When we first started our backyard chicken journey, we did a lot of research on bedding for our girls. Clean, dry bedding is paramount in keeping your chickens healthy. Yet, if you have kept chickens for any length of time, you know they poop a lot wherever and whenever they want.
Chicken poop contains nitrogen and when it’s broken down by bacteria or by getting wet, it creates ammonia. Too much of this can cause respiratory stress or other infections in your chickens. So, the need for good ventilation is vital to your chickens health as well as dry bedding.
We use the deep litter method around here. It works great with our set up and creates amazing compost for our gardens as well. We use pine shavings in our litter. Some use straw or other materials. Any of these options are fine, but please make sure you do NOT use cedar shavings. As much as we all love that smell, cedar shavings contain oils that can harm your chicken’s respiratory system.
Read my blog about my deep litter method HERE or watch a short video I made about it below.
A huge part of keeping healthy bedding is by keeping it fresh and dry. Chicken poop attracts flies and is downright nasty when it gets wet. Here at our coop, we use Coop Recuperate™ by Strong Animals Chicken Essentials.
You guys… have you ever had a favorite lotion or essential oil you wish you could just roll around in? Haha! I have! This is Coop Recuperate for me! Well, I don’t actually roll around in it, but I definitely could! It has been our absolute, hands down favorite product we’ve used in the coop!
Coop Recuperate contains organic essential oils like lemongrass and eucalyptus and smells AMAZING. It also contains organic diatomaceous earth which is a natural known fly repellant! Diatomaceous earth sometimes gets a bad rap because of its properties that, if not used properly, can cause harm to your chicken’s respiratory systems. However, Coop Recuperate uses safe amounts, so it is completely safe for your chickens! Coop Recuperate also combats fleas, lice and mites which can be deadly to your flock, and miserable to deal with. I have used this product with my older gals and even my newly hatched babies, and they have all thrived.
Coop Recuperate helps keep your bedding dry and smelling fresh. This is a must have product and I never let myself run out!
You can get yours here, on Amazon!