Kitty Litter Question....

[analyticalblonde]

I have a kitty litter basin under my girls' roost and have been using PDZ Coop Refresher in with pine shavings however, it is REALLY difficult to clean up their poop. It takes such a LONG time to scoop out the poop because it gets stuck to the pine shavings and is a lumpy mess.

I have thought about sand but also kitty litter (unscented) because it can be easily scooped.

Will putting kitty litter in their kitty litter basin be harmful to them?

 

[MrFluffyandGirls]

Contractor sand would be ok but not kitty litter. Kitty litter might have chemical they might consume out of curiosity. You can just let it drop on the board and dry the scrape it off to throw in compost or trash.

 

[K0k0shka]

Kitty litter gets very dusty, no matter how much they advertise their super fancy new dust-free formulas. May not be good for the chickens to be inhaling that. How big is your coop? I'm really happy with my no-scoop, no-clean system. It's been working really well. I just cleaned my coop for the first time in 5 months. I don't have a poop board of any kind, and don't do any cleaning besides the big twice-a-year deep cleans. I have a very thick layer of pine shavings, with PDZ sprinkled throughout, and that's that. It stays dry, the chickens mix it around, and it takes months for it to start looking poopy. And even then, it doesn't smell. The most I'll do is stir it around every few weeks, or sprinkle new shavings on top (I did that once). I'm very happy with it.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I have a kitty litter basin under my girls' roost and have been using PDZ Coop Refresher in with pine shavings however, it is REALLY difficult to clean up their poop. It takes such a LONG time to scoop out the poop because it gets stuck to the pine shavings and is a lumpy mess.

I have thought about sand but also kitty litter (unscented) because it can be easily scooped.

Will putting kitty litter in their kitty litter basin be harmful to them?

Don't use kitty litter.. Or at least I wouldn't and I do for my cats. Depending on which type you use it could be harmful if ingested.

Sand stinks, doesn't dry out, or compost well, and heavy as heck in my experience and location.

I would ditch the shaving and use only PDZ,.. or ditch both shaving and PDZ save some $ and just dump the droppings regularly out of the pan into wherever you send them.. or consider using rice hulls, I love them and they're about $12 for 50# bag at one of my local feed stores that uses them in their chick bins.. Yours may be able to order cheaper than amazon if they don't carry it but posting links so you know what I'm describing..
https://www.amazon.com/Natures-Seed-S-RICE-50-LOB-Rice-Hulls/dp/B01DO2X336

https://www.7springsfarm.com/rice-hulls-soil-amendment-50-lb-bag/

Dust amount is on par with shavings and they don't smell nice and piney but they grab and coat poops fantastically.

Other things that might be of interest could be wood stove pellets which are also sold as equine or rabbit bedding sometimes.. Those are just saw dust once they get wet. I have used them for chicks (also seen at another feed store) and it worked okay but is not my preferred choice.

Hope this helps with some ideas.

 

[analyticalblonde]

Kitty litter gets very dusty, no matter how much they advertise their super fancy new dust-free formulas. May not be good for the chickens to be inhaling that. How big is your coop? I'm really happy with my no-scoop, no-clean system. It's been working really well. I just cleaned my coop for the first time in 5 months. I don't have a poop board of any kind, and don't do any cleaning besides the big twice-a-year deep cleans. I have a very thick layer of pine shavings, with PDZ sprinkled throughout, and that's that. It stays dry, the chickens mix it around, and it takes months for it to start looking poopy. And even then, it doesn't smell. The most I'll do is stir it around every few weeks, or sprinkle new shavings on top (I did that once). I'm very happy with it.

We have a pretty good-sized coop...I've attached some pictures. The roost pan is about 3 feet wide and 6 feet long...After reading the replies...I will be converting to rice hulls with PDZ...sounds like a great way to take care of the mess

 

[Jeanw]

Hi, I place cheap boot trays under the roosts. When it gets messy pull them out and rinse with hose, or knock off poop with a dust pan when it’s freezing cold out and u don’t want to run the hose lol. I don’t need any odor control, but I only have 3 babies poop to deal with.

 

[analyticalblonde]

Don't use kitty litter.. Or at least I wouldn't and I do for my cats. Depending on which type you use it could be harmful if ingested.

Sand stinks, doesn't dry out, or compost well, and heavy as heck in my experience and location.

I would ditch the shaving and use only PDZ,.. or ditch both shaving and PDZ save some $ and just dump the droppings regularly out of the pan into wherever you send them.. or consider using rice hulls, I love them and they're about $12 for 50# bag at one of my local feed stores that uses them in their chick bins.. Yours may be able to order cheaper than amazon if they don't carry it but posting links so you know what I'm describing..
https://www.amazon.com/Natures-Seed-S-RICE-50-LOB-Rice-Hulls/dp/B01DO2X336

https://www.7springsfarm.com/rice-hulls-soil-amendment-50-lb-bag/

Dust amount is on par with shavings and they smell nice and piney but they grab and coat poops fantastically.

Other things that might be of interest could be wood stove pellets which are also sold as equine or rabbit bedding sometimes.. Those are just saw dust once they get wet. I have used them for chicks (also seen at another feed store) and it worked okay but is not my preferred choice.

Hope this helps with some ideas.

I looked at the link to amazon and for a 50# bag, it was $60 plus $29.95 shipping...I also tried to look at my local feed stores (C-A-L Ranch and Tractor Supply) and they didn't carry it. I opted for the 25# bag with only $6.95 shipping. Should be here next week...thank you for this suggestion!!!!

 

[drinkoj]

Loose the pine shavings and just use the Sweet PDZ in the cat litter boxes. Problem solved, as there will not be a smell from the boxes.

 

[aart]

No, I would not use any kind of kitty litter anywhere in a chicken coop.

I use a thin(<1/4") layer of PDZ on my roost boards, sifting the entire volume daily(takes 10 minutes).


Here's some posts about it, they're kind of old, but changes are noted.
...and the threads these posts are in has a ton of examples of poop boards.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...s-poop-pictures.621363/page-111#post-13179595
Updates:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...s-poop-pictures.621363/page-178#post-18966048

https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/1/...ch-x-9-inch-mesh-drawer-organizer-silver.html

 

[DragonGirls]

I agree with using only the sweet PDZ in the trays, it does not need to be mixed with shavings or anything else and you really only need a thinnish layer so a bag will last a good amount of time.
So quick and easy to scoop!