Mulch/Hemp flooring question…

[Fields]

Hello! I am still in the planning phase and wondering how many of you use mulch or hemp bedding as flooring in your coop? My coop is going to be 10’x16’, and my Bielefelders will free range 1/4-1/2 acre during the day.

If you do use either mulch or hemp, is there a better brand you recommend? Thanks!

 

[RooStar Chicken Gang]

I use to just use grass for there bedding, use to go around bagging up grass just from the yard. Now I use sugar cane mulch... Not because I prefer it, but just because someone else has getting it.. so yeah. Chickens seem to like it but they don't complain about good ol grass either.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I actually use both. My "mulch" is wood chips off my own property, so no brand. Hemp I purchased off Amazon but as I'm on my first bale of it, I can't compare brands or anything.

I use the hemp exclusively under the roost, as it makes it easy to sift poop which then goes into my compost bin. The rest of the coop is wood chips (mainly because it's free for me), and as it barely gets soiled since the girls really don't spend much time in the coop during the day, I'm aiming for a yearly clean out.

 

[aart]

What kind of bedding you use may depend on how you manage the manure.
This is about cleaning, but covers my big picture

-I use poop boards under roosts with thin(<1/2") layer of sand/PDZ mix, sifted daily(takes 5-10mins) into bucket going to friends compost.
-Scrape big or wet poops off roost and ramps as needed.
-Pine shavings on coop floor, add some occasionally, totally changed out once or twice a year, old shavings added to run.
- My runs have semi-deep litter(cold composting), never clean anything out, just add smaller dry materials on occasion, add larger wood chippings as needed.
Aged ramial wood chippings are best IMO.
-Nests are bedded with straw, add some occasionally, change out if needed(broken egg).
There is no odor, unless a fresh cecal has been dropped and when I open the bucket to add more poop.

That's how I keep it 'clean', have not found any reason to clean 'deeper' in 8 years.

 

[DobieLover]

I actually use both. My "mulch" is wood chips off my own property, so no brand. Hemp I purchased off Amazon but as I'm on my first bale of it, I can't compare brands or anything.

I use the hemp exclusively under the roost, as it makes it easy to sift poop which then goes into my compost bin. The rest of the coop is wood chips (mainly because it's free for me), and as it barely gets soiled since the girls really don't spend much time in the coop during the day, I'm aiming for a yearly clean out.

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@rosemarythyme, do the birds feet ever catch on the bolts sticking up from the clamps?
I have branches secured to 2x4 bracing in the run. I just used an exterior grade coated screw to attach the branch to the braces after drilling a pilot hole. I drove it just recessed and they are holding up fine.

 

[rosemarythyme]

@rosemarythyme, do the birds feet ever catch on the bolts sticking up from the clamps?
I have branches secured to 2x4 bracing in the run. I just used an exterior grade coated screw to attach the branch to the braces after drilling a pilot hole. I drove it just recessed and they are holding up fine.

Nope, they don't like the metal so they step over it and no one sits/sleeps on top of those.

Poop does roll down and catch on those occasionally, so between the wedged poops and the fact that of course everyone wants to sleep on the high bar, one of my spring projects will be to redo the roost so both bars are closer to the low bar in height to hopefully get them to spread out a bit more. 9 birds crowding onto a 5'6" roost is too tight.