Deep liter/composting bedding method

[Pooman]

Thats another good point, having the ground, not concrete underneath allows microorganisms in and also moisture in and out. I lined the floor of my coop with mesh before throwing the wood chips in, thismis to stop digging predators

 

[Raggedyroad]

I have become a bit confused as I read and do more research on this subject. There are so many conflicts. For example some say not to stir the litter but to just add new on top. Others say to stir and break up clumps daily. I certainly don't want to get my chickens sick because I'm doing something wrong. I've been doing what I originally read several months ago which is to start with 3-4 inches of shavings and after a few days add a sprinkling of diatomateous earth + more shavings and stir. I read to do this every now and again and to also stir frequently to break up any clumps. Also, I have read to only use pine shaving but others say use straw on top of the shavings and no need to stir that the chickens will do this for me. I have little to no odor in my coop most of the time even though there is a lot of visible droppings. But now that winter is nearly upon us I worry about to much moisture. Please advise so I know I am not doing harm to my chickens. Also I had to restart this method in August due to moving to a different home. I'm not seeing much composting yet. Is this normal?