I recently picked up a load of sawdust to use as bedding in the coop this winter. My trailer measures 4’x8’ and was filled a bit more than 4’ high. Thus, the load has a volume of close to 5 cubic yards. In past years, a similar volume of wood shavings has been sufficient for the winter and part of the following summer.
Because I have already described, in a previous post, my reasons for switching from shavings to sawdust, I won’t give a full repetition of the logic. In summary: sawdust is cheaper, the birds can scratch through it more easily, and it is easier to shovel out the used bedding. Sawdust is, however, less absorbent than wood shavings. This will be our first winter with sawdust as the only type of bedding and the net outcome of our decision is an open question I approach with curiosity.
It had been raining a bit every day and then we started to get brief snow flurries. That matters because the lumber yard piles the sawdust outdoors without cover. Ordinarily, I would wait until after a spell of dry weather before purchasing sawdust, but my supply was dwindling and the weather forecast did nothing to encourage me to delay.
In a small triumph over probability, I arrived at the lumber yard shortly after a load of fresh sawdust had been brought out from the sawmill. It was waiting in a tidy pile and all I had to do was pull the trailer nearby and wait for the operator of the front-end loader to fill it.
Northland Wood, to its credit, has a wonderful sales policy: if the operator loads more than 2 cubic yards, not only is the labor included, but the final charge is cheaper than loading the same volume oneself. Now that I know of the policy, I request the loading on every visit. It is a pleasant way to save myself time, money, and effort. In the winter, their operators will even scrape away the snow before picking up the load.
The fresh sawdust has only the moisture present in the logs it was cut from. Once the sawdust is unloaded and spread out in the storage bin the greater surface area allows for it to dry quickly to match the humidity level of the outdoor air. After the rainy fall weather ends and the winter season commences, the humidity level drops considerably. The challenge is that the drying mostly stops once the temperature drops below freezing. Below freezing, there is still some sublimation, but that is not nearly as fast as evaporation.
Wood shavings can be conveniently unloaded and transported in a 35-gallon plastic trash can. Sawdust, with its greater density, makes that same trash can too heavy to carry and maneuver. I tried using an 18-gallon tote bin, but was not pleased to discover that the increased number of trips negated any advantage found in carrying lighter weights.
The best solution I have come up with is to use a cargo sled. It fits under the back of the trailer, which minimizes spillage, and it slides well over dirt, grass, or snow. The cargo sled holds a volume similar to that of the trash can, but does not require any lifting and only moderate maneuvering.
Once I have pulled the sled into the storage bin I simply overturn it to unload it. Later loads can be piled higher by dragging the sled up the slope of the pile before tipping it.
As I think back on the process of unloading the sawdust and spreading it to dry in the storage bin, I feel a quiet satisfaction. I know my efforts in the matter will be repaid by the looks of gratitude from the chickens whenever I pour fresh bedding onto the coop floor.
It looks to me that you cannot stand upright in the storage area for the sawdust. How on earth do you haul out the last half of the supply. Hunched over and tempting a wry spinal column?
The storage bin is 4′ high and the floor is ~ 12’x12′.
I can move around and kneel without much difficulty.