What do you use on the floor of your coop?

[luvmychicknkids]

What I do right now is (on a plywood floor) have a plastic drop cloth tacked down. I covered that with a canvas drop cloth then straw on top. The plastic keeps the floor dry and clean, the canvas is EASY to clean when I change out the straw and can be taken out and changed as needed (and gives a nice surface feel). I really like straw, I love the way it smells and my chickens look so cute carrying pieces of it in their beaks.

 

[Smitty's Farm]

Quote:
Smitty,

Our girls love to dust bathe in the coop litter so we end up with shavings in the nest boxes. I tell everyone that they decided I didn't do a good job with their hay and they do it to pad the eggs better. The looks on their faces is worth it!

Dawn

Chickens are so silly!!!! That's how my SLW got to be named Psycho, b/c she's so funny. Mine love to dust bathe in the shaving in the coop also
mainly in the winter when their run is snowy or wet. I think..... EWE, that's gross! Man the dust they can kick up. LOL!!!!! I keep saying that when we re do the run this spring that under their shelter I'd put a dust bathing bin in for them, but I'm sure they'd perfer the shaving in the coop for sure if I did that.

 

[AtRendeAcres]

I use wood shaving Nov-March ((for warmth)) than switch to sand much cheaper & easier to clean & DE & PDZ mix great!!!

because it is all natual I still through in compost bins
I have a pick up truck & go to cement mixing place they drop on truck $8 for April - Nov. cheap & easy!

some people on forum sift with old screen!

 

[Churkenduse]

Dawn419 wrote:
We covered the floor in our playhouse coop with a linoleum remnant (for easy cleaning)

I got a bale of hay free when I started and thought that was best (at the time) mistake, it ishard to clean, I am starting to replace most with shavings now.

Listen to the pros here and use the shavings, may be a bit more money but WELL WORTH IT!

 

[dragonshiner]

We use straw in our coop. The chickens seem to like it. I've heard that you can use newspapers as well. But I don't know for certain. Anyone else hear that?

 

[sundance]

I use hay, both in the nest and on the floor, it is hard to clean but makes good mulch for the garden,That why I try to wait until its dry to clean the coop out. Lifting wet hey full of chicken poop is sometimes very heavy, esp with a back problem,but i love my ladies enough to put up with all the pain, and they love me back with nice brown eggs and chicken "talk".

Owned by 13 RIR,1pitt bull,1 poodle mix,1yorkie,1 great dane and 1 crabby gray cat.

 

[d.k]

* Hey, RChicks?? What's PDZ??

 

[twigg]

Cedar shavings may cause problems with birds .... and hay is best avoided too. Straw or woodshavings are probably best

Hay, btw, makes great food for horses, sheep etc, but doesn't make good bedding. It is generally considered to get too warm, and is subject to mould if it gets at all damp. It WILL get damp around chickens!

Straw is way cheaper too ..... bonus!

 

[mandomama]

Hi All,

Is that really lenolium or vinyl on the floor. It almost looks like counter top laminate.

Also, do you guys put shavings in your runs as well? I want to keep the mud down. How about some kind of bark?

Thanks for your feedback.