What bedding you guys use for winter?

[edgarmongold]

Straw can also harbor bugs in their hollow centers. Chickens don’t need bedding, they need litter. I agree sand or something scoopable is best for keeping a clean coop. The less poop the less humidity, and humidity is what makes the risk of frost bite higher. Currently I’m using pine shavings with a poop board underneath the roost that I scoop daily. This keeps things clean and fresh with manageable humidity. The job of litter is not to keep the coop warm, although some may argue that deep litter method helps keep the coop warm, I have not found that to be true in my experience.

We just switched to the deep litter method (or deep bedding)? We heard that when the poop breaks down the decomposition generates heat. Does anyone else use this method?

 

[Bird_Lover_17]

But you have to scoop it out every morning, right? Won’t the poop that doesn’t decompose turn into little ice cubes? I’ve heard so many different things.

I don't have a lot of chickens, but I have a big coop, so I scoop it out weekly.

 

[edgarmongold]

I have used the deep litter for years.
Mostly pine shavings but have switched to ground corn cobs and like the way they break down better.
Not sure I understand what the comment about keeping coop warmer is asking.
It keeps the floor warmer by insulating from floor.
There’s some heat from decomposing litter.
Other than that the answer is no.
Forget it if you want to raise the temperature in coop.

 

[KarynVA]

I use a blend of pine shavings and chopped straw. For winter, I plan to pile it deeper, but otherwise, keep the bedding materials the same throughout the year.

 

[Aapomp831]

I have used the deep litter for years.
Mostly pine shavings but have switched to ground corn cobs and like the way they break down better.
Not sure I understand what the comment about keeping coop warmer is asking.
It keeps the floor warmer by insulating from floor.
There’s some heat from decomposing litter.
Other than that the answer is no.
Forget it if you want to raise the temperature in coop.

Where do you get an endless supply of ground corn husks? Do they seek this in feed stores?

 

[edgarmongold]

Where do you get an endless supply of ground corn husks? Do they seek this in feed stores?

 

[edgarmongold]

Not corn husks rather ground corn cobs.
Rural King is only place I have been able to find them in west central OH.
Once I found them I haven’t looked for them anywhere else.
Best bedding I have used in 50 years with chickens.

 

[Aapomp831]

Not corn husks rather ground corn cobs.
Rural King is only place I have been able to find them in west central OH.
Once I found them I haven’t looked for them anywhere else.
Best bedding I have used in 50 years with chickens.

Interesting... I’ll have to check it out.

 

[jreardon1918]

My chickens kick there bedding out everywhere when I put new in so pine shavings wouldnt really work for me but I have tried it when they were first put into the coop and went wild

Can you add boards to keep in some of the shavings? To go into the coop there is a 2x4 threshold which helps keep in the shavings. And what they do kick out, ends up in the run.

 

[Annalyse]

Straw can also harbor bugs in their hollow centers. Chickens don’t need bedding, they need litter. I agree sand or something scoopable is best for keeping a clean coop. The less poop the less humidity, and humidity is what makes the risk of frostbite higher. Currently, I’m using pine shavings with a poop board underneath the roost that I scoop daily. This keeps things clean and fresh with manageable humidity. The job of litter is not to keep the coop warm, although some may argue that the deep litter method helps keep the coop warm, I have not found that to be true in my experience.

were going to be adding a poop board once we finish it. The deep littler method is too confusing and I know I'm going to mess it up. I'm going to be getting hemp bedding nad using that and just have myself suffer through the cold cleaning the coop lol