I"m afraid my coop is too dusty and need advice on what to use in my roost and run. Help Please

[keeperofthecoop]

I know there are several post out there about the best bedding, but I'm still confused on what works best. Here's my situation.

I've been raising chickens for 5 months now and have just realized that the coop run and roosting area my be too dusty. Currently I've been using a coconut fiber in their roosting boxes and in there roosting area where they sleep, but it breaks down into fine dust, which I hear is probably not so good for their respiratory system and also get's dust all over the coop walls. I've tried dried pine shavings, but they just seem to get immediately soggy.

Their covered run area is 4' x 20' and has about 10 inches of sand. This area seems okay, I just rake up the poop and sift it out.

Their ouside run area is 20' x 10' with chicken wire on the top (so it is open to the outside elements) is just dirt, which is really dusty. I've been considering adding a deep layer of sand to this area, but am afraid that it is just too much sand, and they wouldn't have anything to give themselves dust baths.

I've read that using a combination or pine shavings and Sweet PDZ is good in the roosting areas. Thoughts?

I also read that some people only rake out the run area once a month! I do it about twice a day.

I added some pics of the coop below.

So what do you all recommend for the roosting area/roosting boxes, and outside run? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[Ridgerunner]

That looks like a really nice set-up, really nice.

You’ll find that we do all kinds of different things. We keep chickens in so many different climates, for so many different goals, use different management techniques, have different flock make-ups, rural versus suburban, and many other differences so there is no one right answer for all of us. It’s more that we have to find what is right for us. To make it even harder to decide what to do a lot of different things work. It’s as if you have too many options.

Chickens make a lot of dust. They shed a lot of dander and such, but they also scratch a lot. Scratching in anything dry will create a lot of dust. If you have chickens you will have dust. I would not be overly concerned about their area being dusty. We all deal with that.

I’m not sure what you mean by roosting boxes? Do you mean they are sleeping in the nests? Roosts are normally poles or lumber raised above everything else for them to sleep on. Chickens tend to sleep on the highest thing available so these roosts need to be higher than anywhere you do not want them sleeping. This does not always work but it is where you should start.

Not knowing what your roost area looks like makes it kind of hard to talk about bedding in that area. There are so many different ways you can go there it is hard to get specific. Chickens poop a lot at night and since they don’t move around it gets concentrated. Many of us use some version of a droppings board to collect that poop and get it out of the coop, thus reducing the poop load in the coop. My droppings board is just a sheet of plywood, actually the top of my built-in brooder, with nothing added. I scrape the poop off as required which is usually not that often but varies depending on how many chickens I have and how damp or dry the weather is. Others build trays or use bins and may or may not add bedding, PDZ, or even sand in it. Some clean daily, some like me not very often. We are all unique.

I’m not sure why the pine shavings get soggy but the coconut fiber does not. A coop should be dry both to keep it from stinking and a dry coop is healthier than a wet coop. Where is the water coming from, maybe a leaking waterer? It’s possible the fiber is drying out faster than the shavings but you probably should address the source of the water.

They will take a dust bath in sand. It doesn’t have to be dirt. Don’t concern yourself about that. If the dirt area is staying dry though you probably do not need to do anything.

Some people with fairly small runs will rake their runs and clean up poop on a daily basis. If the chicken density is fairly high the poop can build up and when it gets wet it can stink. I don’t know how many chickens you have but your area is fairly large compared to many people but that is related to how many chickens you have. The heavier the poop load in an area the more often you need to manage the poop. Climate and how dry you keep the run has a lot to do with that too.

I never rake my run but I have a larger run than yours plus they have a 40’ x 90’ area they range in. My chicken density is low enough poop load is not a problem. Some people clean out their coop bedding on a weekly basis. These are generally small coops in suburbia with few chickens but also small coops. My coop is pretty big so my chicken density isn’t that great plus I use a droppings board to greatly reduce the poop load in the coop. I keep it dry. I never have to change my bedding but will every three or four years just to get that stuff on my garden.

When you read on here how often someone does something that doesn’t really mean a lot unless you know what their situation is. It may be a set-up totally different from yours so what they do has little meaning for you. That’s another thing that makes it hard on here. There is so much variety that there is no one right way for everyone. We are all unique. You have to try to find something that applies to your situation.

Good luck!

 

[rides2far]

I have dirt in my run. I feed the pullets hay. I take it up 1X per week. The coop has a cement floor. I put down pine flakes, not shavings & PDZ. The flakes are not nearly as dusty as shavings. I clean the coop about every 3 months or so. Works for me.

 

[allpeepedout]

Agree, what a beautiful setup.

Why do shavings get soggy when it sounds like you are in a dry climate . . . how many chickens / space? Do you freshen bedding regularly / start with several inches? Have good ventilation in coop?

My covered run is clay / dirt in a wet climate and I use no bedding. I give them sufficient hay, weeds, grass, other fodder that residue is partial bedding. It stays very dry, no odor, hardly requires any cleaning.

Sand is extremely dusty. Despite its fans, there are critics including one chicken vet.

http://www.fresheggsdaily.com/2013/07/the-real-scoop-on-using-sand-in-your.html

I'd put a new base in the run -- clay or compacted packed gravel, topped by compacted stone dust, then build up an organic layer on that. Or even use pavers, topped with organic bedding.

 

[rides2far]

Have you thought of spraying down the dirt in the run to reduce dust? We had to put in misters because of the heat & they keep the dirt damp. It dries out by the am. Try the flakes in the coop. Very little dust.