with vinyl should I put bedding ?

[Miss Lydia]

My coop has vinyl on the floor and am wondering if I should put down bedding or just leave it and clean up everyday? anyone have any ideas?

 

[Cluckn Crazy]

I would suggest the deep litter method. Do a quick search and you'll find alot of info on this site. I use pine/spruce shavings and am very happy. Not sure where you are, but my girls love to scratch and nestle for warmth in their bedding... and it smells nice. I just don't want to clean poop that often!

 

[Mahonri]

I have a vinyl floor. Every week we sweep and mop and then put down DE and pine shavings. It's been working for us.

 

[patandchickens]

Oh yes for sure.

First, because it will be real hard to get the poo off if you let them poo directly on the vinyl and then trample it on; and second, because vinyl can be slippery for birds landing from their roosts.

(And no, you should not count on just hosing or pressure-washing the coop every day, as water WILL get in behind the vinyl I absolutely guarantee you, no matter how you have installed it, and cause rot, and because it will cause severe humidity problems in the coop unless you live in a desert.)

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[gryeyes]

I have a horse stall mat on most of the coop floor and vinyl on the last two by four feet. There's at least four to six inches of pine shavings over both surfaces.

 

[Chicky Tocks]

I have vinyl underneath 3-4 inches of pine shavings. I would not reccommend just the vinyl as a substrate because you'll end up with a lot of chickens with splay legs, broken hips and other issues from jumping down from the roost and slipping. AND as another above stated, you can't just hose it. The poop will pack and it will be more work than it's worth to get it clean. What I do enjoy about having the vinyl for is that when I do my yearly cleaning, the chips slide right out and then after a good hose and mopping, we're done for another year.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

What I have been doing in my shed coop (with a wood floor) is to just sprinkle some DE or sweet PDZ down to absorb the moisture from the poo. Then every two days I rake it out into a large dustpan and carry to the compost. Then add more powder to under the roost area.

I tried the deep litter method for the shed coop but it was just too expensive for me. Because of the large area and I was so picky about it being fresh. The way I am doing it now smells better too. Also the rain came into the shed around the edges and wet the litter.

I cloroxed the area where the wall meets the floor after I swept out all the shavings.

But Pat has a very good point about slipperiness. They need a good grip when they land and take off.

 

[fatkid]

Okay, so brand new here. I am assuming that DE might stand for diatomaceous earth but what about PDZ?
Looking forward to getting some chickens someday.
Thanks,

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Quote:
I don't know what it stands for but it is a mineral-sounding name when you look at the ingredient (what it is).

 

[Cargo]

Sweet PDZ Product Summary:
Horse stall refresher is made of an all-natural, non-toxic and non-hazardous granular mineral. Contains no masking scents or perfumes. Absorbs moisture and neutralizes ammonia and odors through cation exchange (a unique neutralizing process associated with Clinoptilolite Zeolite, Sweet PDZ's main ingredient). Safe and superior alternative to hydrated lime and barn lime. Extends bedding life, reduces fly population, environmentally "green". Comes in a 25 lb. bag.