# bedding or scraping?



## silverbk54 (Apr 30, 2010)

What are the advantages to using bedding or scraping? If one were to use bedding, what kind is recommended? Thanks.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

well you should always scrape, using bedding is not nessesary, but just a personal choice some make to keep the new wet poops dryer... I use sweet pdz or stall dry for horse stalls, it looks like clumping cat litter and keeps the loft floor dryer which in turn makes it easier to scrape and not smear the new wet poops but keep them dryer so it is easier to clean, and the birds stay cleaner too, because when there is a wet poop somewhere they always manage to walk right in it!..lol...


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## jeff houghton (Jul 17, 2010)

I generally only use bedding in the winter months adds a bit of insulation for them and means i need only to clean loft out once a week.
Meaning they benefit as well as me.!!


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## Flapdoodle (Nov 8, 2009)

silverbk54 said:


> What are the advantages to using bedding or scraping? If one were to use bedding, what kind is recommended? Thanks.


If you are talking about racing pigeons, there are guys that win that scrape (multiple times a day), keep birds on bedding, have the birds on wire floors, and some they are on a deep litter system and never clean. Winners come from all types of loft floors. There are a tons of others factors that come into play. I think the key for any floor is that it is dry. 

Bedding choices I have seen. Straw, rice hulls, rabbit feed, cat litter. With both cat litter and rabbit feed the birds had a subfloor and could not gain access to the floor dressing.


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## hankabus (Dec 3, 2009)

*bedding*

I'm with Spirit Wings on this one..I too use horse stall dressing on all my lofts floors. The dressing I use is compressed wood pellets and they absord moisture and do clump up after it dries. Also absorbs any amonia that may be there. It is in my humble opinion the only way to go. All I do is scrape perches daily and regular floor maintenance. It works for me and I would say give it a try.

Hank


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## Caden's Aviary (Jul 14, 2010)

I actually used the deep litter method with my chickens and it was great for being lazy lol. You didn't have to do anything but rake the shavings around a little bit and pour a thin fresh layer on top. Plus it made great compost. With pigeons I tried pine shavings on the floor but they blow all out of my bottom vents when the birds go to flapping. For now, I'm sticking to scraping. I have a small loft so it's not an issue


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Caden's Aviary said:


> I actually used the deep litter method with my chickens and it was great for being lazy lol. You didn't have to do anything but rake the shavings around a little bit and pour a thin fresh layer on top. Plus it made great compost. With pigeons I tried pine shavings on the floor but they blow all out of my bottom vents when the birds go to flapping. For now, I'm sticking to scraping. I have a small loft so it's not an issue


the deep litter method only works well with an earthen floor, that is where the bit of moisture and microbs come from to break down the droppings into clean dirt... usually pigeons are kept above the ground with wood floor so that would not work with them, and yes the shavings just go in the corners.. some use wood pellets or other pellets... I find it easier not to have to remove or refresh anything...just scrape..


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## RodSD (Oct 24, 2008)

Bedding or scraping? It depends on how lazy or busy you are. Having switched from wire floor to wood floor I ended up scraping almost everyday and I hated that part of this hobby. With wire floor you can scrape once a week down below. The wood floor requires constant scraping to keep birds healthy.


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