I use a combination of pine shavings and pelleted wood. I used to use corn cob litter but it's not only expensive but often hard to get. So I switched to pelleted wood for horses. Its way cheaper. And by the way, the birds don't eat it...something that was a concern on another list.
I use the pelleted wood under roosts where most of the poop is. That way, I can use a manure fork and sift out the poop every day. Pine shavings are great (and cheap) but it's difficult to sift out the poop so I use that in the main parts of the houses and stir it and add more when necessary until it can be replaced.
I wouldnt recommend using straw, if it gets wet it can harbor aspergillosis; a fungus that can kill your birds and is also zoonotic...meaning that you can get it too :(
In my peahouse, I have a dirt floor, it's the only house that does, all my other houses have wood flooring. Thought I try and see how it worked out and it's working out very well...don't have the expense of litter and just have to rake out the poop every now and again. I like it. I have welded wire buried around the exterior perimeter to keep predators from digging in.
I would suggest doing a bit of experimenting to see what works best for you. I'm an obsessive 'cleaner' and like to get rid of poop everyday but it's not something that everyone does or has to be done on a daily basis.
Sue
Wildlife Rescue
--- In CHICKENS-101@yahoogroups.com, "Kimberly" <james_naff@...> wrote:
>
> I am a newbie to raising chickens. My husband almost has the chicken coop built, and I was wanting opinions on as to what to put on the floor of the chicken coop?
CHICKENS-101@yahoogroups.com
No comments:
Post a Comment