How much bedding do you need?

[dirkandlorie]

No need to get nasty. (TidePod nonsense, etc). It’s clear you’re not going to look at what I suggested. You made your mind up, and that’s okay.
But I’m certain CDC & the like are not necessarily where you should get your info from, given the last few years.
100% people, do your own research & think for yourself. I agree with you there. I’ll leave it at that.

Good night all!

Lol! Rofl! Intended or not that was good! All good comedy has some truth in it, doesn't it

 

[TXKukupantsKoop]

I am an obsessive coup cleaner. What I do to cut down on the amount of bedding I use is spreading towels (chicken coup only towels) over the bedding before the chickens go to roost in the evening. I pick up these towels in the morning after everyone is out and put the poop in the compost pile and bring the towels in and put in a chicken towel only basket and do a load of laundry every couple of days to clean for reuse. My coup stays perfectly clean and I only have to worry about an occasional poop from a gal going in to lay or if broody momma takes her brood inside to get out of the wind.

Once every couple of weeks, I clean the bedding out, put it in the compost pile, clean the coop floor and roosts with vinegar/water solution. No problems with bugs to date and the ammonia does not have a chance to build up b/c no waste to degrade.

Have fun with your chickens!

Sounds like me!

 

[TXKukupantsKoop]

I am an obsessive coup cleaner. What I do to cut down on the amount of bedding I use is spreading towels (chicken coup only towels) over the bedding before the chickens go to roost in the evening. I pick up these towels in the morning after everyone is out and put the poop in the compost pile and bring the towels in and put in a chicken towel only basket and do a load of laundry every couple of days to clean for reuse. My coup stays perfectly clean and I only have to worry about an occasional poop from a gal going in to lay or if broody momma takes her brood inside to get out of the wind.

Once every couple of weeks, I clean the bedding out, put it in the compost pile, clean the coop floor and roosts with vinegar/water solution. No problems with bugs to date and the ammonia does not have a chance to build up b/c no waste to degrade.

Have fun with your chickens!

My coop is 12x16 with a loft so it's BIG! I have an L-shaped roost so they only go on that at night. I put on my headlamp, mask, and disposable gloves and pick up the poop off the top of the bedding every morning. Takes 10 minutes tops. The ladies go in the coop just for egg laying and leave no poop during the day in there. I have about 8-10 inches of the pine shaving bedding. Makes it very cushy for them when they fly off the roost. No smell whatsoever in my coop/runs. I use a dog pooper scooper a couple times a day for the outdoor runs. I love my ladies...they're so spoiled. Lol!

 

[CrystalAnon]

Lol! Rofl! Intended or not that was good! All good comedy has some truth in it, doesn't it

I’m not sure which comment you’re laughing at.
So I’ll just laugh with you, regardless.

 

[Lilbitsnpieces]

Im in Nebraska, Sand bedding is too damp ALL THE TIME. ESP. in winter. All my coops are 8x6 or bigger and they free range the acreage. I use Deep litter..most of my coops are rock, then hardware cloth, then 6-12 inches of dirt. I lay pine needles, covered with dry leaves. As that break down, I add dried grass, then more leaves. These things are all free and readily available. I've even been known to hi-jack neighborhoods for there bags of leaves! It's a standing joke..and people will text me pictures of # leafporn! With addresses ! I clean out before cold temps starts..In winter as it starts to compost I first add shredded paper..it absorbs A lot of the moisture. Then, I turn it and layer everything through out the cold months. It's often -10 to -20 here and I've never had issues. My coop is cozy and I only clean twice a year. When I Clean in spring, most of the bedding is already composted so it can go right in the garden.

 

[CrystalAnon]

Im in Nebraska, Sand bedding is too damp ALL THE TIME. ESP. in winter. All my coops are 8x6 or bigger and they free range the acreage. I use Deep litter..most of my coops are rock, then hardware cloth, then 6-12 inches of dirt. I lay pine needles, covered with dry leaves. As that break down, I add dried grass, then more leaves. These things are all free and readily available. I've even been known to hi-jack neighborhoods for there bags of leaves! It's a standing joke..and people will text me pictures of # leafporn! With addresses ! I clean out before cold temps starts..In winter as it starts to compost I first add shredded paper..it absorbs A lot of the moisture. Then, I turn it and layer everything through out the cold months. It's often -10 to -20 here and I've never had issues. My coop is cozy and I only clean twice a year. When I Clean in spring, most of the bedding is already composted so it can go right in the garden.

You got your system down!!
Nice

 

[bunsmac]

RentACoop's description says 1 bag (33 pounds) can cover an 8'x6' coop with 1.5 inches of bedding (approximately 50 square feet) which sounds about right. Let's assume you double the thickness of bedding to around 3" - that'll use up 66 lbs in first application, leaving you with 22 lbs for refreshing. That should last a year I think. I only do a full clean out once a year but refresh the hemp portion of the coop 3-4x a year as some does stick to poop even when I sift it out.

I put 2 bales of cedar in the fabricated steel shed.Rain proof and keeps em warm.works great for my 7 girls who are now 5 years old. I have 2 dog house and I have cedar in there where they lay their eggs.They roost on top of it.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I put 2 bales of cedar in the fabricated steel shed.Rain proof and keeps em warm.works great for my 7 girls who are now 5 years old. I have 2 dog house and I have cedar in there where they lay their eggs.They roost on top of it.

(copy pasting from another thread since you also mentioned cedar there)

Cedar is a respiratory irritant and generally is not recommended for use around chickens or rodent. Do you know what type of cedar you have? Unlike most folks on here I do use some Western red cedar chips in my coop and run, and have had no issue with it, but I have ample ventilation in the coop and my chips have been aged to the point where it's odorless (which means it has lost the repellent qualities).

 

[Chinachik]

You mentioned shredded newspaper , im not sure how your local newspaper does but our newspaper gives away the end rolls, no ink on them and we use our paper shredder. I use pine shavings and a mix in the laying boxes of shredded paper n shavings. I’m not real pleased with pine shavings. Can any of the natural cat litters work?

Aspen shavings are good. You can also put them in your mulch pile without have to worry about it being to acidic

 

[Chinachik]

Bleach gives me a headache. I can’t imagine what it does to my animals. It is a good disinfectant but use it very diluted