Pine Shavings as Flooring and Cost?

[Diesel84]

Hi BYC!!

I have a small coop/run that I just finished for my 3 lil fuzzy butts that will be here next week!

I had a question on bedding/flooring for the run (The entire run is covered in hardware cloth to prevent predators) I paid $4.50 at my local feed store for Pine shavings.. I believe it was 1,200 cubic inches? Anyhoo, the package seems a bit small - I was wondering what kind of cost do my fellow BYCers incure a month on replacing/re-bedding the shavings for their flock?

I will only have 3 hens and was trying to tally up the total cost of upkeep and maintenance for my new girls

Or any other better cost effective materials that could be used as bedding? What are your experiences BYC?

Thank you so much!!!

 

[CityChook]

from MN

The bag of shavings will fluff up once it's opened. It's packed pretty tightly.

I'm not convinced that shavings are the best material for the run. They will get wet and moldy and need to be replaced frequently. Seems like wasted money to me.

Don't know the size of your run or coop. But my experience with a 6x8 coop is 3 bags of shavings per year (2 bags for summer, 3 bags for winter). I only clean out my coop twice a year and replace the shavings then. They cost around $5 a bag around here.

I put sand in the run.

 

[cthrash1]

Well I use pine shavings on my floor and in my nest boxes. If you only have 3 chickens you shouldn't have to replace them but once every other month, but this is all a matter of personal preference too so it's up to you. One big bale of shavings here only costs 4.00-6.00 and it put a good layer on my 6x8 coop floor. I rake it around about once a week and change it every month to every other month. My chickens spend all of their time outside in the pen except at roost and inclement weather so the floor doesn't get dirty as bad.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Bales of shavings are compressed. They fluff out, after you get them out of the bale. At least, mine do!

If you don't want to change all the shavings once a month, you could use the deep litter method. That's my favorite. Then you are just adding a bit more as you go, rather than changing out the entire coop at once. I start with just a couple of inches to cover the floor and add more as it needs it. For deep litter, I change it once a year.

You could also spot clean the dirtier areas more often, instead of waiting to do a full clean all at once. Some people use a poop board or litter box arrangement under the roost, too. There are lots of different ways to manage coop litter.

 

[NJbirdlover]

I use pine shavings in the deep litter method. Works great for us-I completely clean out the coop in the spring and fall. I use 3 bales initially and will add an other 1 or 2 in the summer. I do put down stall dry under the chips and will sprinkle in DE occasionally. Clean coop= healthy birds.

 

[Diesel84]

So majority uses pine shavings? I live in FL and I do get concerned with it getting wet and moldy - after all FL does seem to have a "Hurricanes hit here" sign on us Lol.

My coop looks like this - My grandfather built it for me by hand - it's a lot bigger in person but I have a feeling it will be temporary until they get bigger but it works for now!
http://www.gardeneggs.com/index_files/picsvids.htm

Should I cover the bottom with a linoleum type floor then add bedding? Or only put bedding in the coop and not the run? I just didn't want them to be walking on hardware cloth all day - I would think it'd be uncomfortable?

 

[CityChook]

Cute coop! I'll bet your Grandfather enjoyed making it for you.

Yeah, wire is uncomfortable for their feet. Don't know if you're planning on moving it. If so, then sand wouldn't be your best choice. Don't know - maybe someone with a wire-bottomed run can chime in. I always thought the idea of a tractor is to monopolize on the fresh ground/grass, but I have a stationary coop, so I'm not the best one to give advice.

I only use shavings inside the coop. I'll bet only a half bag would be fine to get you started, then you can top it off when it needs to be refreshed.

You mentioned wire on your run, but is there a bottom in your coop? Is it wire? Personally, I like having a plywood floor, not only because it makes the coop more secure (think: diggers) and dry, but also because it's easier to clean. I didn't use linoleum simply because I'm cheap... I just painted the floor with leftover paint from the walls. Two years now and temperature fluxuations ranging approx 120-130 degrees and it hasn't failed me yet.

 

[Diesel84]

Thanks City!

He's 75 years old and enjoyed every minute of making the coop Lol gotta love Gramps! I initially had intentions of it being open so the would be able to pick and scratch all day however Gramps ended up covering the entire run w/hardware cloth to help with our neighborly predators. The coop is made entirely of wood, including the bottom so no wire there. Should I put shavings there as well? I also thought of cutting the wire bottom out of the run so they'd have open space, but then I'm back to square one with digging predators right?

I can't seem to get this right ! LOL

 

[gryeyes]

The small bag o' pine shavings is probably what you've purchased. I buy the BALE o' pine shavings, for about 12 bucks. It's pretty big. And compressed, so you can use about a quarter of it and that quarter bale will fluff up into quite a large amount of shavings.

There's linoleum over plywood on the floor of my coop(s) and I use the deep litter method (DLM).

 

[CityChook]

Quote:
Put the shavings in your coop. Not in your run. If you removed the wire from the bottom, yes, you might have trouble with digging predators. But if you lock up your chickens at night - and I mean LOCK them up, then you'd probably be alright. Out of sight is often out of mind.

Then again, here's another idea: Maybe you could use some wire snips and cut the bottom wire down the middle, like you'd cut open a fish, and then butterfly it open to make an apron AROUND the outer perimeter of your run at ground level. It would still be portable that way and the wire would discourage digging predators (they like to dig at the fenceline but don't think to move out 12 inches and try there...). Your chickens would have access to the grass and bugs, the wire wouldn't hurt their feet, you won't have to pay for shavings that are going to get gross after a rainstorm, they'd be safer and you could still move the tractor around. Would that work?