Opinions and experiences with bedding

[Sunshine]

So I've been reading up about the different beddings one can put in their chicken coop.

The front third of our coop will be sand...the rear 2/3rds is where the roosts and a couple nests are...

We were thinking pine shavings. I'd used wheat straw in the past and it was fine but it doesn't break down very fast in the compost pile.

I've also heard pine needles, shredded paper, pea rock, cat litter....

Seems like a super wide array of choices...maybe I hadn't even heard of all of them.

What works for you guys? Reasonable in price and easy to break down...

 

[Sonya_6]

I use pine shavings and a poop dropping board under the roosts. I believe shavings dry out moisture whereas straw or sand hold moisture (and straw rots as a result causing mold etc...). Moisture in a coop is a bad thing as it can cause lung infections etc...

The dropping board makes the biggest difference though since well over 90% of the poop ends up there, and every few days I can just scoop it up for the compost pile. That means the shavings on the floor itself stay very clean and only need to be changed out maybe 3 times a year (big cost savings).

It is much less work and means the poop added to the compost pile is ALL poop, and I can use the shavings in the vegetable garden as a mulch/top dressing on walkways or even around plants (instead of filling up the compost pile with shavings).

 

[Sunshine]

I've definitely been thinking about using the poop board lol

 

[Sonya_6]

Another thing that works really well on dropping boards is Sweet PDZ granules. It is a mineral and makes for an excellent non-toxic desiccant that dries out poop right away (plus is perfect safe if the birds eat some).

Nice thing about it is that it never has to be replaced, just scoop the poop out for the compost pile and add more granules when needed. It was originally marketed for horse stalls (to dry urine and prevent ammonia fumes) but is used in a lot of chicken coops now, if you buy some get the granules not the powder (the granules are tiny and about like sand, the powder is probably a big mess).

 

[Sonya_6]

I've definitely been thinking about using the poop board lol

The poop board will be the single greatest feature in the new coop. Seriously. It saves you sooooo much work and money in shavings.

Insist on a poop board (waist high for easy cleaning) and you will be very glad you did.