How much pine shavings to start?

[gritsar]

Can anyone tell me how many cubic feet of pine shavings it would take to start in an 8 x 8 ft. chicken coop? I want to do the DLM. If I understand the method correctly I want to start with about 6 inches of pine shavings? Is there a formula to figure it?

 

[Wildsky]

What flooring do you have?

I have a dirt floor and just threw in a bag full of shavings.... my coop is HUGE it didn't cover the whole floor - but it did pretty good, I don't think it matters much how deep it is if you have dirt.
(my coop is 20X8)

 

[s6bee]

I don't think you need 6". Probably 3-4" to start. I have a small tractor so I can't use that much anyway. To start two bags should be good, maybe 3.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
I am going to search for some remnant linoleum for the floor. Gonna start with an 8 X 8 coop; knowing I'll have to be adding on.

 

[airmom1c05]

The shavings I buy are in a compressed bale at the feed store. They are called Premium Pine Shavings. 2 bags more than covers my coop of similar size about 3 1/2 to 4 inches deep. The chickens scratch it and pile it up deeper in some areas, I smooth it and redistribute it evenly a couple of times a day. I also use a flat shovel to remove larger dried poop into a plastic bucket that is dumped into the compost pile daily. I'll look tomorrow to see what quantity is denoted on the bale packaging. It comes in a plastic bag.

 

[sBrickmanHouse]

Similar to Airmom above, we bought our shavings in a compressed brick from Tractor Supply.

Our chicks are only 3 weeks old, so our shaving use may change, but two bricks covered our 6x8 coop with a good 4 inches, and is doing a great job absorbing droppings. We have a linoleum floor.

 

[airmom1c05]

I wish I had a linoleum floor. Sure would make a total semi-annual cleanup a snap!

 

[gritsar]

Okay thanks y'all. I'm familiar with the bricks (for lack of a better word) of compressed shavings. I actually have one sitting on the porch that I had bought for Billy's house, but decided to use hay in there instead.
Oh, and after much debate, we're going to go ahead and build the coop to it's intended finished size of 10 X12; but I get the general idea. Thanks!

 

[airmom1c05]

Be warned of hay in chicken houses. It has a hazardous mold when damp that causes repiratory problems in chickens which can kill them.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
No, the hay is in Billy's (the goat) house. The pine shavings will go in the coop.