deep litter or bare floors

what do you do amanda, clean out and use floor whitener or deep litter...or maybe something else?
in my stock shed when they are breeding i put straw down for them, dont know if its what many would do but its ok for me...and i clean the perches and boxes where they sit every day.

When racing with my dad we had deep litter and dad would clean out every weekend, the deep litter was a mixture of sand, cat litter, and lime, and he would sive the sand to remove the dropping the dust was really bad and it was after a disagreement that my dad tried bare floor and he was the one who said i wish i had done it sooner it was faster to clean out and you were able to see the condition of the pigeons far better

When using lime an old fancier i used to visit was Billy O'Neil and he used lime the way he used it was to get a bake bean tin can size drill a few holes in the base place a few pebbles and a small handful of lime then shake the tin over the boxes or were you want the lime to be placed, by doing it this way you are not having large amounts in the air/dust then ytou just bush it up you only use a small amount then once you have finished the lime that is left can be placed on the garden as lime is good for the soil that is if any of you are gardeners

hi don, i use straw in my stock shed and i think you are right about the dust as even with using straw when i move it about its very dusty...and another thing ive often wondered is when i put down a full bag of straw where does it all go ?after a few weeks half of it has gone and i dont know how ....any thoughts .?
good tip about the can and the lime, ive used lime in the psat and it gets on the back of my throat so i dont use it....the floor whitener is very good ive found and im wondering if i can still use the tin like youre friend does with it...it would still cut down on the dust...

Hi David

yes you can still use the tin with the floor whitener it is just the same as lime a powder and it would cut down the dust

With the straw the first thing is when you are walking on it you are compressing down and reducing the volume of the straw, the second is when you come out of the loft you have some straw on your feet and that may be another reason

DAVID wrote:

what do you do amanda, clean out and use floor whitener or deep litter...or maybe something else?
in my stock shed when they are breeding i put straw down for them, dont know if its what many would do but its ok for me...and i clean the perches and boxes where they sit every day.

Hi David, i clean out everyday floor and box's and perches and also use harkers loft white on the floor, The stock loft floor gets cleaned every day, if breeding is going on i leave the boxs well alone untill the little ones are feathered.

anyone else us e straw on the stock loft floor ? didnt realise how dusty it is......

Never used straw on the floor of any loft

The only time i have used straw wasin the bowls during the breeding season

read about polystirene (?) chips being used in the nest bowl, says it keeps the heat in and is good for breeding if its cold weather....any thoughts anyone ?

Never heard of them or used them

Tobbaco sticks are what i used when breeding

sually use straw with some sand in the bottom of the bowl....

never used them,you cannot beat the good old straw

have you used those nest felt things ray or don...or anyone ?

No never

why do fanciers use them, is it for warmth or ease of cleaning out after weaning ?

We or should I say Chickadee scrapes out one loft every day and brushes in loft white or StalosanF, the other loft has three sections and individual aviaries, the aviaries are scraped out every day and loft wite brushed in but the sections are deep litter using hemp core which is raked and treated with SlalosanF once a week. Our four dovecotes are only cleaned out with Aviform as a spray once the young have fledged
We use tobaco stalks but prefer Lavender and heather as it is a lot cheaper and keeps the beasties at bay in the nests

Have seen some fanciers wrap news paper round the bowl which helps out with the cleaning after weaning

Nest felts are used i think to help keep the pests at bay????

i clean out all sections every day and use floor whitener on the floor and the nest boxes.....sometimes its a bit too dusty though as ive yet to fit some vents to the front of the loft for air circulation. so try to use as little as poss....have always used straw and sand in nest bowls but have thought about tabacco stawks??? supposed to keep insects at bay arnt they?

DAVID wrote:

i clean out all sections every day and use floor whitener on the floor and the nest boxes.....sometimes its a bit too dusty though as ive yet to fit some vents to the front of the loft for air circulation. so try to use as little as poss....have always used straw and sand in nest bowls but have thought about tabacco stawks??? supposed to keep insects at bay arnt they?

Yes tobaco stalks do but they are getting dearer and dearer and my Scottish blood looks for the cheaper alternatives such as lavender and heather
I also have tried a beer mat soaked in creosote and left to dry and placed under the nest bowls to keep the bugs away

Why don't you put a peace of felt in the corner of the nest box and this may help keep the pests at bay also

yes, ive heard of the beer mat soaked in creasote...in the past ive just used duramitex at the end of the seasoneither sprayed on or mixed with emulsion

DAVID wrote:

yes, ive heard of the beer mat soaked in creasote...in the past ive just used duramitex at the end of the seasoneither sprayed on or mixed with emulsion

We use Duramitex on the perches but I hear they are stopping supplying it