Pine pellets for coop bedding??? Does it work?? I'm curious....

[SourRoses]

I've used the pine pellets for years now. They really don't eat it, it's very dry so I imagine they get too thirsty from tasting one to even want to swallow any.
On a smooth floor, it's important to have a good depth of the pellets because a shallow layer can just roll around, if they're not wetted to the point they are less absorbent. Ideally 2-3 inches and lightly misted... or my too-short hose method, put some in a bucket, spray water in it, go to the coop with the rest of the dry pellets and spread that around, then go back for the bucket and fling it thinly over the surface with a scoop.
But since we often use it on the dirt ground of our coop in rainy humid FL, I don't always dampen it because the environment will take care of that soon enough.

 

[Debbie292d]

I've used the pine pellets for years now. They really don't eat it, it's very dry so I imagine they get too thirsty from tasting one to even want to swallow any.
On a smooth floor, it's important to have a good depth of the pellets because a shallow layer can just roll around, if they're not wetted to the point they are less absorbent. Ideally 2-3 inches and lightly misted... or my too-short hose method, put some in a bucket, spray water in it, go to the coop with the rest of the dry pellets and spread that around, then go back for the bucket and fling it thinly over the surface with a scoop.
But since we often use it on the dirt ground of our coop in rainy humid FL, I don't always dampen it because the environment will take care of that soon enough.

Ours are on a tile floor and the 3" works well. We never wet them though.

 

[SourRoses]

the ammonia is absorbed

I agree with everything you've said except that ammonia can be absorbed by pine pellets. I don't think that's possible, especially at the rate chickens can produce ammonia. Ammonia along with other gases tends to rise, in a totally still coop it may sit under the ceiling in a pocket of gas that you can't smell walking in at human height.

 

[Debbie292d]

I agree with everything you've said except that ammonia can be absorbed by pine pellets. I don't think that's possible, especially at the rate chickens can produce ammonia. Ammonia along with other gases tends to rise, in a totally still coop it may sit under the ceiling in a pocket of gas that you can't smell walking in at human height.

But, where the ammonia comes from is the poop, which is dried out by the pellets. We have no smell in there, and we've done this way for eight years.

 

[SourRoses]

But, where the ammonia comes from is the poop, which is dried out by the pellets. We have no smell in there, and we've done this way for eight years.

Yes, I agree the smell is reduced by the drying of the poo. Absolutely! But ammonia as a gas, while it has an odor, is not the main smell of poo. Ammonia is less detectable, although in high concentrations it's noticeable by watering of the eyes / stinging in the nostrils, etc.
The drying action is not actually binding the ammonia gas inside, is all I'm trying to say.
In your coop / environment, it might be working okay due to other factors of your build. Just keep an eye out for respiratory symptoms.

 

[RoyalChick]

I use horse stall pellets under the most heavily used roost and for my cat’s litter trays.
The only thing to watch out is that some of the ones marketed for wood stoves have some kind of additive to make them burn well.
Horse stall ones are just compressed pine so totally safe and I haven’t seen anyone eat any of them. Maybe they sample one or two now and then but not more than that.
I do deep litter so I never even clean up the sawdust - it just gets incorporated into the dirt floor over time.

 

[Debbie292d]

I use horse stall pellets under the most heavily used roost and for my cat’s litter trays.
The only thing to watch out is that some of the ones marketed for wood stoves have some kind of additive to make them burn well.
Horse stall ones are just compressed pine so totally safe and I haven’t seen anyone eat any of them. Maybe they sample one or two now and then but not more than that.
I do deep litter so I never even clean up the sawdust - it just gets incorporated into the dirt floor over time.

I forgot about that a lot of people use them in their cat litter boxes. That's the worst ammonia smell ever and they say it works. We have two cat boxes and three cats and I'm such a believer of these pellets but yet I don't try it with the cats. RC, you need to give me a push lol.

 

[RoyalChick]

I forgot about that a lot of people use them in their cat litter boxes. That's the worst ammonia smell ever and they say it works. We have two cat boxes and three cats and I'm such a believer of these pellets but yet I don't try it with the cats. RC, you need to give me a push lol.

Works fine in my multi-cat household.
No ammonia issue at all.
If they do a massive poo you smell that. But it not like I lurk around their box waiting for them to go potty!

 

[Debbie292d]

Works fine in my multi-cat household.
No ammonia issue at all.
If they do a massive poo you smell that. But it not like I lurk around their box waiting for them to go potty!

So for the catbox, are you picking the poops or clods out or just dump the whole thing when it starts all turning to sawdust?

 

[RoyalChick]

So for the catbox, are you picking the poops or clods out or just dump the whole thing when it starts all turning to sawdust?

In theory I scoop poops and then tip it out when the rest is all sawdust. In practice I just dump the whole thing and only rarely scoop poop.
Now I compost it - which everyone says not to do - but I don't use it on veggies and I am not of an age to get pregnant so I think the risk is very low. That means it is just super easy as soon as it turns to sawdust I just dump it in the compost. The pine pellets are cheap enough that you don't need to try and preserve them if a few haven't crumbled yet.