Coop floor / bedding

[ice329]

OK now for the floor... the floor is just OSB so my thoughts were to go with a tarp first then this first time try Hay with a little cedar shaving mixed in... just enough to give it a nice smell and the farmer across the street say it is the best to use and it repels bugs and mites.. I know lot of people wont use it on this forum but unless someone really convinces me its gonna be a few inches of hay and cedar savings over a tarp. Sound good?

 

[gkeesling]

I've read on here that Cedar is toxic to chickens. I use pine shavings for my coop floor. A tarp may be a bit hard to clean. I got some linoleum remnants and put that over the wood floor in my coop. I can get a scoop shovel and a broom and clean it all up fairly quickly and easily.

 

[blueseal]

pine shaveings. no cedar

 

[purecountrychicken]

I put vinyl flooring on my coop floor,,,,easier to clean. Use only pine shaving

 

[cappy]

Try to get some linoleum remenants or even cheap stick on floor tiles. So easy to clean. Then cover with pine shavings. A bale is not very expensive and it gives a nice smell to the coop. Put a liberal (I hate that word) amount of sweet pdz or stall dry in the shavings and you really keep down the odor. Cedar is toxic according to everyone I talk to. Not worth the risk.
Ken

 

[teach1rusl]

I saw another post on here just the other day where the guy (gal?) used a tarp on the floor. I'd never seen that before. Would you tack it up along the bottom of the wall??? I think most either paint or use vinyl unless they have dirt or concrete floors, but a tarp would work okay. However, I would think a lot of bedding would work it's way down under tarp unless you tack it at least a foot up the wall...but maybe that's not an issue for you. Everything I've read says not to use cedar for bedding. Now whether that's as the primary bedding or at all I don't know. I wouldn't think that a few handfuls just to get the smell would be an issue, but I'd defintely research that first. I don't use it because I've read too much against it and don't want to take any chances with my girls...

 

[ice329]

I knew posting cedar would start a uproar... I think I may just go with the Hay only the first time around with no wood shavings. I may put some type of flooring down over the OSB but even if I do I will still use the tarp. I am going to screw those half round hooks or even picture hanger hooks into the wall bottom and put the gromets from the tarp right on them. Its my first time ever having a coop or even chickens but I do like the idea and I believe cleanup should be easy using the tarp... so dont take what I am doing to heart because it coming with no experiance with it. heheh

 

[Dora'smom]

Hi, I'm new here---and this is my first post!!!! I'm in NW Oregon, and have had chickens since last April. We have a mixed flock of nine-- we did have ten, but rehomed a beautiful buff orpington rooster last summer.
I just wanted to say that in preparing to learn chicken care, I took several local classes, and all teachers were adamantly against cedar shavings. If I remember correctly, it is the oil that is toxic. Which I guess is the same stuff that makes it a good moth deterrent. We use pine pellets for bedding as they keep things pretty odor-free and just dissolve into sawdust when dampened. We do use pine shavings for the nest boxes, and the chickens seem to do well with both pellets and shavings. Occasionally I throw some stall-dry in to keep it odor-free and prevent humidity from becoming a problem, also.
Hope this helps.

Christina

 

[BantyRooster]

Hay provide little, if any, insulation, as it is not hollow like straw. The ceder is definately not a good idea. The oil in the cedar chips in an irritant to the bird's eyes and respiratory tract. I'm not going to try to convince you of anything. That's your decision. They're your bids. It's your choice to take good advice or just disreguard it and the health of your bids.

Pine shavings are cheaper than cedar and they dont cause adverse health issues to the birds. 4-8 inches on the floor and you wont have any problems as long as you can keep it dry. If your coop is small enough to pick up the edges of the tarp and pull it out to change the litter, and it's left unsecured the chickens will scratch down to the edges and then under them, causing you more work in the end. Better to go with vinyl flooring secured at the edges. OSB doesnt hold up well as flooring, even if it's been painted. Easier to do it right the first time.

The pine absorbs the little bit of moisture from the manure and it breaks down as they scratch in the coop. You can add to it with out completely changing it by removing a bag's worth and adding a new bag every couple months This method makes it very economical and less work then trying to completely remove hay and wood chips several time a year.

There's some time tested information. Hope it's useful to you.

Mike

 

[ice329]

Trust me I read all the advice and value it, then research it on Yahoo. Cedar is OUT. Seems there enough solid facts both here and on the net to not put cedar in there. I am sold.

The OSB is already down and the walls are built over it, for now its not coming out. With my trip to Lowes tomarrow I will be checking the lino remnants... I only need 6x8 to cover the whole floor so we will see what they got.