Deep litter method

[iawoodchip]

GOOGLE posts say feathers are a source of nitrogen when composted. They just may take a bit to break down.

 

[armorfirelady]

Regarding feathers in the deep litter... those who leave them in, do the big ones break down well? I'm just wondering, if I can ever get a functioning deep litter, when it comes time for the birds to molt every fall... if the big feathers (wing and tail) don't break down, if it would be better to try and rake them off? Hopefully, after I finish the roof on my barn, I can get some deep litter going in there.

I just leave them in there. Very rarely do I see a feather when I clean out the DL in the spring. If their there they finally just break down in the soil

 

[RonP]

I have never worried about or removed a feather.

They quickly disappear.

 

[Lacy Blues]

Wow, thanks for all the responses! I won't bother with them then.

 

[appleturnover]

hello wise deep-litterists

i have been using deep litter for a few months with my flock, in the coop, and to some degree out in the run, though i'm having trouble getting enough material in there! it breaks down so quickly. i'm about to go begging the neighbours for their autumn leaves.

it is very wet here in the pacific northwest now, tons of rain, and i'm noticing more of an ammonia smell building up. i toss some more pine shavings in and it goes away, but is back again in a couple of days.

so - my questions.

how deep is your litter?
how much turning do you do? do you dig right down?
how often do you add more material?

as for outside...
having read a bit here i'm going to try to get the run fully covered this weekend, as it is just getting too wet to be fun for them out there. then i'll give them plenty more litter.

x elisa

 

[LakeMomNY]

so - my questions. 

how deep is your litter?
how much turning do you do? do you dig right down? 
how often do you add more material?

how deep is your litter?

Right now mine is about 4" in the coop. And maybe 6 in the run. But I have a ton of leaves right now that will break down and compact pretty quickly.

how much turning do you do? do you dig right down?

None. The chickens do though. I throw some scratch into the coop and/ior run on most days.  

how often do you add more material?
I add a bag of shavings to the (5x8) coop about once a month. I'm pretty sure I could get away with less.

As for the run, I mostly just add stuff as it comes along. Raking leaves? In they go. Pulling weeds? In they go. Coffee grounds? In they go.

 

[Bobby Basham]

I would like to thank everyone for their contributions to this particular subject. Building coops and runs come easy for me since I know my way around power tools, and have come up with some ideas for my designs, BUT....

It's the "after care" that comes into play, you know, food expenses, storage, budget, and that's why I spent the last seven days (I'm on vacation for three weeks) reading this important topic and it was alot of reading time well spent.

I live in a development way out from downtown Tucson, built around 2006, and has an HOA (Home Owner's Assassination) and have to be carefull in my design, staying below that 5-foot wall between lots.

The Deep Litter method was very educational, but what really got my attention was the coop ventilation issue, especially at the floor-level. My coup will be 6' x 6' with external nest boxes, enough for 4-6 hens max for those inclimate days. The run itself will be 16' x 16' to give the gals plenty of room to run around. There will be one section cut out for "Chicken TV". I'd like to share my preliminary drawings with you. Please ignore the measurements for now.






My little chicken tv section is just a small, raised deck with a privacy wall and some hedges. Throw some pasta out there and watch the girls go nuts while I sip my favorite beverage after work...LOL.

The entire mess will be built from 4x4, 2x6, 2x4 pressure-treated wood and lined top-to-bottom with 1/4" hardware cloth extending at least 18" out which will eventually covered by planter boxes. The entire top will also be framed and covered, so no worries about wild birds having a field day on my food inventory or any predator brazen enough to chew through the top of the run, then try to find its way back out.

Yeah, it may sound like overkill, but who wouldn't like a free chicken dinner. No telling what comes out the woodwork in city limits when you get chickens.




Okay, I strayed too far with this project. My question is, will the openings under the roof be enough for the "upper" ventilation? I can also do extra venting near the roof pitch to have ventilation on all four sides. Everything will be screened in before I finally secure the roofing. See below. --BB

Bobby Basham
Tucson, Arizona

 

[heiditam]

Thank you everyone for the feather info. I will leave them in.

Another Q.

It is dry in the coop. Not dusty, just dry. Currently, the poop is in clumps. The coop smells like pine straw, seems very clean. But at this point, poop is just in the shavings in clumps. I am not seeing much break down. I have only been doing this for a few weeks at most, so maybe it is a starting out thing, but this seems like dry pine shavings with clumps of pine shaving covered poop, not really a compost worthy pile here yet...would love advice on how it should proceed to make it a functioning deep liter v. just a bunch of dry pine shavings? Does it matter?

 

[armorfirelady]

Can you find the chicken? I dumped about 4 loads of leaves & grass clippings in the coop yesterday. Don't worry it will break down quickly and then hens enjoying digging thru them.

As for ventilation.....I have to roof vents in my coop and I leave the door window open year round. More ventilation is good as long as no drafts come in during the winter months. Cold won't hurt your birds unless there is not enough ventilation. Then they have a chance of getting frostbite since the moisture can't escape the coop

 

[goodb]

Regarding the dryness. As I have recently learned, the litter needs moisture. Not a lot but some. My coop is about 5x12 and I dumped 8 gallons of water in the original layer and mixed it very well. I was going to pull out the original layer and compost it as I thought it was done. You can see it here:

Boy was I wrong! I put it back in, added water and am very pleased with how well it's doing. Ammonia was strong at first but I was able to squelch it. There is heat being generated and the birds have a layer of leaves to play with and more ready to go inside. So, some moisture is needed but not a lot.

Hope that helps.