What to use for coop floor?

[theron]

What bedding should I use for the chicken coop floor? Right now I'm using straw, but was just wondering about an alternative. Thanks

 

[RocketDad]

I use shredded pine. It's fairly cheap, easy to work with, not obnoxious to the chickens, gives them good tread underfoot, and absorbs moisture well. It also makes great compost with the addition of the poo.

I buy it in compressed bales from Murdocks, the farm/ranch supply here.

 

[Kittymomma]

Pine or white shavings work well. I don't like straw because it tends to hold mosture on the bottom and being hollow it gives the buggies a place to hide and makes them harder to get rid of if the wild birds bring any in.

I have a lino floor in my coop and top it with a few inches of shavings. I haven't had much luck with the deep litter method because my girls track in too much mud and wet this time of year so I clean the dropping boards a couple of times a week and shovel the whole thing out into the compost pile about once a month.

 

[chickeydee]

I use all purpose sand that you can get from a material yard or lowes or home -depot in mine with a little de and just rake it .

 

[kipper]

Shavings. Straw stinks. We love deep litter, works great!

 

[Cindiloohoo]

Quote:
Same here!

 

[chauqg]

4 inches of shavings wood works great add another compressed bale as needed.

 

[Hamptons06]

I've tried every method. We did shavings, grass hay.... now we use sand with a little DE and LOVE it. My 9yo daughter simply goes in there when she gives them fresh water and just uses a litter scoop to clean the poop. The sand dries it out so easy breezy!!!

 

[gsim]

Grass clippings.

Only thing other than that I would use would be wood chips/shavings if they were free like my grass clipping are. I use big poop planks, 24" wide under all roosts, linoleum covered. I scrape them daily (into 20 gallon bin with snap lid) during morning coop chores. That way my litter only has to be changed once a year. If needed, a little topping of litter may be added since I store dry grass clippings for that purpose. My chooks are outside most of the day and even if it rains they are out quite a bit in the rain. Since my run is too big to cover over, I am doing a place beneath the coop for a dust bath that will be dry on rainy days. A chook hangout for bad weather days.

 

[cobrien]

I have tried everything and now have a strong preference for 1" welded wire for the coop floor, with a foot or two of open space below (open space is ventilated but blocked from wind). It is not good for their feet to be on this surface for long periods, but they only walk on it to get to the roost or to the nesting boxes. No cleaning necessary because the poops fall through to a compost area below. I add occasional dry leaves, grass clippings, DE, stall dry, +/or pine shavings to the poop area about every few months and then harvest the compost once or twice a year for the garden. It is so much cleaner than any method I've tried. For the run, I use sand with a little dry stall / DE added on occasion. Also cleaner than anything I've tried, probably cleaner than most people need because my coop is only 25' from my house and my neighbor's house, I have a sensitive nose and I have a very low tolerance for flies.

My second preference for the coop floor would be linoleum (not vinyl, for ecological reasons, unless it is used) covered with pine shavings or sand with a little DE or stall dry.

Good luck!