Types of floor bedding for a chicken coop and how to make it yourself for the winter

The bedding on the floor of the chicken coop should be dry and soft. The bedding material should absorb moisture, absorb unpleasant odors, and protect birds from injury. In winter, a thick layer of straw or sawdust mixed with decomposing droppings will generate heat, warming the floor. However, to start such a process, you need to treat the coating with a biological product that contains beneficial bacteria.

The principle of operation and advantages of bedding in a chicken coop

In the room where chickens are kept, there should be bedding on the floor. The health of the bird depends on its type and quality. The litter should quickly absorb moisture from the droppings and not prevent its evaporation as a result of bacterial fermentation. The bedding material will prevent the development of harmful microorganisms in the summer, and insulate the floor in the winter.

Distinctive features of chicken litter:

• dry;
• soft;
• clean;
• comfortable.

Properties that bedding material should have:

• excellent moisture absorption;
• heat capacity;
• gas absorption capacity;
• good thermal insulation;
• bactericidal;
• do not stick to skin and feathers;
• do not contain toxic substances.

Benefits of bedding:

• prevents chicken diseases;
• makes the floor soft, dry and warm;
• absorbs moisture;
• Retains unpleasant odors.

Organic bedding material is used in the chicken coop: scrap, sawdust, peat, sand, dry leaves. The cost of purchasing such bedding is minimal. In addition, a natural habitat is created for the bird.

Classification of floor mats

The litter in the poultry house can be changed daily or periodically. It varies in the depth of the flooring and the materials used.

By depth

The litter can be thin and deep. The thickness of the flooring depends on the time of year and the frequency of replacement.

The thin coating consists of a small amount of material. The thickness of the flooring is 12-21 centimeters. A thin layer of straw or sawdust is spread on the floor in the summer and removed every week.

Deep litter is more suitable for the winter months. The thickness of the layer ranges from 30 to 50 centimeters. This coating allows you to insulate the floor in the poultry house. First, pour a layer of 32 centimeters.When it gets dirty, it is not removed, but fresh dry material is simply added on top.

Biochemical processes will take place in the lower layer: bird waste will decompose and heat will be released. Deep litter is not removed from autumn to spring. However, anaerobic bacteria can become active in it, resulting in rotting processes. Birds can develop serious illnesses.

A biological product with bifidobacteria will help prevent negative consequences. This product stops the rotting process and turns the droppings into compost.

By materials used

You can make organic litter yourself. Straw, sand, hay, peat or sawdust are used as floor coverings for poultry houses. These materials absorb moisture perfectly, and cost pennies.

Chicken coop litter with bacteria

In the fall, before the onset of cold weather, you can lay a thick layer of hay or sawdust in the poultry house and treat it with a preparation consisting of beneficial microorganisms. Bacteria will process the droppings into compost. As a result of this reaction, heat will be released.

The fermentation litter will ensure the decomposition of waste products of chickens, the release of heat and heating of the surface to +26...+35 degrees, and the additives included in the bacterial preparation will neutralize unpleasant odors.

There are a huge number of biological products for preparing bacterial litter in the poultry house (BioGerm, Netto-Plast, Bio-Side, Baikal EM1).

Hay and straw

These natural materials are found in any agriculture. Hay and straw are prepared in the summer: cut grass or stems of cereal crops are dried in the sun, placed in a stack, covered with film, and chopped before use. Then lay it on the floor as needed.

Hay and straw quickly absorb moisture, neutralize odors, retain heat, and are completely safe for birds.

Dry leaves

Dry leaves that have fallen from trees can be placed on the floor of the poultry house. True, the foliage can be chopped before use. For the chicken coop you can use maple, linden, birch, and walnut leaves. The main thing is that they are dry, without signs of rotting or mold.

Dry moss

Moss (sphagnum) absorbs moisture well and neutralizes unpleasant odors. It grows in a swamp and is not so easy to collect. You can combine sphagnum with sawdust, that is, use moss more economically.

Peat

This natural material absorbs carbon dioxide and ammonia evaporation well. Peat is taken in pure form or mixed with other materials. Peat litter has antiseptic properties and helps prevent infectious diseases. Peat must be dry and crushed. In southern latitudes, instead of peat, you can take sand.

Needles

The floor of the chicken coop can be covered with pine needles. True, sharp needles can injure the delicate skin of chicken feet. It is better to finely chop the pine needles. It should be remembered that such material contains many biologically active substances and phytoncides. Vapors from essential oils in high concentrations can affect the well-being of birds. It is better to mix pine needles with other organic materials.

Wood sawdust

Cheap and available material. Sawdust quickly absorbs moisture, retains unpleasant odors, fumes and generates heat even without the use of fermentation substances. In addition, chickens love to dig into such a substrate. Sometimes hungry birds swallow sawdust. It is better to prevent this and feed the chickens to their full.

Selection and manufacturers

During the winter, deep litter can be populated with beneficial bacteria.First you need to buy a powdered or liquid fermentation preparation. The bacteria will trigger a biological reaction, during which the birds' waste products will begin to decompose and generate heat.

In winter, a cold floor will become warm even without heating devices.

Microorganisms colonized in the organic litter material heat it up to 36 degrees Celsius.

The fermentation preparation is scattered or poured over straw, hay, sawdust. The bacteria present in it neutralize putrefactive microbes, chicken droppings will decompose slowly. Retail outlets offer a huge number of bacterial bedding products. They contain the same bacteria, and such drugs differ only in price.

List of popular fermentation agents:

1. BioGerm. German drug, brown powder. Used to make bacterial mat. Neutralizes disgusting odors well. No more than 100 grams of biological product is taken per 1 square meter.
2. Netto-Plast. Chinese biological product consisting of fermented milk and photosynthetic microorganisms. Bacteria settle in the litter, work intensively and actively, generating heat. For 1 square meter, take no more than 100 grams of biological product.
3. Bioside. Domestic biological product. Dry powder is scattered over the litter. Organic matter is converted into compost by bacteria, and heat is released during this process. For 1 square meter, take no more than 50 grams of biological product.
4. Baikal EM 1. Domestic biological product for creating bacterial litter. This concentrated liquid product is used as fertilizer.However, it contains beneficial bacteria that process the droppings into compost, releasing heat. One glass of Baikal is dissolved in 12 liters of water, then the litter is irrigated with the solution.

The nuances of using litter with bacteria

The fermentation bedding will function if it is started correctly, that is, laid. First of all, the floor in the bird room must be thoroughly cleaned and dried. Then cover with hay, sawdust or other organic material.

The layer thickness should be 22-32 centimeters. It is advisable to trample the bedding material. You need to pour a little fermentation preparation on top. Then the bedding material, sprinkled with powder, can be lightly sprinkled with water. The liquid should not contain chlorine, otherwise the microorganisms will die.

Bacterial activity is checked after a week. If the floor is warm, it means that microorganisms are working as they should. From time to time, the bedding material must be loosened to provide oxygen to the bacteria.

What you need to pay attention to:

• for ventilation - in its absence, air humidity in the chicken coop will increase;
• for flooring - preferably made of stone or tiles;
• on the quality of bedding material - it must be organic.

Advantages of keeping chickens on litter treated with a biological product:

• a lot of heat is generated, the floor is heated;
• pathogenic microorganisms do not develop;
• chickens don’t get sick;
• it turns out ready-made compost for fertilizer;
• can lie on the floor for a long time.

How to lay and remove bedding

Organic bedding material is placed on a dry and clean floor with a pitchfork or shovel. Sawdust or hay should completely cover the surface. The thickness of the layer may vary.In summer - no more than 10-20 centimeters, in winter - more than 30 centimeters.

The top layer of bedding material must be dry. In summer, wet and contaminated litter can be raked out. In winter, a little dry material is laid on top of the wet layer, and the flooring is raked out only in the spring.

When to introduce chickens?

The floor in the poultry house is covered with dry straw or sawdust and the chickens are immediately released into the room. You can do this activity during the day when the birds are walking outside.

If the bedding material is treated with a biological product, you need to wait 2-3 days for the bacteria to become active, and then put the chickens into the chicken coop.