New to the coop!

[mickey328]

We are using hay. Obviously we need more. This is our 1st time & have no clue how to set up other than online research & varying opinions. lol This may sound really silly, but what are you calling a run?

The coop is the "house" where they sleep at night, the run is the outside area for them
This is our set up...the barn looking structure is the coop and the flat, wired thing is the run. You can see where we moved it from (the lower foreground of the photo). They'd been on that spot for 3 days and you can see the difference in the grass. In the photo, they'd been in that spot for 3 days so the grass was getting trampled...we moved it after the girls went to bed that night. The ramp under the coop is how they get up inside. At dark they all climb in and we close the ramp so they're safe inside til morning.

If we had a permanent coop and run, we'd likely go with sand as well, but since it would make the coop too heavy to move, we went with straw. With the Sweet PDZ in it, it really stays dry, nice smelling and pretty much fly free

 

[aoxa]

I have used straw, hay and shavings as litter, and recommend the shavings hands down. It smells less, is easier to clean out, and looks better.

Sand would need to be scooped like a cat litter box, and I don't have the patience. If you do, go for sand. If not, Shavings. Only use pine.

I have never had a fly issue, but have seen issues in places I have visited with poultry. He used straw. Maybe that is a link?

don't use sawdust. It will cause respiratory problems if inhaled. Not to mention that there is no guarantee that it is 100% pine. If there is cedar in the sawdust, that is toxic to chickens.

 

[lhutch78]

OMGosh! Thank you all for your advice !!!!

 

[Fancychooklady]

I think it also depends on what your chickens are used to. I went out and bought some wood shavings and my chooks won't have a bar of it. They don't like it under there feet. So I went back to hay, I scatter a layer under their roost( where they do most of their pooping) rake it out once a week and put it on my garden. I live in Tassie (Australia) haven't had a lot of flies but I do hang fly strips up high in the coop( don't want the hens to eat it ) love your coop conversion , we did the same thing with our old cubby

 

[aoxa]

I think it also depends on what your chickens are used to. I went out and bought some wood shavings and my chooks won't have a bar of it. They don't like it under there feet. So I went back to hay, I scatter a layer under their roost( where they do most of their pooping) rake it out once a week and put it on my garden. I live in Tassie (Australia) haven't had a lot of flies but I do hang fly strips up high in the coop( don't want the hens to eat it ) love your coop conversion , we did the same thing with our old cubby

It takes them a while to get used to something new. They would love it after a week, trust me

 

[Fancychooklady]

No, they definitely don't like it. I put the shavings down over 5 weeks ago. It has snowed here over the last few nights, and my bantams would rather stand out in the snow than walk on the dreaded wood shavings. In my breeding pens I have 2 rows of nesting boxes, top row hay bottom row shavings, not one egg has been layed on bottom shelf since I took the hay away.
The shavings I bought were compressed 20kg and cost $24 so believe me I wanted it to work, but the chooks had different ideas. So for this chook lady "hay it is ".

 

[Nicole01]

Oh no! Mine love the shavings. We pay $4.85 for a huge compact bag of it as horse bedding which lasts 6 months or so in the coop. I also start them on shavings in the brooder after the paper towels, so it's what they are use to. I doubt mine would use hay, but I can't move the hay/straw very easily with my permanent neck injury.

 

[JackE]

I use pine shavings in my coop. Change it out twice a year. In between cleanings, I'll add more fresh shavings as the old breaks down, The chickens usually stir the bedding up pretty well. But if they get a little lax in their duties, I'll throw a handful of scratch in there. That usually gets them busy turning the bedding. As far as flies go, I have seen where other people have good luck with Vanilla trees, as seen in the following link.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/368487/flies-no-more-found-the-perfect-fly-repellent


Jack

 

[lhutch78]

Thanks everyone! I replaced the small amount of straw I had with pine shavings & it has made the most wonderful difference!!!!!!!!!!