Rethinking my longtime use of straw - advice appreciated!

[MapleLaurelFarms]

We live in the mountains of NC where it can be cold, wet, and windy. I'm married to an architect who grew up with his contractor father, so we have a Ft Knox coop with a fully protected run via a metal roof and hardware cloth walls. I've always used straw in our coop and run and used the deep litter method, but this winter we got hit hard with (the state necropsy vet says) either Marek's or Leukosis and have lost almost all our flock.

We are doing a major cleanout, disinfectant, etc, before I start new chicks this June. We live very rurally with no close neighbors, and I've always practiced good coop biosecurity, so who knows how my chickens were exposed. After all we're having to discard along with the major cost and efforts of the cleaning and semi-restarting, I'm really hesitant to bring straw back into my coop, especially not knowing how my hens got sick to begin with. Also considering that straw bale costs have gone through the roof, albeit still cheaper than a lot of materials.

We have dirt floors in the coop and run, so after the major cleanout, I'm thinking of liming well then bringing in sand and topping that off with horse pellets, but I think this is also going to be expensive in the long run. At least it won't run the risk of infecting my hens with some other virus, etc. I've used sawdust in the past but hated how it stuck to my boots etc and got tracked everywhere. It also stayed wet for too long when it snow or rain blew into the run, so I'm concerned the pellets will do the same.

Am I being too finicky by worrying about the straw or hay we've always used? Any other advice for bedding/flooring material for our climate? I don't mind using two different materials in the coop and run. They're fully separated and only connected by a small, pop door.

 

[Debbie292d]

Wow, it sounds like such a beautiful and safe coop and run. I'm so sorry you went through this.

As an aside, Odoban kills well, too. I sterilize any shipped eggs with that before setting. They use that in hatcheries and hospitals.

Marek's, as you probably know, is passed via the shedding of dander from infected chickens, and it's said that it can travel up to 5 miles.

I've never heard of anyone's chickens getting anything from straw, not that it hasn't happened. Hay I've heard of causing respiratory issues, but that's usually older or moldy hay.

We've used horse bedding pellets in our coop, brooder, and nest boxes for many years and are very happy with those, but everywhere stays dry for the most part. If you're getting water in the coop, can that somehow be rectified? The run can't be helped I'm sure as otherwise it'd wind up being another building instead of a run. Would it be unfeasible to raise the run up a few inches with gravel, then cover that with dirt? Then perhaps tarping the side(s) where the prevalent wind comes from could help keep the water out?

 

[Island Coppers]

MapleLaurelFarms​

If you live in a forested area like I do have you considered getting a chipper?

 

[MapleLaurelFarms]

If you're getting water in the coop, can that somehow be rectified? The run can't be helped I'm sure as otherwise it'd wind up being another building instead of a run. Would it be unfeasible to raise the run up a few inches with gravel, then cover that with dirt? Then perhaps tarping the side(s) where the prevalent wind comes from could help keep the water out?

Thanks for your response! Thankfully no rain or snow in the coop; it's fully enclosed and dry as a bone. And water doesn't run through or even stand in our coop or run, but there's no way to stop blow-in into the run. The ground stays dry but the bedding does get wet. I've always liked how tossing around the straw in the run basically gets rid of the snow. Otherwise, my hens won't come out lol.

 

[MapleLaurelFarms]

If you live in a forested area like I do have you considered getting a chipper?​

We actually have a chipper that attaches to our tractor. It makes some fairly course mulch but we use it around our farm all the time and hens love love love to dig in the mulch, so that might work well in the run. Thanks for the idea!

 

[Debbie292d]

Thanks for your response! Thankfully no rain or snow in the coop; it's fully enclosed and dry as a bone. And water doesn't run through or even stand in our coop or run, but there's no way to stop blow-in into the run. The ground stays dry but the bedding does get wet. I've always liked how tossing around the straw in the run basically gets rid of the snow. Otherwise, my hens won't come out lol.

Well there you have it then! Pellets would work in your coop, and I'd give the course mulch a chance in the run, especially since it's virtually free.

In the coop, you said dirt floor. If it's a solid hard dirt floor, the pellets should work pretty good in there. We have a linoleum covered floor in our two large coops, then put down a couple of inches of pellets. Usually, the chickens stir them around enough, but if not, like in the brooders, we use a stick and just stir them now and then. The brooders get theirs changed with every new batch. The coops get changed just once a year, in the spring. By that time, the pellets are about 75% sawdust, but not the usual kind as this is dust-free. We haul that out and put some in the garden, around trees, and in the compost bins, sweep, and lay down another couple of inches.

 

[MapleLaurelFarms]

Well there you have it then! Pellets would work in your coop, and I'd give the course mulch a chance in the run, especially since it's virtually free.

In the coop, you said dirt floor. If it's a solid hard dirt floor, the pellets should work pretty good in there. We have a linoleum covered floor in our two large coops, then put down a couple of inches of pellets. Usually, the chickens stir them around enough, but if not, like in the brooders, we use a stick and just stir them now and then. The brooders get theirs changed with every new batch. The coops get changed just once a year, in the spring. By that time, the pellets are about 75% sawdust, but not the usual kind as this is dust-free. We haul that out and put some in the garden, around trees, and in the compost bins, sweep, and lay down another couple of inches.

Great advice. Yes, hard dirt floor in coop somewhere under all the straw. It sounds as if you basically use a deep litter* method with the pellets also? That suits me just fine. We're too busy around here to constantly be scooping poop.

I liked your idea of gravel, as well, and it might semi-protect new hens from whatever could be in the dirt from the former flock. You all have certainly given me some things to consider, which is great!

*Edited to add that I've been reading around the forum and just learned that I actually employ a "deep bedding" system, not deep litter. Potātoes, potahtoes.

 

[Debbie292d]

Great advice. Yes, hard dirt floor in coop somewhere under all the straw. It sounds as if you basically use a deep litter method with the pellets also? That suits me just fine. We're too busy around here to constantly be scooping poop.

I liked your idea of gravel, as well, and it might semi-protect new hens from whatever could be in the dirt from the former flock. You all have certainly given me some things to consider, which is great!

Very welcome!

The pellets in the coops are just absorbing the moisture from the poop and thus smell, so we never smell anything in there. We're not deep litter, just pellets alone. We never ever clean the floor in there as the chickens move them around enough, albeit once a year. If there were areas where poop piles up, those we'd remove I suppose, but they roost on top of the nest boxes (silkies) so that's where they poop the most. I put stall refresher up there so that makes cleaning their poops up there easier and also helps dry them out.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

You might consider shredded paper for bedding in the nests. My DH works at a bank so we get it free. It comes in big plastic bags so it's clean and easy to transport. It does not harbor bugs and it stays clean and dry. You might be able to get it at any office building, just ask for it.

 

[texsuze]

I've always used bags of pine shavings in my coop with great success. From TSC, mostly the 'large flake' variety but sometimes buy a 'small flake' bag. Easy to pick out poop (I do daily), doesn't turn to muck if it does get wet--just scoop out the wet shavings--easy on the feet when chickens jump down from the roost, not really any dust, used shavings are spread out on a trail on our property, but doesn't compost that well.

My run is the same sand as my horse turnout pens; not beach sand but a bit more coarse. Drains well, easy on the chicken feet, can be wet down in summer for cooling effect, easy to pick poop from (I do daily). You'd have to find a company that sells material by the truck load and look at what they have.