Official BYC Poll: What type of COOP bedding do you like best?

[RebeccaRN]

I use sand on my chicken house floor, it's easy to scoop out the poop daily after they have pooped from their perch all night. They are only in their house at night to sleep then out in their 800 sq foot yard all day. I only have 8 chickens.

 

[Quaicken108]

My chickens are outside and I use the dirt that is just there but I will put mulch over if it gets too muddy and then it sets nice and they love it!
It also give them lots of room to dust bath.
I use straw in where they nest and some chickens like it more than others. Probably my eldest chicken like it the most and she dosen’t even lay!!!
For my quails though I just use straw as a permanent bedding with a box for dust bathing. (Btw I mean my Kings).

 

[StaffordshireLady]

I use horse bedding. Softwood bedding and sterilised rape straw.
I did not think of adding a mite powder so thanks for that.

 

[thepick4uchicks]

I use pine shavings now and will always use wood shavings.

I wanted to ask you if you always use the same shavings in your run also and what climate or region you live in? I am new to keeping chickens and our coop and run is under planning and construction right now. We live in the Deep South - MS and are going to have a good size run and it will all be covered well with an overhang on the roof of the run area as well as the coop so it’s all shaded. It will of course be grass at first but they will dig all that up and then I was planning on using wood shavings and the deep litter method probably outside too if I could be convinced that was the best method for us. I was just not sure about it because of mites and ticks. We have so many in the South that I am afraid to get them from a local tree service but probably could it’s just the product I would be afraid of not the access or availability. I can get plenty untreated stuff the feed store to start but to keep up the coop and run in them all the time will be rather pricy all year. I would like to hear anyone’s advice on this. Thank you

 

[3KillerBs]

I was just not sure about it because of mites and ticks. We have so many in the South that I am afraid to get them from a local tree service but probably could it’s just the product I would be afraid of not the access or availability.

What you need to do about the wood chips is to get a truckload dumped in an out-of-the-way corner so they can age until no longer green and wet.

Chickens love to eat bugs. The bugs that were in the pine straw I raked up to throw in the run made new bedding = snacktime.

 

[thepick4uchicks]

What you need to do about the wood chips is to get a truckload dumped in an out-of-the-way corner so they can age until no longer green and wet.

Chickens love to eat bugs. The bugs that were in the pine straw I raked up to throw in the run made new bedding = snacktime.

Thank you. We will probably do that then.

 

[Maggie13]

Pine shavings

 

[Charlenesmom]

Sand, easy to clean every day....

 

[10PekinDucks]

Ours is dirt under the coop and where they graze. I put mixed sand/tiny gravel on one side for grit and they play in it. I over did the pine shavings on the inside of the coop, or so I thought, but apparently you all call this deep litter method. They knocked most of it out into the run. We just built the nesting boxes so we’re literally headed to the co-op this morning hay to put in the boxes.

 

[Citytransplant]

I have 5 chickens and 2 ducks. They have only been in the coop for about 7 weeks and I am using wood chips with PDZ. It seems to be working pretty well. I add chips and PDZ maybe every 5-7 days and hope it will last until late fall when I will clean out to prepare for winter. I also use PDZ straight in their poop tray and pick up the poop every day or so using a fly swatter like one would use a kitty scoop. ( it had smaller spaces between) there still are flies in the coop ( can't stand that) so I started using Wondercide. It works really well in keeping them down. It is fairly expensive because it has to be spray every few days, but did I say I hate the flies?