Turkey coop beding...methods/ideas?

[zekii]

Looking for some ideas/hints...what others are using for bedding inside their turkey coops? My coop as a solid painted wood floor, I covered with pine wood shavings...so far it is working ok, but not sure how long it will take before I need to remove the old bedding/replace or just add to it....with the deep bedding method work with turkeys?
With my chickens I built poop boards that catch alot of the dropping under the roost,
clean this board once a week, and keeps alot of the poop off of the floor, I can't see having poop boards for my turkey coop, since the roost area is so large. I have been stirring up the shavings daily, and the poop is drying out...yest there are flies but nothing too bad.

 

[frank53061]

I just use your standard Store bought pine chips.
I will put 2 to 3 inches down and add to it as needed and when there becomes a ammonia smell I will remove all of the bedding and scrub it down with a 10 % mix of bleach and water allow it to dry well before allowing the birds back in.
I have to do this during the summer so far every 6 weeks.
Now the Turkeys and the Chickens are not in the coop but at night when they are put there for bed time lock down.
During bad weather the more often I will have to clean it out.
This is a solid wood floor there are some that have a wire floor and a different method of cleaning.

 

[erinszoo]

We use straw for bedding material with our turkeys. We add to it when needed and stir it up. The deep bedding method has worked for us without any issues.

 

[bxrowley]

I just started with turkeys, but too plan to use the deep littler method with wood shavings, as I do the chickens. The problem with straw is it retains moisture and rots quickley in comparrison. I like the wood chips idea, which I've use in the pens but not in the coops, so I might try it. In our area (Northern VA) you can get all the wood chips (mulch) you want free at the county landfill, and it is not treated with chemicals like nursery grade mulch is.

 

[erinszoo]

We've never had any moisture problems with straw. The chickens turn it over and it makes great compost which is how deep litter works. Wood chips will choke the birds and plug up their crops if they eat them.

 

[bxrowley]

I have had mulch in my flower beds all around the house for yrs and the birds love dust bathing in them and just hanging out and never a problem. Wood chips are in the woods, turkeys natural surroundings, and doubt it causes a problem, but I could be wrong...

 

[MellowBird]

I use all purpose sand and rake the poo out ever other day. I also use a driveway blow torch every week. I never raised turkey and after all the horror stories I read that's what I came up with....but my turkeys still ended up getting sick!