what do use on the floor of your coop please

[JackieAt]

We have cut a piece of lino which can be taken out and sprayed off if necessary. On top is wood shavings and the straw esecially in the cold and damp!! Chooks seem happy enough

[witch-1]

Hi
I also lined my coup with lino tiles (cheap ones from B&Q - when I also purchased lots of buckets too). I then use a layer of newspaper - then a layer of wood chip (stuff they use for horses so quite coarse - not sure I will purchase this again when its gone). Then a mix of straw and shredded paper. I buy the straw from pet stores (not the cheapest option) the paper I get from work as its finer than my shredder at home!

Question: Which is warmer - straw or paper? I wondered as our 'homeless' use newspaper for bedding!

I try and change all this once a week - not always possible.

Jan

[Pumpkin Becki]

Don't shoot me down guys!! (I did work for a well known poultry house manufacturer)

But you shouldn't use straw with poultry. It creates a perfect environment for red mite, who will live in the hollow tubes of the straw, making them impossible to irradicate. Dust free shavings (not to be confused with woodchips) are perfect but are only needed in the nest box area to give the hens something clean and soft to lay eggs on. You can put sheets of newspaper down under the perches as well, just take out the soiled sheets daily and put them straight on the compost heap.

Hemcore is also brilliant, but if you find several ladies all favour the same nestbox for laying, there is a risk that they might break one of the others eggs as they scratch about to get comfortable.

[Birdie Wife]

My neighbour said exectly the same thing Becki, she used straw once and got red mite in the coops were it had never been before. She reckoned they had been hiding in the straw itself.

[nick the grief]

I was once told to use Bracken in the nest boxes as it acts as a deterrent to mite - don't know how true it is.

I always used shaving and a good depth at that and oly cleaned it out once a year ( I only had 6 chucks in the end of the shed so they had loads of room) and then bagged it all up and stored it behind the shed for 12 months - lovely stuff for the garden as the Nitrogen helps break the shavings down

[Sue]

Hi
I use wood shavings in the coop, but in the covered run I gather up leaves that have fallen from the oak tree at the end of the hen's plot, then wood shavings and finally straw for them to root around in.
I then found that they must have been taking leaves into the coop to make themselves a nest - isn't that sweet! I come in the morning and there is a nust of leaves on top of the wood shavings.
Sue

[terrier]

...a nust of leaves...

I think you've just invented a new adjective, Sue. I rather like that one.

[diana]

Bit of a problem here in Orkney " NO TREES NO LEAVES"

[TPeers]

you shouldn't use straw with poultry. It creates a perfect environment for red mite, who will live in the hollow tubes of the straw, making them impossible to irradicate.

I didn't know that!

So what would you put in the nest box then - just more shavings?

[diana]

Thats what we use and straw, we used to keep 10,000 yes ten thousand free range egg laying birds and they did not have straw but we still got red mite so perhaps the straw is not the problem

[witch-1]

I got told straw but not hay! Hay can get damp and then get mouldy... might have to stick with shredded paper

Jan

[Pumpkin Becki]

I didn't know that!

So what would you put in the nest box then - just more shavings?

Yep, you really don't need loads of 'bedding' in a hen house, literally just put dust free shavings in the nest box, and the rest of the house can make do with a few sheets of newspaper for easy cleaning. Hens don't need 'bedding' for warmth at night like rabbits and guinea pigs do, they will use each others body heat (that's why its just as important important not to understock your hen house as to overstock it!). Similarly, an over-hot hen house stuffed full of bedding with perhaps poor ventilation can accelerate the red mite breeding rate.

Nest boxes have shavings so that eggs have a soft, clean landing as they are laid. Therefore your hens also shouldn't be allowed to sleep in the nest boxes, because they will poo in the nesting material during the night, which could transfer nasties through the eggshell.

Phew! End of lecture!!

[Birdie Wife]

I was once told to use Bracken in the nest boxes as it acts as a deterrent to mite - don't know how true it is.

That's an excellent idea Nick - I have trouble getting straw but there's loads of bracken about - must try and remember to collect it when it's not too mature (carcinogenic spores). I managed to get a bit of straw and the girls love nesting in it. Not too sure about ticks though - this area is very prone to them. I've got some flea and mite spray, maybe that'll sort it out?

[bridget mc laughlin]

hi furr ball.
i think the best thing to use is wood shavings,the best and cheapest way to get this is from someone who keeps horses