What bedding do you use in your coop, nesting boxes, and run?

[Blammmo]

I use pine shavings in the summer and straw or field hay in the winter, if you use any sort of hay, make sure it isn't dusty or damp. Chickens have sensitive respiratory systems and it could cause problems. I have used hay for years and haven't had any problems although others will advise against it. Try a few different things and see what works for you

 

[Midwifetammy]

What is " browns"? thanks

 

[aart]

Size always matters

.

I currently have 14 birds, my run is 14x14.

If you have enough "browns" to lock up the nitrogen in the manure, there will be no smell other than that of a forest floor. When you add a lot of "greens" such as grass clippings, you may get into trouble.

I add greens that the chickens will turn into manure, added treats.
My browns are deep, at least 2 feet deep in the center.

What is " browns"? thanks

When you build a compost pile you put a certain ratio of Greens(wet vegetable matter, manure, etc) and Browns(dried vegetable matter like dry leaves, straw, dry wood shavings, etc)

 

[henless]

I'm using deep litter in my open air coop. It consists of large pine shavings (small are just too fine), leaves, pine straw and cut grass when we mow the yard. I raked up several bags last fall and stored them in the shed for when my coop would be finished. I'm glad I did.

The only time my coop smells is when one of the chickens lets loose a fresh one. A friend of my DH's came over the other day. He & his wife have just gotten into chickens. He made a comment about how my coop has not smell. He said you can smell his when you pull up into the drive way. The deep litter is working!

In the nests, I'm using the pine shavings. When it needs changing, I'll just dump it onto the deep litter and put in fresh.

We are in the process of building the exterior run. Once the grass is gone, I'll be using the same bedding as the open air coop.

 

[RonP]

Just remember to keep it deep...with browns.
If it ever smells, add more browns.

Your birds will thank you, your nose will thank you

 

[Xiao Casa]

Could dry leaves, raked up in the fall and spring and saved in bags, work for the run too? I really wanted to try this but I don't know if the leaves would compost so well... We have Live Oak trees and the leaves are very tough and shiny. We never composted them because they didn't compost that well, but could it work with chickens? I know the birds would love it because bugs always try to take cover under the leaves.

A non-smelly run is very important to us, so I would try a few things until I found one that didn't stink.

 

[RonP]

It would work very well.

The flock will shred the leaves fairly quickly, especially if dry.
The "browns" will lock up the nitrogen from the manure and compost slowly but nicely, ensuring no manure odors.

I would start with 12 inches and keep adding as they shrink from shredding.

 

[funny farmer]

I use the deep litter method with straw in the coop, and pine shavings in the nest boxes. I have a dirt floor in both the coop and the run. Since the run isn't covered, it can get muddy and mucky in the winter, so I usually toss out bucket fulls of chips that we have on hand from fruit trees pruned in the spring that we ran through the chipper.

 

[Xiao Casa]

Deep litter does seem nice to me. Very little smell, hardly any cleaning either ... what could be better? But would snakes be a problem? There are a lot of snakes in South Texas, though they are usually smart enough to stay away from large birds like hawks.

 

[funny farmer]

I always throw in the leaves that we rake up in the fall. My gals love it. They do all the hard work and break it all down. It makes excellent compost in the spring.