Frozen Coop Bedding

[akf93]

Does frozen bedding in the coop mean it’s too wet? Or is it just inevitable with below freezing temps? Temps and humidity levels are the same inside and outside the coop. I’ve put a bunch of new pine shavings on top.

 

[jreardon1918]

Are you getting rain or snow in the coop? We change out the pine shavings Spring and Fall. This fall the bedding was very dry. We usually have 4-6" of pine shavings in a 4'x8' raised coop. We leave the windows open year round as they are protected from wind blown rain and snow. Pictures would be helpful.

 

[akf93]

It’ll be awhile before I can get pictures. I changed out the bedding in early November. Our coop is also a raised 4x8. I put a good 8” or more in and have sprinkled some fresh on since as needed. No smell. I was just curious! Our highs are in the 20s(F) and much colder air coming in the next few days. No rain or snow getting in. Really, pretty dry weather all season so far. Birds are in the run or free ranging through the day so only in at night to roost.

 

[DickMidnight]

frozen bedding means moisture. it has to be getting wet somehow.

i have nighttime lows in the mid-20s right now and the bedding is soft and dry and fluffy.

 

[akf93]

frozen bedding means moisture. it has to be getting wet somehow.

i have nighttime lows in the mid-20s right now and the bedding is soft and dry and fluffy.

Okay! I’ll work on cleaning some of it out and putting a bunch more bedding in to dry it up the best I can. Probably didn’t have good brown/green ratios.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Older liter will indeed be frozen.

 

[akf93]

Older liter will indeed be frozen.

Despite a good brown/green ratio?

 

[akf93]

PS I do have two ducks in the coop. They aren’t wet by the time they get into the coop but boy, their poop is way wetter than the chickens’.

 

[littlecoopnextdoor]

PS I do have two ducks in the coop. They aren’t wet by the time they get into the coop but boy, their poop is way wetter than the chickens’.

that might be it then

 

[3KillerBs]

I only know about this from reading because of my climate, but it seems that the poop itself will often freeze into the bedding during prolonged spells of below-freezing weather.

When I was collecting information for my Deep Bedding article, people in cold climates said that one of the reasons they liked Deep Bedding was that they could just keep tossing more on top of the frozen poop and not have to try to break it up until spring.