This may seem like a simple question but Ive looked through many posts and cant quite figure out what to do. The coop floor is fake concrete (dirt/cement mix) and is divided in two by a 2x8 set on end. Half the coop is under the roosts - for clarity sake Ill call it the bedroom. The other half has the nest boxes, water & feed - livingroom.
I had pine shavings under the roosts but when cleaning theres more shavings than poop which seems wasteful and ends up being a lot of wood to compost in the garden. I was coming to the conclusion that maybe the floor under the roosts should not have any shavings or a light dusting. So now temperatures are supposed to get down to the teens with highs in the 20s or teens for a week or two. I should have deep litter in the living room, right? Ive added a lot but it seems to pack down quickly. What do I do on the bedroom floor? They sleep right over it and it borders two outside walls of the barn. Yesterday we stapled cardboard on the studs so theres a dead air space on the outside walls. The two inside walls 1 chick wire and covered by a roll up tarp (which is very handy for airing out during warmer weather). Is the tarp enough for cold weather? The barn has open windows and stall door for the horse to come in.
What do I do with the bedroom floor? More shavings? If so, how deep? I have an extra bale of grass hay but is that a good idea?
The way the roosts are set I cant do poop boards. Maybe we can re-arrange next spring if need be. The coop is 7'x11', we have 11 hens. I REALLY appreciate any help here.
Prairie Mary
I had pine shavings under the roosts but when cleaning theres more shavings than poop which seems wasteful and ends up being a lot of wood to compost in the garden. I was coming to the conclusion that maybe the floor under the roosts should not have any shavings or a light dusting. So now temperatures are supposed to get down to the teens with highs in the 20s or teens for a week or two. I should have deep litter in the living room, right? Ive added a lot but it seems to pack down quickly. What do I do on the bedroom floor? They sleep right over it and it borders two outside walls of the barn. Yesterday we stapled cardboard on the studs so theres a dead air space on the outside walls. The two inside walls 1 chick wire and covered by a roll up tarp (which is very handy for airing out during warmer weather). Is the tarp enough for cold weather? The barn has open windows and stall door for the horse to come in.
What do I do with the bedroom floor? More shavings? If so, how deep? I have an extra bale of grass hay but is that a good idea?
The way the roosts are set I cant do poop boards. Maybe we can re-arrange next spring if need be. The coop is 7'x11', we have 11 hens. I REALLY appreciate any help here.
Prairie Mary
