I'm not a farmer-I just play one on TV, so I need help

[PippinTheChicken]

We have a nice coup in our backyard (Looks like a barn...) and a nice fenced-in area for our 4 chickens to roam. Looking for a nice bedding to put on the ground--something efficient and looks good. Was thinking hay, but we live in FL, so get a lot of rain and that seems to rule that out.
Any suggestions? Large pebbles, pine chips, mulch?

I use hemp bedding, its warm, comfortable and absorbent.
it can be in the coop, or scattered on the run

 

[PippinTheChicken]

 

[Pullet Press]

For coop bedding, I use wood shavings or straw, but for the actual run, you could get away with mulch. They'll scratch around in it (and will love to dust bathe in it). It's also pretty cheap.

 

[3KillerBs]

for the actual run, you could get away with mulch

As long as it's not dyed mulch -- because there's no guarantee that the dyes are non-toxic.

Plain coarse wood chips are better, but can be hard to source if you need them in less than dumptruck sized loads (some towns have piles that residents can take them from).

 

[PippinTheChicken]

My hemp is mite and lice repellant. (Hemp-E bedding)
It doesn't have to be changed very often!

 

[aart]

My hemp is mite and lice repellant. (Hemp-E bedding)

This stuff?
Not sure eucalyptus will do all it says it will.

 

[PippinTheChicken]

This stuff?
Not sure eucalyptus will do all it says it will.

That's the stuff, yes, I get it somewhere else but it's the same

 

[PippinTheChicken]

Not sure eucalyptus will do all it says it will.

Well I haven't seen any mites or flies in the bedding so I'm happy

 

[Farmgirl1878]

I’m in waaaaaay-Southern Ohio where it’s always wet. We have natural, washed, coarse grain river sand in the coop and the run. It’s easy to clean with a long handled wok skimmer and is cheap. We buy it by the dump truck load (14 tons) from our local quarry. Every once in a while I throw a 40 pound bag of Sweet PDZ Stall Refresher (from the local feed store) onto the poop deck to get rid of any smell. Everyone who has visited has said that (other than the poop pile), you can’t even smell that I have chickens! Plus, the girls love to dustbathe everywhere and the flockers have never had lice or mites! Since you’re in Florida, it should be pretty easy to get too.

 

[aart]

Well I haven't seen any mites or flies in the bedding so I'm happy

Doesn't mean the smell good stuff is keeping them away.
Make sure you check regularly for bugs.


Bug Check:
Google images of lice/mites and their eggs before the inspection so you'll know what you're looking for.

Part the feathers right down to the skin around vent, head/neck and under wings.

Best done well after dark with a strong flashlight/headlight, easier to 'catch' bird and also to check for the mites that live in structure and only come out at night to feed off roosting birds.

Wipe a white paper towel along the underside of roost to look for red smears(smashed well fed mites).

Good post about mite ID by Lady McCamley:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-chicken-has-mites-now-what.1273674/page-2#post-20483008