Wood shavings are an ideal material for your coop flooring. They give off a pleasant smell throughout your garden when kept inside. When pine shavings are scattered around the outside of the coop, they absorb moisture to prevent bacteria from growing and causing illnesses in your flock.
Coarse sand (also known as builder's sand, but not the finer play sand) has become increasingly popular as a flooring in the chicken coop, and it's certainly helpful in keeping the flock cool in the summer months. Easy to maintain and a boon in keeping flies away, for the small to medium sized run it's a good option.
Using the deep litter method on a dirt floor
For this method, you need to use a thick layer of organic bedding in your coop, such as wood shavings or straw. However, wood shavings are very likely TOXIC to your chickens, and I don't recommend using them in any scenario. If you must use them, aspen is your safest choice.
Moisture is necessary for the decomposition process. Also, if you have a wooden coop floor, you might want to coat it with spar urethane or cover it with vinyl flooring to protect the wood from slow rot. Litter and chicken manure are safe for a compost bin.
Sand in the Chicken Run
“The medium-grade sand is probably the best type of bedding for the coop area, as it doesn't hold liquid, doesn't harbor pathogens like mold, and it's very easy to clean,” Byrum says. “A lot of people try to use play sand, but there's a problem with the smaller grain silicates.
While livestock need bedding for a layer of protection between them and the cold, damp floor while they sleep, chickens do not sleep on the ground, they sleep on roosts, therefore, they do not need bedding- chickens need litter on the floor of the coop to manage waste.
It is good to keep at least three inches of litter or bedding in the coop at all times. Why? Because chickens need insulation from the outdoor conditions, both hot and cold. Additionally, when a chicken jumps to the ground from either a perch or nest box, they need a layer of protection from the ground.
Ground cover within the coop can be anything from wood chips, straw and grass to bare ground. Organic materials tend to break down quickly and plain sand is a popular choice for its durability. Whatever you choose, make sure the chickens may easily scratch and dig.
Medium- to coarse-grained sand makes excellent chicken coop bedding in coops that do not have drainage problems and do not get wet inside.
Sand can be used on coop floors that are cement, dirt, or wood. Inexpensive linoleum placed on top of wood flooring before adding sand protects the wood underneath. I use approximately 4 inches of sand inside the chicken coop and as much as a foot in the chicken run. More is better!
Several different flooring materials are suitable for chicken coops, including concrete, plywood, and linoleum. Good chicken coop flooring is safe, predator- and rodent-proof, durable, and easy to clean. Flooring materials vary widely in quality, cost, maintenance needs, and safety.
A nice thick layer of straw on the floor (think 12″ or more) will provide insulation against the chill from the ground. Straw is one of the best insulators as far as bedding for chickens goes, since warm air is trapped in the hollow shafts.
The bottom line is organic matter, leaves, wood chips, grass clippings, kitchen scraps — all go in the run.
By creating a strong waterproof membrane with products like Liquid Rubber Polyurethane Deck Coating, you will easily be able to clean the interior of your chicken coop, while maintaining the integrity of materials like wood.
Mix equal parts vinegar and water to create a cleaning solution and mop up the area for an all-natural cleaning. Take a hand brush or thick-bristled broom and scrub the floors and walls to free any remaining droppings, stains, dirt, or debris. Rinse once more. Sweep out any standing water, but let the coop air dry.
Carry out a Regular Cleaning Schedule
The best way to make a chicken coop smell better is to maintain a regular cleaning schedule. Some people prefer to use shallow bedding. If this is you, you should aim to replace the bedding once a week, using vinegar and water spray to neutralise any odours.
Use Odor Neutralizers
Baking soda, too, kills many types of mold that might manifest from moisture in the coop.
Chickens love scratching up dirt, dust bathing in it, and gobbling up grass, weed seeds, and insects, worms, and other invertebrates they find while scratching. When confined to a small outdoor run even a few chickens will soon devour every bit of grass and convert it to bare dirt.
Inside your chicken coop, you will want to make sure that you have enough room for roosts, nesting boxes, and food and water, which will all be described in more detail below. The most important thing to take into account is how many birds you plan on having, and how much space they will need.
Fine sand mixed with some dry dirt makes a great base on which to build your chicken run's dust bath. A sandy base ensures the dust bath won't clump and adding in dry dirt gives your chickens grit to forage for.
Chicken owners normally use bedding such as shavings, sawdust, dry leaves, or straw to provide a dry cushion for chickens and to control odor and pests. The coop bedding can be collected with the manure and dumped into a composting bin.
Elevate the nest to a height of 1 to 3 feet to discourage predators and the collection of debris from the coop floor. Line boxes with bedding to keep chickens comfortable and to protect the egg once it has been laid. Wood shavings, straw or sawdust are economical choices.
How often you should be cleaning a chicken coop? You should provide fresh food and fresh water every day, and you should clean the bedding out once a week or once a month(the deeper the bedding layer the less often you have to clean it out). It's best practice to do a total clean-out at least twice a year.