My new coop

[trainman]

Well, I finally got my new 12'x24' coop finished and it's housing it's first flock of Plymouth Rocks. I got them in July and they are growing like crazy and just started laying. Everything is great except one thing. DUST!!! I started using the pine shavings available at my local feed store. I used them before in my original 10'x12' coop and never noticed all the dust. This stuff is awful! My new coop has a layer of dust everywhere and it's miserable to enter the coop as the girls get excited when I'm feeding and watering them or anything else. Then the dust flies! Looks like after Mt St. Helens erupted. Does anyone know of a product sold that doesn't have this dust issue?
Thanks!

 

[Ebony Rose]

How deep is the litter?

 

[trainman]

It's 3-5" like before. Would that make a difference?

 

[Ebony Rose]

It could. Are your birds scratching down to the dirt? A quick look with google mentioned that much of Huntsville, Arkansas is siltstone & sandstone... both are quite dusty when pulverized (by chicken toenails or otherwise). If they're getting as deep as the soil, I'd consider adding more shavings.
And if they are going to the dirt, are they rolling themselves in the dirt? If so, you might be able to make them a dust bath with a large plastic garden bowl filled with cheap, construction grade sand, instead. Just put it somewhere that rain can't get in, and you'd have a right nice alternative for them.

 

[trainman]

The coop has a wood floor so they aren't digging up any dirt. The dust is definitely coming from the bedding. I haven't seen any of them rolling in the bedding. Two are making nests on the floor under the nest boxes and seem to like laying eggs there.

Good tip on the dusting box. Never heard about sand. Someone said ash from the wood stove is good for dusting.

 

[DobieLover]

The coop has a wood floor so they aren't digging up any dirt. The dust is definitely coming from the bedding. I haven't seen any of them rolling in the bedding. Two are making nests on the floor under the nest boxes and seem to like laying eggs there.

Good tip on the dusting box. Never heard about sand. Someone said ash from the wood stove is good for dusting.

Some pine shavings are better than others and any of the brands can get a bad batch that has some actual saw dust in it instead of shavings. Shavings come from planing wood and dust comes from cutting wood.
Being in AR are your birds still going outside during the day? Do you have a covered run? If you do, I'd make an area outside for them to dust bathe. You can use anything for the bath. I use a mixture of peat moss, soil and wood ash from my stove. They also dig holes in the run that is covered with wood chips and bathe there.

 

[Fluffyflufffluff]

Well, I finally got my new 12'x24' coop finished and it's housing it's first flock of Plymouth Rocks. I got them in July and they are growing like crazy and just started laying. Everything is great except one thing. DUST!!! I started using the pine shavings available at my local feed store. I used them before in my original 10'x12' coop and never noticed all the dust. This stuff is awful! My new coop has a layer of dust everywhere and it's miserable to enter the coop as the girls get excited when I'm feeding and watering them or anything else. Then the dust flies! Looks like after Mt St. Helens erupted. Does anyone know of a product sold that doesn't have this dust issue?
Thanks!

Wood shavings do not produce that much dust. and easy to broom in place. can be recycled too. just clean them using a water hose, let them dry in the sun for a couple of days and they're good to go.

 

[aart]

Wood shavings do not produce that much dust. and easy to broom in place. can be recycled too. just clean them using a water hose, let them dry in the sun for a couple of days and they're good to go.

Have never heard of 'washing' wood shavings to re-use them.

 

[aart]

I used them before in my original 10'x12' coop and never noticed all the dust.

Same brand of shavings?
I assume you are talking about kiln dried bagged shavings

Some pine shavings are better than others and any of the brands can get a bad batch that has some actual saw dust in it instead of shavings. Shavings come from planing wood and dust comes from cutting wood.

This^^^

 

[21hens-incharge]

I am wondering what brand...small flake or large....

TSC has bagged large flake. It doesn't have all that fine stuff in it.

I also wonder how many birds and if it could be dried pulverized droppings.....