We are setting up our first coop which is a lean-to with a dirt floor. Do you have any recommendations for any beneficial "floor dressing" (wood chips, etc.) that will help with waste / odor / whatever? Or is the dirt floor just fine? We have about 100 square feet and are planning on 12 laying hens (no rooster). Thanks. BrU
We have a dirt floor in ours. You can kinda see what we did here.. https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=167161 I plan on doing the deep litter method with pine shavings. The results of that go into my garden for fertilizer. I believe it breaks down faster with a dirt floor. We shall see.. Bluemoon
Well, you'll want bedding on that dirt floor. Pine/softwood shavings (sold in big bales at feedstore for animal bedding) are preferred by many people including me; or there are lots of other things that can be used. As far as how much bedding to put in and how often (and how) to clean, that's seriously a matter of personal style, you'll just have to experiment a bit and see what you can settle on that you're happy with good luck, have fun, Pat
On a recommendation from geareduplyn on this forum, I have been looking at pine pellets (the kind they use for horse stalls). I will now be switching to pine pellets due to better absorbtion and odor control. Geareduplyn also indicated that the pellets are better for impaction avoidance.
