Need advice for coop floor

[1776Chick]

This is my first chicken coop/chicks and I need some advice about what to put in the small coop we have. I live in SW Michigan and we’ve gotten hammered with rain lately, also trying to think ahead to winter.. what should I put on the floor of this coop? The metal tray slides out to clean and I’ve been putting pine shavings in there but my husband says I should just leave it bare and spray it off daily. That sounds good but I don’t know if it would be good for the chickens and I’m assuming there should be something there in winter to help keep them warm? With all the rain we’ve gotten, there has been a little water in the pine shavings at each end. Thanks for any help!

 

[Lemon-Drop]

I would always use bedding. I use pine shavings and clean the coop out monthly. How many chickens do you have?

 

[RubelliteRose]

It looks like there is a door on each side. If you can reach, I would leave the tray in, put a deeper layer of shavings and just scoop the poop daily. I only do a total clean out of my shavings a couple of times a year. You definitely do not want your chickens on the bare metal during the winter. Stepping in the wet droppings and then walking on the cold metal can quickly lead to frostbite.

 

[Lemon-Drop]

I have 4, it’s just that the tray isn’t very deep. I will probably stick with the pine shavings since they are affordable. I just don’t know a good way to clean it without dumping it all and adding new shavings and I feel like I’m wasting a lot.

I do just take everything out then replace with fresh bedding. If you want you could try just removing the bedding underneath the roost. For me, a bag of pine shavings (10 cubic feet) lasts a month for my coop (though I have 13 chickens)

I personally think 8$ a month is reasonable for bedding, but it does seem like waste sometimes. I use the composted bedding for gardening though.

 

[3KillerBs]

Don't wet clean a chicken coop except in emergencies. Dry chickens are healthy chickens.

I'm afraid that in a coop that doesn't allow for a thick layer of bedding you're pretty much stuck with frequently cleaning. But you don't have to replace shavings that aren't *really* dirty yet if your coop isn't wet and doesn't smell. I've got photos in my Deep Bedding article that show what my shavings look like when I'm ready to change them.

I don't see any ventilation in the part of the coop that shows in the photos. With generous ventilation -- at least 1 square foot of 24/7/365 venting per adult, standard-sized hen -- ammonia doesn't build up and any water that gets in dries up faster.

 

[1776Chick]

Don't wet clean a chicken coop except in emergencies. Dry chickens are healthy chickens.

I'm afraid that in a coop that doesn't allow for a thick layer of bedding you're pretty much stuck with frequently cleaning. But you don't have to replace shavings that aren't *really* dirty yet if your coop isn't wet and doesn't smell. I've got photos in my Deep Bedding article that show what my shavings look like when I'm ready to change them.

I don't see any ventilation in the part of the coop that shows in the photos. With generous ventilation -- at least 1 square foot of 24/7/365 venting per adult, standard-sized hen -- ammonia doesn't build up and any water that gets in dries up faster.

I definitely don’t wet the coop, we’ve had huge amounts of rainfall the past 2 weeks and some has gotten in through the cracks in the door and tray. I did shove some shims under the tray on both sides and that has helped some. I took that photo before we cut some ventilation in there, but maybe we should add even more. Thanks for that info! I really wanted to build our own coop but just starting out with chickens, my husband wanted a store bought one . I’m over here thinking.. never again! Ha

 

[1776Chick]

I would always use bedding. I use pine shavings and clean the coop out monthly. How many chickens do you have?

I have 4, it’s just that the tray isn’t very deep. I will probably stick with the pine shavings since they are affordable. I just don’t know a good way to clean it without dumping it all and adding new shavings and I feel like I’m wasting a lot.

 

[aart]

The tray is bunk...seems like a good idea, but in reality they don't work well at all.
Tiny coop will be hard to deal with in the winter.

 

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

This is my first chicken coop/chicks and I need some advice about what to put in the small coop we have. I live in SW Michigan and we’ve gotten hammered with rain lately, also trying to think ahead to winter.. what should I put on the floor of this coop? The metal tray slides out to clean and I’ve been putting pine shavings in there but my husband says I should just leave it bare and spray it off daily. That sounds good but I don’t know if it would be good for the chickens and I’m assuming there should be something there in winter to help keep them warm? With all the rain we’ve gotten, there has been a little water in the pine shavings at each end. Thanks for any help!

I bought a set of those wooden handled kids beach/sand shovels off Amazon. They’re maybe 2’-3’ long. (Cleaning my coop is super awkward so I needed objects long enough to allow me to reach but short enough to be able to maneuver). I use those to do a daily scoop under the roost where the girls sleep, adding additional shavings as they become sparse. I do a thorough empty out & disinfect every few months.

 

[1776Chick]

It looks like there is a door on each side. If you can reach, I would leave the tray in, put a deeper layer of shavings and just scoop the poop daily. I only do a total clean out of my shavings a couple of times a year. You definitely do not want your chickens on the bare metal during the winter. Stepping in the wet droppings and then walking on the cold metal can quickly lead to frostbite.

Yeah I was worried about winter and cold metal. Thanks for the idea, I will try scooping the poop daily. That area just isn’t deep enough for a thicker layer of shavings. I so wish I could do the deep litter method!