Inexpensive coop litter options

[LynnTXchickenmom]

Newbie here!
My son designed our coop with one wall that opens so we can sweep out the bedding easily into a wheelbarrow and cart to the compost heap. We were planning to put 3 in. of litter down in our 5 ft. x 8 ft. coop and sweep it out once a week. That could prove expensive though: It costs $12 for 10 cu. ft. bag of pine shavings at our local feed store, so that's $48/month in litter if we really need to discard it every week. (TSC is comparable, but I have to drive 30 min. to the nearest location. The local feed store does not sell chopped straw; I'd have to drive to TSC to buy that.) I looked up other options and read online about people using shredded paper, hardwood chips obtained from a tree service, or shredded leaves. (We have lots of leaves year-round from two huge live oaks in our front yard.) Thoughts on any of these? Sand won't work with the current design of the coop, though we could redo that some if sand is the best option. Or am I overestimating how often we will need to change the litter? $12 every 3-4 weeks is a lot better than every week!
--Deep litter method: I have read about it, but as is our coop is not designed for it. We could modify the coop so that 12 in. of bedding could be held in it. I'm worried it would be way too hot in N. TX where we live. Our temps can be over 90 three seasons of the year and up to 110 in the summer.
--Sand is cooler--Anyone use it on the wood floor of a coop raised off the ground?
Thanks, everyone.

 

[nuthatched]

I use compacted bales of straw, $14, one third covers my 8x8 coop floor. I clean out maybe every other month, if Even that.

 

[Hanathehappyhen]

You don’t need to swap out the bedding every week. If you clean up the poop daily (ish) the bedding should last you around a month, maybe longer, depending on the size of your flock.
I like straw. (Not chopped, regular bales spread around the coop floor) I know a lot of people prefer other substrates, but I’ve never had any problems with mites, mold, or respiratory problems. I would experiment with different beddings and see what works for you!

 

[rosemarythyme]

For the coop, I primarily use wood chips, which is free. I do pay for is hemp under the roosts, for easier sifting/clean up. I'd try any free options first, and see how they do in your set up.

A 5x8 coop shouldn't need full weekly cleanouts unless you have a lot of birds in there. I spot clean under the roosts to extend bedding life, and find that 1-2x a year cleanout is sufficient for me (6x10 coop, 10 birds).

 

[raingarden]

You don't need shredded leaves, just whole leaves. Most oak have small leaves anyway. A couple of trash bags of loose leaves will be plenty.

If they are kept dry, leaves take a long time to break down or get matted. Just look at your yard, lol

Scooping poop is not very efficient with anything except sand. With leaves or another loose bedding the birds will likely bury it by scratching before you come around to pick it up.

How often you change the bedding may depend as much on your filth tolerance as what is acceptable for the chickens. I am good at just ignoring it as long as there are no bare spots, it doesn't stink, and the birds do not have stuff stuck on their feet.

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC.

Here is my article on Deep Bedding: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/using-deep-bedding-in-a-small-coop.76343/

--Deep litter method: I have read about it, but as is our coop is not designed for it. We could modify the coop so that 12 in. of bedding could be held in it. I'm worried it would be way too hot in N. TX where we live. Our temps can be over 90 three seasons of the year and up to 110 in the summer.

It's very unlikely that you would achieve hot-composting deep litter in a small coop anyway. Even in my 16x16 dirt-floored coop its cold composting only.

Deep Bedding -- where your bedding stays dry -- is just as cool as if it were changed frequently.

The secret to keeping chickens cool in a hot climate is massive ventilation: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/repecka-illustrates-coop-ventilation.77659/

Here is my Hot Climate article: Hot Climate Chicken Housing and Care

 

[Percheron chick]

Stripping the coop every week will do nothing but make a compost pile of nothing more than solid shavings. It will take years to decompose fully. Most of us will clean under the roost only as that is where 99% of the poop accumulates. Most daytime poop is outside in the run. Personally, I strip my coop no more than twice a year. Once when I put the garden to bed in the fall and in the spring to jump start the compost piles.
Cheep and free bedding material is the only way to go. Leaves, dried lawn clippings, shredded paper, pine needles or wood chips. Sign up for chip drop if you are close to town and have tree services. Some counties and trash services who have Christmas tree and limb drop offs often give it away for free too.

 

[The head hen]

Newbie here!
My son designed our coop with one wall that opens so we can sweep out the bedding easily into a wheelbarrow and cart to the compost heap. We were planning to put 3 in. of litter down in our 5 ft. x 8 ft. coop and sweep it out once a week. That could prove expensive though: It costs $12 for 10 cu. ft. bag of pine shavings at our local feed store, so that's $48/month in litter if we really need to discard it every week. (TSC is comparable, but I have to drive 30 min. to the nearest location. The local feed store does not sell chopped straw; I'd have to drive to TSC to buy that.) I looked up other options and read online about people using shredded paper, hardwood chips obtained from a tree service, or shredded leaves. (We have lots of leaves year-round from two huge live oaks in our front yard.) Thoughts on any of these? Sand won't work with the current design of the coop, though we could redo that some if sand is the best option. Or am I overestimating how often we will need to change the litter? $12 every 3-4 weeks is a lot better than every week!
--Deep litter method: I have read about it, but as is our coop is not designed for it. We could modify the coop so that 12 in. of bedding could be held in it. I'm worried it would be way too hot in N. TX where we live. Our temps can be over 90 three seasons of the year and up to 110 in the summer.
--Sand is cooler--Anyone use it on the wood floor of a coop raised off the ground?
Thanks, everyone.

I am in central Indiana. Same summer Temps with humidity to melt concrete! As long as the hens have plenty of room to spread out on roosts, and plenty of ventilation from openings/windows, the deepnlayer does not make the coop hot. You may not need as much, and don't use straw as that does hold heat.

 

[TooCheep]

You don't need shredded leaves, just whole leaves. Most oak have small leaves anyway. A couple of trash bags of loose leaves will be plenty.

Mostly agree. Whole leaves are best. The chickens will scratch and break them down for you. Add more leaves when they are largely broken down. I use about twice that many leaves.

In the spring, you will have a great broken down mix of organic matter that works very well in your garden.

 

[MSWingate]

Hello Lynn, I use sand here in Western MA. I have a wood floor that I covered with Blackjack 57 found at most hardware stores. I have about 3 inches of sand (plain ole construction sand) on the main floor. I use poop boards under my roost, with a thin layer of sand and use a kitty litter shovel to pick it every day or two. I have an extended kitty litter shovel for the main floor, but the girls are very good about not messing in the coop. I use a small bucket and toss it in the pile. No wheelbarrows needed here. ( I have 8 chickens). I do spread some PDZ. But my coop remains dry, clean and fresh.