# What should i put on this floor...



## moose123 (Aug 11, 2013)

I will have 5 hens living in this space. It's about to get cold and snowy. I need help in what to use on the floor for easy cleaning etc, comfort, etc. any advice would be great!


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## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

Cement floor? That's easy...deep litter, layer by layer, deep and thick. Leaves, woody dry plants, pine needles, wood shavings and sawdust, etc. It will insulate against the cold, will bind with the feces and moisture to absorb odors and fecal build up, will give them something to do when the snow is too deep and will attract bugs and other critters they can eat. 

Make sure you have good ventilation at the floor and roof, and watch the birds nestle down into all the neat bedding. They will even dust in it when it gets to the right texture. If you find it staying too moist or smelling too strong, open your ventilation, add a layer of dry. When done right there should be very little smell except an earthy one, like soil.


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## moose123 (Aug 11, 2013)

Great thanks! Can I start with a layer of straw? How often do you clean?


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## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

I wouldn't use straw..it doesn't absorb well and takes forever to compost, so it just sits there and gets stinky. You don't ever clean it out...come spring if you want some for the garden you can move aside the top layers and access the more composted layers at the bottom, but with only 5 hens it may take you a couple of years to get really good, quality composted litter for the garden. 

It's something that sort of cleans itself when done right and you don't ever have to clean out a coop again. Just maintain your litter so that it doesn't get too moist or too dry and you are golden.


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## moose123 (Aug 11, 2013)

Great! I have lots of this around a and a big mulch pile is this what your talking about bee!


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## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

Oh, that's perfect!!!! Free and really good looking stuff! How fortunate you are. If you have your birds in a run, you can pile it in there as well to improve their footing and the nature of the soils there. It will help keep them healthier and will give them a more natural habitat. 

I've been raking leaves today and packing them into empty trash cans we have sitting around. I'll also be filling leaf bags this year as well, as I think we are going to have a very snowy winter and the leaves break down in the bedding like sugar in water...one minute, fluffy and crunchy, the next minute they just disappear! 

If you find your bedding too dry, you can layer in a light skiff if hay, which will draw some moisture into your litter and has its own level of moisture as well. If too moist, layer in dryer materials. 

When the birds have good forage outside, they sometimes don't dig into the bedding and bury the poop, so I just take a little pitchfork and fork some bedding over each night's droppings...come winter time they will work them into the bedding for me and I rarely ever have to fork bedding over the feces then.


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## moose123 (Aug 11, 2013)

Wow thank you so much bee!!! I'm all about keeping my birds happy and healthy!


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