What bedding do you use in your coop??

[nolson]

What kind of sand? We are using washed yellow construction sand. We've had 3 chickens die with respiratory problems and wondered if it has something to do with the sand. We are still using it but we're adding more ventilation to see if it makes any difference. I agree about how easy it is for cleaning.

I wanted to use sand in my coop but double check with a an avian vet in my local area m, and he said he would ABSOLUTLY NOT use sand and that is WILL give your chickens respiratory problems or could cause them to die.

 

[Frindizzle]

I have been using sand recently, its great. My coop is way easier to clean now. The chickens actually love eating the sand!

 

[ChristieB]

I know this is an older post that's been bumped but I used rice husk with my first flock, it doesn't compost well but in a floored coop it worked well. It's cheap and you can buy it in bulk, and I mean super bulk. My coop now is dirt floor as it's just an old tank stand, I do deep litter with wood shavings. 1 bag lasts a long time, and again cheap. I once a week rake under the roosts then sprinkle with DE and a cm of fresh shavings, the feed bag under the roost is a great idea, might have to try that, I have enough of them lol.

The run is just dirt, they've scratched some shavings out of the coop, I throw scraps straight out my kitchen window into the run and lawn clippings go in too. If it was wet I might put straw down just where I walk but I haven't had to

 

[AliciaWA]

Thanks for the bedding ideas. We are just getting started.

 

[beginnergirl]

Use real river sand. Construction sand is often pulverized rocks containing silica. That is what is ruining your chickens respiratory systems.
Have you ever noticed the dust that comes up when you have poured and spread that sand?

Sand is mostly silica including river sand. Where do you get your sand? It isn't dusty?

 

[beginnergirl]

I wanted to use sand in my coop but double check with a an avian vet in my local area m, and he said he would ABSOLUTLY NOT use sand and that is WILL give your chickens respiratory problems or could cause them to die.

Thanks for posting this! I work with silica (sand) and know it can be very hazardous.

 

[Bonz]

There is no replacement for cleaning out your coop on a regular basis. Chickens are pro's at producing poop and lots of it, and their droppings will take over any type of litter used if it is not cleaned out on a regular basis. I use pine shaving's year around, the girls help with turning it over with a little scratch incentive and I have coop rake to turn it over myself. With my birds I clean the coop out every two months or if I smell strong ammonia smell so it may be sooner. No method is a bad method, sand and etc as long as you take care to keep it clean and replace it when it needs replacing. Keeps the mites and lice down and most important it lessen's the chance of your birds getting sick.

 

[GitaBooks]

Believe it or not, I don't use bedding in my coop. Why? Because while we have tried multiple times to fix it, the broken roof leaks and the cement floor gets soaking wet, creating a sloppy mess. So I just keep the floor bare. The chickens only really use the room for roosting, and I shovel out all the droppings as needed (however, all my shovels are broken so they really need a good cleaning right now!). I'm hoping to get my family to help me do a thorough clean out, as I'm not strong enough to scrape up some of the caked droppings that are on the roosts.

During the winter, when it isn't raining, I will probably add some hay or wood chips. Wood chips are way better on cement, but I find hay is better on a dirt floor.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I use a combination of shavings and hay, the chickens scratch through the hay with such joy, in bantam run I put grass clipping, leaves, hay, scraps, it's good digging. I do use sand in my turkey coop, I scoop out droppings daily with a kitty litter scoop taped to a handle, no bending.

 

[JanetS]

Thank you for all of your replies. We decided on using pine shaving. It's harder to clean out than the sand but the coop smells much better.