
Aged ramial wood chippings are best IMO.
-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 9 years.

Thanks !

 

[carlaashdown]

What's the best floor material I can dump in my chicken coop ? They have perchs and using TC shavings for the brooding box. I'm looking for something I can use on the ground in the coop.
Thanks !

I use pine flakes (larger size, not fine) in the bottom of the coops/houses. I add stall dry and First Saturday Lime to the floor, then add the flakes and top with pdz. I leave large piles and let the chickens spread it out. Chickens hate seeing piles lol it's an invitation to scratch and disperse. They do a great job, and it saves my back and joints. About once a month, I take a rake and stir the shavings in the coops to mix it up - helps keep it dry and low odor - and add more pdz and stall dry if needed. I have a shelf under the roosts and use stall dry and pdz on there. I scoop poop from there daily and scrape any off the roosts and ramp. I have nesting pads in a couple nest boxes and shavings in the others.

Our natural dirt outside is sand. So, the runs are natural. I do a total clean out twice a year. In the fall, I just rake everything from the coop into the runs. It helps keep things dry and warmer (with the natural composting occurring). In the spring/early summer clean out, I put the dirty shavings in a huge plastic barrel and then into a big compost bin/pile. I don't rake into the run then because they use the sandy runs for dustbathing. I am in a hot, humid, coastal area, so they enjoy the cool sand in the summer. I also go out and rake any leftover winter shavings out of the runs also for the same reason.

 

[PetalandHens]

I use pine flakes (larger size, not fine) in the bottom of the coops/houses. I add stall dry and First Saturday Lime to the floor, then add the flakes and top with pdz. I leave large piles and let the chickens spread it out. Chickens hate seeing piles lol it's an invitation to scratch and disperse. They do a great job, and it saves my back and joints. About once a month, I take a rake and stir the shavings in the coops to mix it up - helps keep it dry and low odor - and add more pdz and stall dry if needed. I have a shelf under the roosts and use stall dry and pdz on there. I scoop poop from there daily and scrape any off the roosts and ramp. I have nesting pads in a couple nest boxes and shavings in the others.

Our natural dirt outside is sand. So, the runs are natural. I do a total clean out twice a year. In the fall, I just rake everything from the coop into the runs. It helps keep things dry and warmer (with the natural composting occurring). In the spring/early summer clean out, I put the dirty shavings in a huge plastic barrel and then into a big compost bin/pile. I don't rake into the run then because they use the sandy runs for dustbathing. I am in a hot, humid, coastal area, so they enjoy the cool sand in the summer. I also go out and rake any leftover winter shavings out of the runs also for the same reason.

@carlaashdown sounds like a great system. What is your coop floor material and do you have a liner material as well?

 

[carlaashdown]

@carlaashdown sounds like a great system. What is your coop floor material and do you have a liner material as well?

We converted sheds to coops, so they have a wood floor that are covered with sheet linoleum.

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC.

Here's my article on Deep Bedding, which works with any dry organic material that you can readily obtain at a reasonable price. Using Deep Bedding in a Small Coop

I personally like a mix of materials because I find that amplifies the good qualities while minimizing the bad qualities of the various components.