Time to line the coop - Mulch vs Sand: Need your input!

[DaisyFaye7]

Well, the coop is almost finished, and I have a brooder full of chicks! I need to get flooring material down next.
I was planning to line my coop with sand, and line my covered run with mulch (mixed size wood chips from a local tree guy). I was going to try to find suitable sand/gravel fines this week, but I read an article about lining with sand just now that raised some concerns about sanitation, respiratory issues, and chickens eating poops that are “breaded“ with sand.
Now I’m wondering if perhaps I could line the coop with the wood chip mulch as well?
Extra info: The coop has an earth floor, but we dug out a good trench and have a cinder block/concrete foundation. We built a poop catch under the roosts that I’m going to line with PDZ and scoop regularly. Lots of ventilation in the summer, with a system of windows that pop in for the cold months. I’m in central NC. We have hot summers, it’s a fairly rainy climate, and winters we sometimes have a few mornings that dip into the single digits, some winters we only dip into the 20’s.
Any thoughts are appreciated. I’m a little perplexed, as I’ve had a plan for a while now. I have been having a difficult time finding sand that is appropriate (not too fine, not too dusty, etc.) and now I’m wondering if a totally different flooring would be best anyway.

 

[DobieLover]

Well, the coop is almost finished, and I have a brooder full of chicks! I need to get flooring material down next.
I was planning to line my coop with sand, and line my covered run with mulch (mixed size wood chips from a local tree guy). I was going to try to find suitable sand/gravel fines this week, but I read an article about lining with sand just now that raised some concerns about sanitation, respiratory issues, and chickens eating poops that are “breaded“ with sand.
Now I’m wondering if perhaps I could line the coop with the wood chip mulch as well?
Extra info: The coop has an earth floor, but we dug out a good trench and have a cinder block/concrete foundation. We built a poop catch under the roosts that I’m going to line with PDZ and scoop regularly. Lots of ventilation in the summer, with a system of windows that pop in for the cold months. I’m in central NC. We have hot summers, it’s a fairly rainy climate, and winters we sometimes have a few mornings that dip into the single digits, some winters we only dip into the 20’s.
Any thoughts are appreciated. I’m a little perplexed, as I’ve had a plan for a while now. I have been having a difficult time finding sand that is appropriate (not too fine, not too dusty, etc.) and now I’m wondering if a totally different flooring would be best anyway.

If you scoop the poop boards each morning, you probably wouldn't have to clean the coop bedding out more than quarterly if you got the birds out of the coop very soon after sunrise. I use hemp bedding on the coop floor and when I can't get that, pine shavings works just fine too.
Because you have an earthen floor you could also just try to do the deep litter method.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

If you glanced around the forums in the coop and run threads, you will find no shortage of complaints with sand in the coop and run. EXAMPLE

Which is not to say that sand can't be an effective method, only that it is very high maintenance, and somewhat climate dependent. Additionally, many people meaning well find that they can not keep up with the maintenance needs of a sand floor. Overtime at work, sick kid, short vacation, terrible weather, reasons don't matter. Sand doesn't care.

Since you already have a dirt floor and a source for wood chips I am going to recommend that you use the chips throughout in a deep litter method. Most important with DLM is that it be much more brown than green. It's a slow composting method, not the 50/50 mix of green and brown you think of in a typical composter. The additional brown helps offset the moisture in the chicken droppings, and buffers them somewhat. Chicken poop is considered hot manure. Applied directly it can burn some grasses, but once its had some time with the bark, leaves, etc its quite good compost.

Slow composting with brown controls odor, doesn't require much maintenance, or constant refills, and provides a thick layer of lift to keep your chickens feet out of the cold and wet if (when) water intrudes.

/edited for intelligibility - speech to text was NOT my friend this AM

 

[Folly's place]

Sand seems fairly reasonable to some, in a dry climate, very few chickens, and daily poop scooping. For the rest of us, not so much.
Humid climates, dirt floor, and easy maintenance? Go with chips and shavings!!!
Mary

 

[Ted Brown]

In the run go Deep Litter Method.

Mulch is good but is improved greatly if you mix in irregular sized chunks of wood/branches, allows better penetration of oxygen needed to compost.

@Art has wise words on this.

 

[DaisyFaye7]

If you scoop the poop boards each morning, you probably wouldn't have to clean the coop bedding out more than quarterly if you got the birds out of the coop very soon after sunrise. I use hemp bedding on the coop floor and when I can't get that, pine shavings works just fine too.
Because you have an earthen floor you could also just try to do the deep litter method.

Thanks for the input!!

 

[DaisyFaye7]

If you glanced around the forums in the coop and run threads, you will find no shortage of complaints with sand in the coop and run. EXAMPLE

Which is not to say that sand Can't Be an Effective method oh, only that it is very high maintenance, and somewhat climate dependent. Additionally, many people meaning will find that they can not keep up with the maintenance needs of a sand floor. Overtime at work, sick kid, short vacation, terrible weather, reasons don't matter. Sand doesn't care.

Since you already have a dirt floor and a source for wood chips I am going to recommend that you use the chips throughout in a deep litter method. Most important with dlm is that it'd be much more Brown than green. It's a slow composting method, not the 50/50 mix of green and brown you think of in a typical composter. The additional Brown helps offset the moisture I've got chicken droppings, and buffers them somewhat. Chicken poop is considered hot manure. Applied directly it can burn some grasses.

Slow composting with brown cotrols odor, doesn't require much maintenane, or constant refills, and provides a thick layer of lift to keep your chickens feet out of the cold and wet if (when) water intrudes.

Thank you for taking the time to write all this! I really appreciate the feedback. I think I’m going to go with the wood chips. They’re pretty mixed in size, there‘s some fine stuff all the way up to maybe 2x4” hunks. I’m hoping that will work well. Seem like it would be great for the run, hopefully a good solution for the coop as well! I can always get a bag of shavings or hemp bedding to add here and there as well, I suppose.

 

[DaisyFaye7]

In the run go Deep Litter Method.

Mulch is good but is improved greatly if you mix in irregular sized chunks of wood/branches, allows better penetration of oxygen needed to compost.

@Art has wise words on this.

Oh, that’s perfect actually, because what I get from our local tree guy is more of a rough mulch - fine stuff all the way up to chunks of small branches. Thanks for the info!!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Thank you for taking the time to write all this! I really appreciate the feedback. I think I’m going to go with the wood chips. They’re pretty mixed in size, there‘s some fine stuff all the way up to maybe 2x4” hunks. I’m hoping that will work well. Seem like it would be great for the run, hopefully a good solution for the coop as well! I can always get a bag of shavings or hemp bedding to add here and there as well, I suppose.

Different solutions work for different people, in differing circumstances. Even Deep Litter (which I am fond of) can have problems if its done improperly - like a truck load of mulched green leaves, which can mat and mold/mildew, or a truck load of chipped cedar - whose bug repelling odor (while valued for that property) can be very hard on a chicken's surprisingly delicate respiratory system.

But mixed chip sizes suggests mixed sources, and that's a good thing, as are the mix of sizes themselves. Good fortune in your chicken journey!

 

[3KillerBs]

from the Sandhills.

I'm a great fan of Deep Bedding in the coop and Deep Litter in the run. I explained my reasons -- and the reasons others choose not to use it -- in this article: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/using-deep-bedding-in-a-small-coop.76343/