Sweet PDZ or Pine Shavings?

[GSDBESTK9]

Ok, so my coop floor is 4x8 feet. Would it be too big of an area to use PDZ? Would it be too expensive, how much would I need to cover the whole floor?? Or should I just use Pine shavings?? I've heard so many good things about the PDZ that I would prefer that over the shavings as I understand it is easier to clean and better for the smell??

The only other thing I was thinking was to section the floor in two and use PDZ right under the perches and use pine shavings for the rest of the floor? Would that be too much of a mess??

Help?

 

[Jakoda]

ya know I'm no expert here, but my plan is , shavings on the floor, & nest boxes and making a poop board under my roost that I will put the PDZ in...Just went to Tractor supply, I paid 9.99 for 25# of pdz, and the shavings were 6.49 for 5 cu feet.. I'm also putting linoleum on the poop board for easy cleaning

 

[pinkaliboo]

I did exactly what Jakoda did and it works GREAT. My coop has no smell at all, and the PDZ is chicken safe if they eat it (and they do). I actually sprinkled the PDZ all over the floor of the coop, even under the pine shavings, because the chickens like to "redecorate" the pine shavings when they scratch around on the floor. It doesn't take much, just enough that the poop doesn't stick to the floor.

Good luck!

 

[GSDBESTK9]

I just don't think my coop is big enough for poop boards, I guess I could but it would waste a lot of space??

The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of dividing the floor up and putting Sweet PDZ right under the perches and pine shavings for the rest of the floor.

 

[Tweakster]

GSDBESTK9,

Just a thought. The way those chooks scratch around, I'm betting it will take less than 15 minutes and there will be an even distribution of pine shavings and Sweet PDZ across the floor of that coop. Which, by the way, is exactly what I use in the main part of my coop. I have a droppings board under the roost that collects those droppings, and I put Sweet PDZ exclusively in that board, but I still get pine shavings kicked in through the mesh above the board. My droppings board is like a shallow drawer that pulls out from outside the coop, so as to not waste any space inside the coop. The exterior access is easier to get to and doesn't disturb the chooks any. Just some ideas. Honestly, the combination of pine shavings and Sweet PDZ works very well in the main part of my coop, you might consider it.

 

[GSDBESTK9]

That is a great idea! Thank you!

 

[GSDBESTK9]

Ok, so I put PDZ in the brooder for the first time and HOLLY CRAP!!!! The room is covered in a finger of dust!!!!

Is that even healthy for the chicks? I couldn't even walk in there without having trouble breathing.

 

[Speckledfarmer]

Did you buy granulated sweet pdz?

 

[chynasparks]

I get a 50 pound bag of PDZ from tractor supply. I mixed it with sand in my 4x8 run and the poop board located in the upper nest house. One application when I first completed the coop. Regular scooping and theres no odor. I recently got another bag for touching up but haven't needed to. I also added DE. Right now the run sand is damp from intermittent rain showers but not muddy and still no odor. I put a pan is sand that stays dry for dust baths. School starts Monday so I go back to bus driving, I wanted an easy quick system of keeping things clean, it's working for me.

 

[Jennifer70]

Sweet PDZ is NOT a bedding. Sweet PDZ is a naturally accruing and totally safe mineral that removes ammonia. You add it to your bedding, you don't use it in place of. To quote the directions on the bag.... Sweet PDZ is highly compatible with every form of bedding available today. It will help to extend the life of bedding material and improve its performance.