On Bedding and Cleaning

[JINTZ]

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.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Pine shavings are fine but they need to be kept dry or at least used in a floored and covered run or hen house for the best results. To clean the litter you just stir it up from time to time and toss a few corn grains into the overturned shavings and your hens will take care of the rest. I don't know how many birds you are planning on running but shavings will last for quite some time if kept dry.

 

[JINTZ]

Pine shavings are fine but they need to be kept dry or at least used in a floored and covered run or hen house for the best results. To clean the litter you just stir it up from time to time and toss a few corn grains into the overturned shavings and your hens will take care of the rest. I don't know how many birds you are planning on running but shavings will last for quite some time if kept dry.

Hmm... ok, no shavings in the yard. The house stays dry, under the roosts, the laying areas, all indoors... BIG space. The run... muddy now... what would you do. We have tarps up so it's not raining ON them, but the ground is soaked from all the rains and storms with no signs of letting up for quite a while. SPRING is quite wet in SE oKLAHOMA

 

[rosemarythyme]

Assuming there's no drainage issues with the run have you considered deep litter for the run? By using a mix of wood chips, dried leaves, garden trimmings, etc it allows water to drain through while giving the chickens a dry surface to walk on.

 

[chickens really]

I use pine shavings in the Coop and sand in my Run..

 

[aart]

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,

I assume the tight lid has a vent?
Vertical Nipples(mount on bottom) or Horizontal Nipples(mount on sides)?
VN's are notorious for leaking, tiny piece of dirt inside valve seat can hold them open.
Less likely with HN's, but can happen ther too.
Either can leak at threads if threads were not carefully installed.


How I manage 'cleaning':
-I use poop boards under roosts with thin(<1/2") layer of sand/PDZ mix, sifted daily into bucket going to friends compost.

-Scrape big or wet poops off roost and ramps as needed.

-Pine shavings on coop floor, add some occasionally, totally changed out once or twice a year, old shavings added to run.

-Runs have semi-deep litter, never clean anything out, just add smaller dry materials.

-Nests are bedded with straw, add some occasionally, change out if needed(broken egg).

There is no odor, unless a fresh cecal has been dropped and when I open the bucket to add more poop.

That's how I 'clean', have not found any reason to clean 'deeper' in 4 years.

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

I have deep litter over dirt floor, its been one year this week and I have never cleaned anything. I do add some hay to the DL, and also the paper from my shredder under the roost. The DL is about a foot deep I plan on moving it out into my garden this fall and starting over. I do scarpe the roost if needed.

Gary

 

[JINTZ]

I assume the tight lid has a vent?
Vertical Nipples(mount on bottom) or Horizontal Nipples(mount on sides)?
VN's are notorious for leaking, tiny piece of dirt inside valve seat can hold them open.
Less likely with HN's, but can happen ther too.
Either can leak at threads if threads were not carefully installed.


How I manage 'cleaning':
-I use poop boards under roosts with thin(<1/2") layer of sand/PDZ mix, sifted daily into bucket going to friends compost.

-Scrape big or wet poops off roost and ramps as needed.

-Pine shavings on coop floor, add some occasionally, totally changed out once or twice a year, old shavings added to run.

-Runs have semi-deep litter, never clean anything out, just add smaller dry materials.

-Nests are bedded with straw, add some occasionally, change out if needed(broken egg).

There is no odor, unless a fresh cecal has been dropped and when I open the bucket to add more poop.

That's how I 'clean', have not found any reason to clean 'deeper' in 4 years.

I assume the tight lid has a vent?
Vertical Nipples(mount on bottom)

There is a plug at the top of the lid, should that be UNplugged? :/
I was only throwing fresh straw down daily and scooping it out every other cause it's so muddy / wet in the run areas. I will start collecting for a deep litter mix. Thank you

 

[JINTZ]

I have deep litter over dirt floor, its been one year this week and I have never cleaned anything. I do add some hay to the DL, and also the paper from my shredder under the roost. The DL is about a foot deep I plan on moving it out into my garden this fall and starting over. I do scarpe the roost if needed.

Gary

LOVE your avatar! I do a lot of scraping too. Building better roosts as their butts are hanging over into the laying areas now. lol I didn't plan the distances too well lol. But then again, I didn't know chickens slept on the roosts, just flew up to them for access.

 

[aart]

There is a plug at the top of the lid, should that be UNplugged? :/

Yes, if bucket is air tight it will form a vacuum and water won't come out the nipples after awhile...but if it's constantly leaking<shrugs> I dunno.