What is coop bedding and do you need it? — The feather brain (2024)

Getting started with chickens can be overwhelming. Despite all the claims that “raising chickens is so easy,” there really is a learning curve when you first start. Perhaps the biggest learning curve in figuring out how to raise healthy and happy chickens is learning how to design chicken coops. This includes figuring out all the details about whether or not to use coop bedding.

What is chicken coop bedding?Chicken coop bedding is material, such as sand or straw, used on the floor of the coop to deal with chicken waste (that is, as bedding to control moisture and odors) and to provide a cushion for chickens coming out jumping into cages or nests. Boxes.

Do all chicken coops need bedding?Some chicken coops may not need bedding, but most chicken coops do. Chickens can suffer health problems and injuries without bedding.

In this article, you will learn the characteristics of good bedding, how to choose the right bedding, and how to manage a chicken coop without bedding.

What is chicken coop bedding and why is it used?

Backyard chicken coop bedding plays a slightly different role than bedding for other livestock. In other pets, bedding functions as 'bedding' (i.e. a place to 'lie down' - to sleep or rest)Inas waste.

The bedding in the backyard, on the other hand, serveswhenas waste.

Backyard chickens sleep in roosts at night. They don't sleep on bedding. They don't live exclusively in the cage either. They spend most of their time outdoors, so their litter is only needed for processing chicken waste.

This means that litter for chicken coops in the garden should have the following properties of good waste:

1. High moisture absorption

2. Fast release of moisture

3. Odor control

4. Non-toxic composition

   See Also

   Bedding options for chicken coops - crab and minced foodCoffee Grounds 101 – Do you use it in chicken coops, poisonous?Pros and cons of chicken coop bedding - backyard poultryBest Bedding for Chicken Coops | Freedom Ranger Hatcheries

Why does chicken coop bedding need to absorb moisture?

To understand why bedding needs to absorb moisture, you first need to know about the properties of chicken bedding.

Chicken waste consists of both feces and urine. Chickens typically do not excrete much liquid urine unless they are experiencing a lot of stress, both physical (such as heat stress) and emotional (such as anxiety; Damerow, 2015). Instead, urine usually comes in the form of urates, which are white deposits that cover chicken deposits.

Despite the absence of very liquid urinechicken waste (the combination of feces and urate) still has an extremely high moisture content ranging from 55%-83%(Miles et al., 2011; van der Hoeven-Hangoor et al., 2014).

If your bedding cannot absorb the moisture from chicken waste, it can cause a whole host of problems for your chickens' health.

Wet bedding can cause lesions on chicken feet that can become infected with bacteria, which leads to bumblebees and other problems (see Shepherd et al., 2017 for a review).

Bacterial activity in wet litter leads to a dramatic increase in ammonia in the garden, which is produced by bacterial breakdown of waste and debris.Ammonia is a gas that can cause serious health problems in your chickens, including stunted growth, breathing problems and even blindness.Viral infections have also been linked to high ammonia levels (Ritz et al., 2005).

Wet waste can also supportgrowth of dangerous bacteriathat can cause illness or death in your chickens (e.g. Line, 2006).Dangerous fungican also retain wet waste and cause diseases such as aspergillosis and mycosis.Parasites such as roundworms, tapeworms and coccidiosisthrives in wet waste.

See Soliman et al. (2018) and Ritz et al. (2005) for further research into pathogens in litter.

Why does chicken coop litter need to release moisture quickly?

Litter from chicken farms must not only absorb water well, but also release water quickly (Bilgili et al., 2009). If your bedding doesn't release water quickly through evaporation, you'll end up having the same problems as if your bedding didn't absorb water at all.

The goal is to use bedding that stays dry.Both the absorption of water and the rapid release of water play an important role in keeping the bedding dry.

How does coop bedding control odors?

Dry chicken coop bedding helps the chicken poop dry out quickly, preventing odors.

Chicken waste that comes into contact with wet litter, on the other hand, will take a very long time to dry out. The mixture of wet waste andwet waste creates an environment where anaerobic microbes can thrive and produce strong, unpleasant odors(Herder et al., 2017).

Good bedding is bedding that remains as dry as possible. This way, odors in your home can be controlled.

Are all chicken coop bedding materials non-toxic?

The answer to this question should obviously be yes, but unfortunately it is a resounding answerNEE!

The most commonly used litter in the United States broiler industry is pine shavings (Shepherd et al., 2017). Waste containing pine shavings is also frequently used in Europe (Kaukonen et al., 2017). This litter is incredibly toxic to chickens in the long run.

Pine shavings are used in the broiler industry because they are readily available and inexpensive, and the industry is not as concerned with the quality of life of chickens as backyard chicken coops. Most importantly, broilers are killed before the toxic effects of pine wood can cause significant damage to their health and welfare. Broiler chickens usually don't live longer than a month or two.

On the other hand, if you raise chickens in the backyard and let them live a long and happy life, pine shavings are one of the worst choices for bedding in a chicken coop. Most backyard chicken keepers are completely unaware of the toxicity of pine trees, which is why many people fill their chicken coops with poisonous pine shavings.

To understand the toxic effects of pine and why you should never use it in the garden, see my article, Pine shavings in the garden: the secret chicken killer?

Cedar shavings and peat moss, although less commonly used, are also toxic to chickens - see my articles, Why you should never use cedar in your chicken coop InPeat Moss for Chicken Coop Litter: Great or Dangerous?

All wood shavings ground covers - pine, cedar and hardwoods (aspen, beech, birch, maple, etc.) are also carcinogenic (Demers et al., 1997).Play sand is also carcinogenic and does not belong in a chicken coop.

For more information on these bed types and many others, see my article, A comparison of 21+ chicken coop bedding materials.

Other properties of good bedding

Good bedding should also provide thisGod, I could do itfor your chickens. Despite being birds, chickens are quite clumsy to move from one vertical level to another. When they jump from comfort posts or nest boxes on the farm floor, they land with a loud thud.

The bedding should be soft and deep enough (at least 3 inches) to cushion a chick's landing. Otherwise, they may injure their feet or legs. Anecdotal stories abound of chickens jumping from perches onto frozen sand and breaking their legs (as an aside, you mightneverput wet sand in a chicken coop (use only dry sand).

Some bedding also has goodinsulating properties—This is a plus, but not a requirement for good bedding. I have found that having sand in my piles keeps the house much cooler in the hot summer months. Some people who use the deep straw bedding have found that it keeps their coop warmer during the winter months.

How to choose a good chicken coop for you

Why sand and chopped straw are the best bedding

The best bedding for your home depends on your goal for raising chickens. If you raise your chickens for meat, or if you plan to slaughter your laying hens after a year or two, you may be using toxic or carcinogenic bedding in your home. cages.

As a chicken lover, I don't recommend this, but I do want you to have all the information you need so you can make the best decision for you.

The carcinogenic and toxic properties ofwooden curls, peat moss, In empty sand This is unlikely to cause serious harm to your chickens after just a year or two. The exception to this is if a dangerous mold or bacteria is growing in your hometurf.

However, keep in mind that if you raise your chickens on any of these types of bedding, they will likely have a lower quality of life. These types of bedding are dusty and some (such as cedar and pine) contain chemicals that cause breathing and sinus problems. , as well as liver problems - see my articles about itthe dangers of pines hereIn the dangerous thing about cedar here for more information, including dozens of academic references.

The best materials for chicken coop bedding arenatural cornet sandInchopped straw. These types of bedding are the least dangerous for your chickens.

Sand has the very best waste properties – although it does not absorb moisture as well as many other types of bedding, it excels at releasing moisture quickly (Bilgili et al., 2009) and therefore staying dry. Your home will be great. it cleans best with sand, but you do have to scoop out the chicken bag regularly. If you don't want to do this at least once a week, consider using chopped straw.

In a small house, you can use a simple cat litter to remove feces, like this onecat litter scoop on Amazon. If you do this every day, it will only take a minute or two.

In a larger chicken coop, you can use a scoop with holes in the blade to scoop it right out spadeon Amazon. Larger copper pieces will take a little longer to clean, but it will be worth it for your girls.

I suggest using a waste bin under the nest rails to catch most of the droppings. Then you can use a scraper, like this one, to scrape the feces from the box every daytape meson Amazon. This will significantly speed up the cleaning of your home.

Straw is also a good ground cover. It is an excellent water absorber (Shepherd et al., 2017) and is not toxic or carcinogenic. Unfortunately, it does not release moisture very well (Shepherd et al., 2017) and can therefore harbor bacteria and fungi.

Still, straw is much safer than the other types of beds on the market. With vigilance and proper maintenance of your straw litter, you can virtually eliminate the risk of pathogens.

I actually usethis chopped straw on Amazon for one of my coops because I can't find chopped straw locally. It is a very clean, dry straw that is easy to handle and maintain. It also expands considerably when you take it out of the bag, making the bag durable and long-lasting.

For everything you want to know about bedding, including how to manage it in your chicken coop and how often to replace it, read my article:Use straw in your chicken coop.

Does every chicken coop need bedding?

Not all chicken coops need bedding, but most chicken coops do. Chicken coops that do well without bedding are quite small and have very low perches and nest boxes.

Chicken tractors also do not require bedding, as they are moved to fresh grass every day. I won't discuss them further here because they have no floor and are mobile - the fresh grass acts as ground cover.

If you are considering not using bedding, make sure your coop floor is safe for your chickens. Make sure that it does not release any gases, that there are no splinters or anything rough in it and that it is not slippery. All of these characteristics are a recipe for serious damage to your chickens.

If your home does not use bedding, your chickens should have free range. They should spend very little time in the coop and they should have plenty of safe places where they can stretch out and rest outside.

If your chickens don't have comfortable places to hide from the elements, predators, and aggressive flock mates, they will likely spend too much time in the coop. If they spend too much time in the coop, use bedding for their comfort.

If you don't use bedding, you'll need to scrape feces from your floor every morning.this scraping toolon Amazon to scrape the poop bins under my bunk beds every morning. This tool works just as well on a smooth chicken coop floor.

If your coop has a dirt floor, you will probably want to place a poop bin under the coop so that you can remove most of the poop from your coop. You may need to add more fresh dirt to your coop from time to time if your floor becomes slimy, smelly, or rough in some way.

You can also buy zeolite minerals to throw on the ground to help remove moisture - you can get thatzeolite mineral hair on Amazon if you can't find them at your local farm store. These minerals can work wonders in absorbing moisture. They can be used in both hangers with and without bedding.

Regardless of whether or not you use bedding in your chicken coop, you should always keep an eye on the condition of your chicken coop. Your house should never smell bad or disgust you.If so, you need to change your management practices.

Whatever you decide, your home must stay dry.

You may also be interested in:

• The BEST Luxury Home You'll Ever Buy: Treat your chickens to Rita Marie's

• Chicken coop ventilation: 21 design ideas with pictures

• Sand for chicken coop bedding: pros and cons and how to do it right

• Straw for chicken coop bedding: pros and cons and how to do it right

Like this post? Fix it!

Sources

• Bilgili, S., Hess, J., Blake, J., Macklin, K., Saenmahayak, and Sibley, J., "Influence of litter on footpad dermatitis in broilers." The Journal of Applied Poultry Research, v. 18, no. 3, 2009, pp. 583-589.

• Damerow, G., The Chicken Health Handbook. North Adams: Storey Publishing, 2015.

• Demers, P., Teschke, K., and Kennedy, S., "What to do with conifers? A review of respiratory effects and recommendations regarding exposure limits." American Journal of Industrial Medicine, v. 31, no. 4, 1997, pp. 385-398.

• Kaukonen, E., Norring, M., Valros A., “Evaluation of the effects of litter material and raised platforms on contact dermatitis and plumage cleanliness in commercial broilers and on litter condition in broilers.” British Poultry Science, v. 58, no. 5, 2017, pp. 480-489.

• Line, J., “Influence of relative humidity on the transmission ofCampylobacter jejuniin broiler chickens." Poultry Science, v. 85, no. 7, 2006, pp. 1145-1150.

• Miles, D., Rowe, D. and Cathcart, T., “Generation of litter ammonia: moisture content and organic versus inorganic waste materials.” Poultry Science, v. 90, no. 6, 2011, pp. 1162-1169.

• Ritz, C., Fairchild, B., en Lacy, M., "Nestkwaliteit en vleeskuikenprestaties." Cooperative Extension Service, The University of Georgia, Bulletin 1267, 2005, pp. 1-5.

• Shepherd, E., Fairchild, B. and Ritz, C., “Alternative litter materials and depth influence litter moisture content and paw pad dermatitis.” The Journal of Applied Poultry Research, v. 26, no. 4, 2017, pp. 518-528.

• Soliman, E., Sallam, N., and Abouelhassan, E., “Effectiveness of Poultry Waste Amendments on Bacterial Survival andEimeriaoocyst sporulation." Veterinary World, v. 11, no. 8, 2018, pp. 1064-1073.

• van der Hoeven-Hangoor, E., Rademaker, C., Paton, N., Verstegen, M., and Hendriks, W., “Evaluation of free water and water activity measurements as functional alternatives for total moisture content in broiler feces and nest. " Poultry Science, v. 93, no. 7, 2014, pp. 1782-1792.