Update on GROUNDS Coffee Ground Bedding for your coop!

[humblehillsfarm]

Toward the end of February this year I picked up 3 bags of grounds coffee ground bedding from Tractor Supply and immediately fell in love. With three bags I had a roughly 4" layer in my 4x6' chicken coop. My coop smelled wonderful and the grounds were so light weight and compostable. The very best part though is the scoopability of the coffee grounds. Fast forward to today, roughly five months later, and the litter is largely poop-free as I am able to scoop it daily. It hasn't broken down into dust as wood chips do after a couple of months. It doesn't smell, isn't moldy (but I don't leave water in the coop either). The downside is this bedding as disappeared off the shelves of TSC. You can view product info at poweredbycoffee.com but sadly, they now only ship locally within 25 miles of Indianapolis. I contacted the company directly and received a response. They said they are hoping to be back in TSC by the fall, but that's not soon enough! I have been saving my own coffee and drying it to replenish what is lost, but within the last month I've finally decided I really need more. I hate the thought of switching back to pine, and I don't want to use sand at all. It is too heavy and too difficult to find dust-free sand. It also isn't compostable.

What to do? I called the Starbucks located next to my work office and they said they'll give me a huge box for free. I am picking it up today at lunch and plan on spreading the grounds on a tarp in the sun to facilitate drying. I am only nervous that they use a fine grind, but we shall see. I'll update if it works. If this is successful, this will mean a free source of bedding that is recycled, compostable, smells fantastic, scoopable, longer lasting. I really can't see any downsides!

 

[orloffer]

I will be interested to see how it turns out.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

I will be interested to see how it turns out.

Me too. I was wondering for months now if calling them was an option. When I called they said immediately they absolutely give away their coffee grounds. In pandemic times, they request I pull up directly to their front door, call when I arrive, and they will carry it out for me as the box is very heavy.

 

[Mamatomany123]

We just recently switched to coffee grounds also. I've only had them in there for about a week but love love love it so far we are replacing what's lost with our own used coffee and I'm hoping our coffee addiction will help keep it replenished.

 

[Ms Clucky]

wouldn't coffee grounds be bad for them if they eat it?

 

[humblehillsfarm]

We just recently switched to coffee grounds also. I've only had them in there for about a week but love love love it so far we are replacing what's lost with our own used coffee and I'm hoping our coffee addiction will help keep it replenished.

I use 1/4 cup of grounds a day but I added more birds to my coop so they kick more out, and my boyfriend left for an extended vacation so I've been losing more and adding less and it's too low now. I thought five months was pretty good considering previously I was adding new bedding every week for deep compost, and changing every two months when I switched to using a droppings board.

I'm going to starbucks in the next 45 minutes so I'll get to see what kind of grounds I'm getting! Worst comes to worse, it'll make great compost.

 

[drinkoj]

I'm interested in the Starbucks thing too, as I've been following your February post for a little over a month.
After reading your post, I started getting my co-workers to save our coffee grounds and filters for me. Just throwing them in the coop and run with pine shavings, grass clippings, leaves, and shredded paper to build matter. Then when the chicks are done, I find the dried paper filters and rip them up by hand before adding new materials. So not the same as what you're doing but it does add a nice smell for a day or two.

 

[Painted Calls]

Following!

 

[BlueBaby]

So this work's? I've been drying and then wasting my coffee ground's. I have to make 2 pot's of coffee a day, because I don't like the coffee that my DH likes to drink.

 

[drinkoj]

I've been drying and then wasting my coffee ground's...

What use have you been drying your coffee grounds for? @humblehillsfarm has been using hers for scoop litter method (made that term up), where I've been just tossing wet grounds into my run/coop and letting the chicks toss them around and dry in the heat.