Deep litter method

[Mtn Laurel]

I'm nervous about going DLM. It just seems so unsanitary but then I look at how many people have been doing that for many, many years which tells me that it can't be all bad.

It's funny how people think differently. I did deep litter last winter in my small coop and loved it. Got the new, larger coop finished in the spring and put litter in the floor but put sand in the tray under the roosts. I also changed out the small coop from deep litter to sand [it was housing 6 new chicks before they went into the big coop]. I'd read so many good things about sand that I wanted to give it a try.

I got rid of all the sand in very short order because . . . it seemed unsanitary!

With the deep litter I could see that the poo was being impacted by something - microbes, critters, whatever - and was being literally eaten alive and disappearing into the litter. With the sand, the poo just sat there in gritty little clumps until I came with the kitty litter scoop and sifted it out, putting it all in a bucket. That bucket got real heavy in a matter of days and I had to then dump that stinking mess into my compost pile. And, it was a REALLY stinking mess, especially in the summer. Sand was a LOT more work for me compared to the deep litter.

I then began to wonder where the liquid portion of the poo was going. Even the best of chicken poops seeps liquid. Put a nice solid one in a plastic bag and you'll soon see poo-water collecting in the bottom of the bag. I'm thinking that poo water was just soaking down to the bottom of the sand and sitting there. After a few weeks the sand wasn't as pristine white as it had been. It didn't smell so great, either. Short of shoveling all that sand over so that any poo liquid that had soaked to the bottom could be brought to the top to dry, I didn't see any way to get rid of it or to clean it. So, I got rid of the sand.

That's just my experience and everyone is different but I do find it interesting that some are concerned about deep litter because they feel it unsanitary and yet some - at least me - don't like sand as they find it unsanitary. I'm thinking that chickens are just an unsanitary lot and we'll each have to deal with them the best we can!

 

[Beekissed]

I was told wood shavings were bad for my garden compost...so that is why I picked straw. Is this incorrect?

Wood shavings can be a hard thing to incorporate into a compost unless it has a lot of nitrogen with which to bind...but, luckily, you are adding a lot of nitrogen to them. I'd go with something smaller if you are wanting a quicker compost, like sawdust or small flake shavings. Adding things like leaves and other lawn debris can cut down on the level of wood shavings and will also help the mix break down quicker.

Straw seems to never compost...you can put it in a garden and still be tilling it out of the soil years later. That waxy, woody matrix is very hard to compost.

 

[Arielle]

I have horses so lots of shavings and hot manure go into the compost-- it breaks down. Like all things, it takes time. TUrning it makes it go faster.

Bee- Q--- I have thought of shoveling out some of the compost and toss onto the grass this time of year. The grass is about the only thing still growing here all winter long. It slows down due to the cold but it is green. THoughts?

 

[Beekissed]

Are you wanting to fertilize your lawn in this way? If so, I'd say it couldn't hurt. The snow and rain could really wash it into the soil. You wouldn't believe what just having chickens for a couple of years here on this place has done for the quality of the grass and the culture of the soils. The fruit trees even bore fruit for the first time this year, particularly the two peach trees that sit below the coop and get all the manure from the chickens ranging there and the leaching of the nutrients from the coop. All these trees are about 18 yrs old and have never really bore any fruit to speak of until this year. We are overloaded with apples and we had to prop up the branches of the peach trees but some broke even with the propping.

 

[Arielle]

Are you wanting to fertilize your lawn in this way? If so, I'd say it couldn't hurt. The snow and rain could really wash it into the soil. You wouldn't believe what just having chickens for a couple of years here on this place has done for the quality of the grass and the culture of the soils. The fruit trees even bore fruit for the first time this year, particularly the two peach trees that sit below the coop and get all the manure from the chickens ranging there and the leaching of the nutrients from the coop. All these trees are about 18 yrs old and have never really bore any fruit to speak of until this year. We are overloaded with apples and we had to prop up the branches of the peach trees but some broke even with the propping.

Hopefully a little pruning will heal those peach trees. I have one coop under the shade of a peach tree-- so each to toss drops to the turkeys.

Yeah, the chickens feed on the lawn all winter long, and I thought now might be a good time to boost the growing ability. By late winter it is really struggling to support the foragers.

 

[MagicChicken]

We just peed in a bucket each morning and side dressed the crops from that...no trying to aim the stream or anything.

I could've hit a bucket when I was a kid. Not anymore.

Quote:
Wood shavings compost really well in my area when they are mixed with lots of chicken poo. Much better than straw, which takes forever. Small shavings compost better than large ones.

When I shoveled out a bunch of my not-quite-deep litter last summer I threw it into the compost pile. For the first time ever my compost got hot -- so hot I was seriously worried about spontaneous combustion for a couple of days. I kept turning it and adding water (I'm in the desert - compost takes a lot of water here.) Two months later I had the best compost ever and the fall/winter garden is loving it.

 

[sahmhomesteader]

Ok. Thanks for all your help!

 

[RoosterLew]

Start with no less than 6 inches, and then add more as needed
There's no real need to "maintain" it, and the biggest mistake people make it NOT just leaving it alone and letting it work

Amazingly I have been following this thread for about 7 months and just recently realized i should NOT be turning my DL....there is alot of , ummm....."different ways of doing it".....I don't want to call anybody "wrong"! I am now "letting it work"!

We have dry spells, and the litter can get dusty, dust is horrible for chickens, In the summer I do spray the coop down to keep the dust away. As well there are a couple of ledges that catch droppings and I wash those off...Just spray it off into the litter and let the pile work, much easier and less "yukky" than scraping, lol!

After 7 months, no smell in this coop

I do use straw in my litter. Rather than storing up materials, I am using a seasonal rotation of litters. Right now I am piling in the leaves, in mowing season I use grass clippings and whatever green stuffs I can. Through the winter my plans are wood shavings and straw. When I add straw I add it in a thin layer. I have found that grass clippings & shavings become compacted rather quickly, but when put on top of straw the litter stays loose on top, making a soft , more absorbent better aired pile.

Another plus side for straw is its ability to trap moisture...now during certain times this could be detrimental and I have heard straw molds easily. However, in the heat of summer I will add straw and wet it, the moisture it traps will evaporate slowly through out the day having a cooling effect..think of it as a ground level evaporative cooler.

As a Note - My coop is very open air which allows the bedding to dry out quickly, which may be why I do not have mold issues.

No the straw does not break down as quickly, but personally I do not care, maybe my litter wont compost as completely, but my goal is not compost so much as it is a good chicken bedding

So far , MY DL system is working good for me and my chickens, in my coop. MY system may not work for others in their coop...

SO I guess the short of it is, to each his own. Not by right, but rather by reason.

People Like Beekisssed and Bear Foot are great to learn from , with their many years of experience, their understanding and knowledge of all things chickedity and there willingness to teach and help. Learn from them, but do not just do what they say..learn why what they say works and apply it to your situation.

 

[Arielle]

NIcely put. TOok me a few tries to get it right.

 

[sahmhomesteader]

Amazingly I have been following this thread for about 7 months and just recently realized i should NOT be turning my DL....there is alot of , ummm....."different ways of doing it".....I don't want to call anybody "wrong"!  I am now "letting it work"!

We have dry spells, and the litter can get dusty, dust is horrible for chickens, In the summer I do spray the coop down to keep the dust away. As well there are a couple of ledges that catch droppings and I wash those off...Just spray it off into the litter and let the pile work, much easier and less "yukky" than scraping, lol!

After 7 months, no smell in this coop

I do use straw in my litter. Rather than storing up materials, I am using a seasonal rotation of litters. Right now I am piling in the leaves, in mowing season I use grass clippings and whatever green stuffs I can. Through the winter my plans are wood shavings and straw. When I add straw I add it in a thin layer. I have found that grass clippings & shavings become compacted rather quickly, but when put on top of straw the litter stays loose on top, making a soft , more absorbent better aired pile.

Another plus side for straw is its ability to trap moisture...now during certain times this could be detrimental and I have heard straw molds easily. However, in the heat of summer I will add straw and wet it, the moisture it traps will evaporate slowly through out the day having a cooling effect..think of it as a ground level evaporative cooler.

As a Note - My coop is very open air which allows the bedding to dry out quickly, which may be why I do not have mold issues.

No the straw does not break down as quickly, but personally I do not care, maybe my litter wont compost as completely, but my goal is not compost so much as it is a good chicken bedding

So far , MY DL system is working good for me and my chickens, in my coop. MY system may not work for others in their coop...

SO I guess the short of it is, to each his own. Not by right, but rather by reason.

People Like Beekisssed and Bear Foot are great to learn from , with their many years of experience, their understanding and knowledge of all things chickedity and there willingness to teach and help. Learn from them, but do not just do what they say..learn why what they say works and apply it to your situation.

Well said! Will do