Our First Backyard Coop - seeking advice

[mccayac]

My husband and my son are putting the finishing touches on the coop. We have been getting conflicting advice on what to put down. We would like to harvest as much of the poo as possible for our compost. Some people told us to use coarse sand and you can sift it like cat litter. My fear is the chickens will eat the sand and get sick. Some say just leave a dirt floor, and other say put down hay. The sand idea sounds good, but it makes me a little nervous. Have any of you tried sand? Is there an easier way to get the poo?

nesting boxes - almost complete

bins for collecting eggs (behind nesting boxes)

 

[TaylorHobbyFarms]

If I had it to do over, I would start with sand. I have heard a lot of good things about it. Hay retains way too much moisture and molds and must be cleaned often. Shavings are great, but if they get wet they seem to just disappear. If your area stays pretty dry, you could try shavings and the deep litter method.

 

[mccayac]

Thank you for your response, that was very helpful. We are new at this and are learning as we go. We are really leaning toward the sand idea.

 

[PhipN FarmGirl]

If you use sand, make sure it is real sand(tiny particles of rocks), not the fine "play sand" that they sell at many gardening centers this time of year. We gave our chicks sand as grit when they first started going outside in the yard, and it worked great. Being able to sift the sand for composting the droppings sounds like a good idea. Last week's "coop of the week" highlighted that method, and their run looked so tidy and clean.

We have had our chickens in their coop for about 8 months, and use pine bark mulch in their run. We rake it every day and also sprinkle it with stall-fresh about once a month.

 

[PhipN FarmGirl]

Oops, forgot to say, the coop looks great!

 

[PhipN FarmGirl]

One more thought...if you post this under the coop & run forum, you'll get more help.

 

[mccayac]

Can I change where I have it posted, or do I just need to start it over? I am still learning how to do this. I am not a big tech fan. I don't even have text on my phone.

 

[PhipN FarmGirl]

Can I change where I have it posted, or do I just need to start it over? I am still learning how to do this. I am not a big tech fan. I don't even have text on my phone.

You can just start a new thread under the coop forum area, and copy and paste your original post into the new post. I think if a moderater sees this, they can move it, but not positive. Other people will love to see your coop and hear about your progress on that forum. Last year when we were just starting out, I read it every day!

Love the little chick photo!