DaisyFaye7
Songster
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.
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.