Winterizing coop not working out

[Kat2141]

One thing that I found last year when I did the deep litter method is that it worked best if I took a pitchfork and stirred them periodically... the girls didn't stir them up enough on their own. It helped a lot with drying and with reducing odor. I would stir it up and then add a thin layer on top. I like the deep litter method because it seems the floor is warmer for them. I am so thankful that we opted to put ours in an unused horse stall in our barn. It has wire halfway up on 2 walls, so has good ventilation but not open to wind. I haven't had near the problems that I've seen others deal with.

 

[CityslickerHomestead]

I've never had that problem. Actually I start all my chicks on it because the pellets are really big and too big to swallow, unlike fine shavings, for example.

My birds throw a huge dust bath party every night in the winter when there's no actual dirt.

Running to my Ag store after work to see if they have these in stock!

 

[bobbi-j]

Their feathers are perfectly arranged to hold in their 106°F body temp...
...unlike your layers, even if you have the best down coat.

@bobbi-j has the perfect analogy explaining why heat is not needed...
something like this:
put on all your winter gear, then sit next to the wood stove.

Go outside first. Spend and hour or two out there. Then come in, leave on all your gear, and go sit next to the wood stove.

 

[aart]

I would add some compressed pine pellets to the coop floor, around 2-3". You can still use shavings if you want, but the pine pellets are really good at absorbing moisture, shavings are NOT.

The kiln dried pine shavings will absorb moisture,
not near as well as the sawdust pellets,
but way better than sand.

 

[Shezadandy]

The kiln dried pine shavings will absorb moisture,
not near as well as the sawdust pellets,
but way better than sand.

Yes - back in the day I used to work at a horse farm - where every morning started with feeding then cleaning stalls. The shavings will take it up to a point, and NOTHING smells as good as a stall filled with fresh pine shavings!!! but the pellets do so much better. We concentrated pellets in the habitually "wet" areas (depended on the horse) and did shavings in the "drier" areas where manure would tend to land. (unless it was a "swirl-er"!! … nothing much one could do about that)

Either way you wind up taking the very wettest section, and (for horses) added back a portion of new pellets in the not-saturated but certainly not dry areas, mix them together and it dries up nicely. The chickens, even when walking around in the slop from days of rain, don't come close to just a single 'go' for a horse! And the pellets also do a good job taking up moisture from the chicken poo that doesn't hit the poop boards.
The other reason I like them is they break down into useable stuff for the garden much faster than shavings, and with regular turning over they have really good longevity.

 

[aart]

Yes - back in the day I used to work at a horse farm - where every morning started with feeding then cleaning stalls. The shavings will take it up to a point, and NOTHING smells as good as a stall filled with fresh pine shavings!!! but the pellets do so much better. We concentrated pellets in the habitually "wet" areas (depended on the horse) and did shavings in the "drier" areas where manure would tend to land. (unless it was a "swirl-er"!! … nothing much one could do about that)

Either way you wind up taking the very wettest section, and (for horses) added back a portion of new pellets in the not-saturated but certainly not dry areas, mix them together and it dries up nicely. The chickens, even when walking around in the slop from days of rain, don't come close to just a single 'go' for a horse! And the pellets also do a good job taking up moisture from the chicken poo that doesn't hit the poop boards.
The other reason I like them is they break down into useable stuff for the garden much faster than shavings, and with regular turning over they have really good longevity.

Luckily we are dealing with much, much less 'wet' with chickens than with horses.

 

[Shezadandy]

Luckily we are dealing with much, much less 'wet' with chickens than with horses.

For sure!! Every time I gripe about carrying a 5 gallon bucket of chicken leavings down to the compost area, I remember how heavy the manure cart was.

 

[Shezadandy]

Running to my Ag store after work to see if they have these in stock!

Hopefully they work out for you! I love 'em.

 

[Trevorusn]

Also, Ill try out sand instead of bedding.
Does anyone know of a certain brand/type of sand to use?

River sand, tubing sand, it may have a few different monikers but look for the coarser larger granulated sand, not sandbox fine sand. Too fine can lead to respiratory issues, the coarse sand is heavier and absorbs better. The only thing with sand is to clean it out daily for best results, which is fairly easy as the sand draws moisture out of the poop and you can than scoop it out. Sand can freeze, so layer it on pretty good, I did 4 50lb bags for my 4x6 coop, and it really only needs one big annual cleanout/resand.

 

[nnumb3rulz]

It's currently 4 degrees in the Dakota's and windy. I don't get why folks think they need to provide chickens a climate controlled life. I have very little insulation in the coop and I only heat the water to 50 degrees. It's 20 degrees in the coop right now and the ladies have shown no sign of stress. Still cranking out the eggs...

Let the manure freeze, use plenty of wood chips for bedding and replace it weekly. Sprinkle in PTZ for moisture absorption.

Chickens and pheasants have survived centuries on the freezing prairies without people fretting over them.