What Bedding Do You Use? ~ Member Poll And Compilation~

[Rivers Edge Homestead]

I’ve been using a mix of pine and cedar shavings (about a 90/10 ratio). After lots of reading I chose to use the deep litter method and add bedding and food grade DE occasionally to help keep moisture under control. I also stir the bedding up daily because I have a lot of chickens in the roost at night. Their run is plenty large for them all, but the roost will have to be improved on eventually.

 

[aart]

What kind of bedding you use may depend on how you manage the manure.
This is about cleaning, but covers my big picture

-I use poop boards under roosts with thin(<1/2") layer of sand/PDZ mix, sifted daily(takes 5-10mins) into bucket going to friends compost.

-Scrape big or wet poops off roost and ramps as needed.

-Pine shavings on coop floor, add some occasionally, totally changed out once or twice a year, old shavings added to run.

- My runs have semi-deep litter(cold composting), never clean anything out, just add smaller dry materials on occasion, add larger wood chippings as needed.
Aged ramial wood chippings are best IMO.

-Nests are bedded with straw, add some occasionally, change out if needed(broken egg).

There is no odor, unless a fresh cecal has been dropped and when I open the bucket to add more poop.

That's how I keep it 'clean', have not found any reason to clean 'deeper' in 7 years.

 

[black_cat]

In the coop I use these pine shavings from TSC. In the run, I use a mix of dirt, sand, leaves, dirty shavings, straw, wood chips- basically whatever. On the poll, do you want us to put in a vote for coop or for run?

 

[SulkyBantam]

@3KillerBs-
I really did not expect that!

 

[MysteryChicken]

I use straw.

 

[CHlCKEN]

I use wood chips (Mulch) in the run. They stay dry better than my old run which I used straw in, and mud is never an issue in there! The chickens love scratching through it, and the tree above the coop lets leaves, sticks, and other small things to fall in. It keeps them busy and they’re always finding worms and things!

For the coop I simply use wood shavings (not chips) which I’m not a huge fan of, but they’re easy to clean out and compost.

Speaking of bedding, I need to go clean out the coop

 

[AntiqueB]

Pine shavings with lime and PDZ mixed in in the coop. I remove poop daily, and add more bedding when needed.

The run has rice hulls with DME and lime mixed in. It sits on pavers, so it doesn't get muddy. They also spend all but maybe an hour a day free-ranging in the yard, so they aren't in it much. I rake it out every couple months, or when it looks too matted down. The chickens love it when I put down new hulls; there must be some rice bits left in it because they really love scratching around in it!

 

[3KillerBs]

@3KillerBs-
I really did not expect that!

 

[JedJackson]

I'm using pine shavings these days. They tend to stay drier than straw.

In a dry climate I would go with straw, since it is cheaper.

 

[jreardon1918]

In the coop I use these pine shavings from TSC. In the run, I use a mix of dirt, sand, leaves, dirty shavings, straw, wood chips- basically whatever. On the poll, do you want us to put in a vote for coop or for run?

Pine shavings in the coop.

Run gets annual shavings clean out + cut grass, leaves, pine needles, yard and garden waste, table scraps. Going for the forest floor effect.