I was frustrated with the cost of wood shavings and how quickly they get damp and matted down with all the poo from Cornish X. I decided to try pine needles and was pleasantly surprised. I put a layer about 8" thick in their coop, tossed some D.E. in the mix, and used a pitchfork to turn and fluff it every day. They pack down by at least half during the night but fluff right up again.
The coop is quite small (maybe 4' X 4') but the broilers are generally only in there at night, when it's raining, and at odd times during the day. Anyway, I can get about 10 days out of each batch of pine needles with 24 broilers in there -- if I'm diligent about daily turning/fluffing -- and I think it's because they are airier and fluffier, allowing air to help dry up some of the mess. Better yet, they're free.
We have a little pine plantation, so I just raked them up and didn't worry about the odd pine cones, small sticks, etc. that raked up from the forest floor. I figure, if my dog can poop in the woods, so can my chickens! The only drawback I have found is that the pine needles take longer to break down in the compost pile.
The coop is quite small (maybe 4' X 4') but the broilers are generally only in there at night, when it's raining, and at odd times during the day. Anyway, I can get about 10 days out of each batch of pine needles with 24 broilers in there -- if I'm diligent about daily turning/fluffing -- and I think it's because they are airier and fluffier, allowing air to help dry up some of the mess. Better yet, they're free.
We have a little pine plantation, so I just raked them up and didn't worry about the odd pine cones, small sticks, etc. that raked up from the forest floor. I figure, if my dog can poop in the woods, so can my chickens! The only drawback I have found is that the pine needles take longer to break down in the compost pile.
