On Bedding and Cleaning

[Plusultra60]

I toss the used pine chips from the coop into the run to keep their feet out of the mud. Seems to work fine after two years.

 

[bruceha2000]

cedar in the boxes

Cedar or pine?? Cedar has aromatic oils that aren't suitable for chickens.

 

[Jeepers1120]

Cedar or pine?? Cedar has aromatic oils that aren't suitable for chickens.

Cedar..there is so much bad info out there or conflicting info..cedar is fine. When I have chicks, they get pine while in the brooder, when they get moved to the coop, cedar. Have been doing it for years.

 

[Foster's Freehold]

My run is currently a mudpit. I could hold mudwrestling matches. At any rate, I throw down hay after every rain. The chickies mix it up looking for the leftover seed. It isn't as deep as I'd like right now, but at least it's better than it was. The upside to it is that as it soaks up the water, it makes for more surface area so it dries faster.
I also deep litter the coop. For the first time I've had to turn it with a fork because of so much rain. Usually the chickies do it and no huhu until I take it out to the compost pile.

 

[NancyNurseCxMama]

What are POOP BOARDS?

Those pan-like things under the roosts. In this pic there are pine shavings but I now have the poop boards filled with Sweet PDZ, a granular mineral that absorbs fluids and neutralizes odors naturally. Forty pounds for $9 at Tractor Supply (do NOT fall for the stuff sold by the same company as "Coop Refresher" at $16 for ten pounds)---look in the horse supplies area for the bag with the cute foal on the front. "Stall Refresher." And make sure you get the granular stuff---they have a powder version that is way too dusty.
We made our own poop boards from plywood and pine trim and painted them with semi-gloss paint. We also added a piece of vinyl flooring as a liner to make cleaning even easier.
I do a poop scoop every day, takes me five minutes, max. If there are goopy plops that managed to miss the poop boards and hit the trim boards I wipe them up with a quick spray of white vinegar. The good thing about doing a daily poop scoop is that you can observe the poop for any abnormalities. You can also eventually not get hysterical over every variation on the poop theme that you see. It takes time, lol.

 

[NancyNurseCxMama]

no huhu

Have to ask---are you from Hawaii??

 

[Foster's Freehold]

Have to ask---are you from Hawaii??

Nope, born in Mobile AL, currrently in south central KY, think an hour north of Nashville TN. Dunno where I got the HUHU from, no telling really as I read voraciously.
Using unusual words is something I've always done. The worst was when I was the granma and worked with people my kids ages. I'd use a word like dapper, then have to explain what it meant lol.

 

[NancyNurseCxMama]

Nope, born in Mobile AL, currrently in south central KY, think an hour north of Nashville TN. Dunno where I got the HUHU from, no telling really as I read voraciously.
Using unusual words is something I've always done. The worst was when I was the granma and worked with people my kids ages. I'd use a word like dapper, then have to explain what it meant lol.

Okay, lol. We lived in Hawaii for 15 years and I recognized it instantly as Pidgin for "fuss" or kinda pissed off or angry.
Made me smile!

 

[DianaMallory]

I'm researching the best bedding and decided to get Pine shavings. My questions are: Do I lay it on thick inside the house and laying areas? (9 total roosting 4 - 6 month old mixed NN frizzle and turkins). No one is actually laying yet. Do I spread the shavings in the run areas as well?
I've spot cleaned their straw daily, is that something most do or am I working too hard? lol
Their waterer is a 5 gallon bucket with nipples, and a tight fitting lid. I change the water every other day, am I overdoing that? ALSO, that waterer is outside in the run as I've seen it dripping non stop from a stuck nipple, AND, I only have 1-2 gallons of water in it max. I guess I'm looking for a good maintenance routine for cleanliness. Their house is very Large. It's actually on top of our storm shelter which is the size of a studio apartment. Half that, we use the other half, blocked off for yard equipment. Their floor is concrete covered with lots of straw. Their house stays very dry, but the run areas stay soaked and muddy now for all the rain and storms. Should I add some sort of sand box inside? There is room for a small one and what should I use for the sand? Cat litter? sand?
Lots of questions. Thank you all in advance.

I use pine shavings and straw in my coop, I put hay in my nesting boxes. I try to use a different material in the nesting boxes so they know the difference to try to help keep them from laying in the coop floor. I use the deep litter method and when they are soiled I then put them in the run, which is a win win for me, my run is on a hill and they scratch the old bedding and turn it into compost which I harvest for my garden, from the outside of the backside of the run. And having your chickens on compost in the winter the compost puts off heat, keeps them warm! When the run starts getting mucky I throw fresh straw down. I hate the nipple waters! They freeze in the winter and my egg production went down with them. I bought the RUBBER feed pans, not plastic! And that is what I use for water. You can stomp on them in the winter to break up the ice and they don't break! Sand mixed with DE for a dust bath! You will need to keep it dry. Oh I have poo boards in my coop too, so clean bedding only happens in the spring and fall.

 

[DianaMallory]