Topic of the Week - Coop Bedding and Waste Management; Deep Litter Method etc.

Farmer Nick said:

Originally Posted by sumi View Post

One thing any chicken keeper will tell you is that chickens can get messy and keeping the coop clean(ish) and not too smelly can be a challenge, especially over winter, when many of our birds prefer to spend their time indoors. This week I'd like to hear you all's thoughts on coop bedding, waste management etc. Specifically:

- Bedding in the coop: What do you use?

I lay down a piece of cardboard and then on top of that I put about two to three inches of straw. I repurposed a storage bin as a coop. Its 5ft wide by 5 feet tall by 3 feet deep.

- How deep do you let it get?

About 2-3"

- How often do you clean it out?

I've only had them for 5 months (winter months only.) Its a small coop so the poo gets deep with the quickness. I completely clean the coop once a week. Its gets obliterated. I have 4 chickens: 2 brown orpingtons and 2 ameraucanas. I use a wheel barrel and bring the pooped up straw over to the garden area and dump it in. I plan to rototill it in this Spring.

- What is your coop floor? (Earth, wood, protected wood.)

Bare dirt.

- Do you use a poop board or something similar? If "yes", tell us more?

Nope

- Anyone use the deep litter method? Tell us about your

Nope


- What products, beside bedding materials, do you use to keep smells/moisture under control? (For example lime, sweet PDZ)

Nothing. I clean weekly so there is no smell at all. Summer may be different.

Click to expand...

I have about 1' of gravel in the bottom of my coop. Haven't got chickens yet.

TiniWee said:

I have about 1' of gravel in the bottom of my coop. Haven't got chickens yet.

Click to expand...

Chickens and gravel are not a good combination.

The stones can bruise their feet, potentially leading to bumblefoot, and gravel tends to mix with the poop in a way that resembles concrete when dry then reeks when wet because, unlike wood chips or other organic material, there is no composting action to neutralize the poop.

I do deep litter in the winter. I make sure to sprinkle BOSS on it a couple times a week. Gets the girls scratching and routing it up witch helps decompose it and the smell is not nearly as bad.

Bedding in the coop: What do you use?
Dry leaves and pine needles. I use pine shavings and shredded paper in the nest boxes. I have a hen who has issues with soft-shelled eggs so if that messes up the nest box I dump the contents on the floor so there are pine shavings and shredded paper in the bedding too.

How deep do you let it get?
In parts it is probably a foot deep. The chickens themselves tend to work it towards the door (it is on a slope) and then it falls out into the run.

How often do you clean it out?
Three years and I haven't yet.

What is your coop floor? (Earth, wood, protected wood.)
Earth

Do you use a poop board or something similar? If "yes", tell us more?
I recently added some additional nest boxes and the only place to put them was under the main roost. I put a roof over the top which acts like a poop board. I put stall pellets on the top of the roof and now and then sweep the whole thing down onto the coop floor. It was a dumb decision to build those extra boxes because they never use them and it just creates a cleaning chore for me!

Does anyone use the deep litter method? Tell us about your experience?
I don't think mine is technically deep litter in the coop because it is too dry to create heat generating compost. It does rot down - sort of a cold compost system I guess.

What products, besides bedding materials, do you use to keep smells/moisture under control? (For example lime, sweet PDZ)
None. I have used old coffee grounds in the bedding from time to time and that does smell nice! But I don't generally have a smell issue in my set-up.