Question re deep litter and stall dry

[chaneg78]

I used straw when i first started. Now i use pine shavings, they work a lot better. I also installed troughs below there perches and put cat litter in them to catch most of the poo. i scoop it out about every three days with a litter scoop.

 

[chookchick]

Gallina--you might want to switch out the nestboxes. The oils in cedar are harmful to the airways of chickens, and would be especially bad if in an enclosed area (such as a nest box). Mixed in on the floor of a coop is probably not so bad, but if you can smell it, get it out. DE will help with mites (not totally prevent), but you could use it on the floor of nestbox. Most here use straw for the nestbox, as the hens like to "arrange" it. Pine shavings are great for litter, but lots of people use straw also.

 

[Ohiogallina]

Thanks Chookchick. I wasn't sure about that. I'll replace it with straw, since the buggers like to roost with their heads stuck inside the nest boxes from time to time, perched on the edge. I'll just use a little of the cedar in with the straw til it runs out.

thanks for suggestion of using cat litter but I'm looking for low-maintenance on this deal, can't spend the time cleaning out so much.
Thanks all!

 

[LynneP]

A lot of us use a little food-grade DE and a stable product like Stable Boy- works very well for chickens, falling into the mantra of keeping them dry abd odor-free! I use a sprinkle in the nest boxes too.