Deep litter method

[Fentress]

DL will work anywhere. Even on a wood floor.

DL should work, but why have a floor in your coop? The only reason that I can think of is if you have poor drainage and need to get the birds up out of a wet area. If that is the case you should try and find a new location, if possible. IMO, it is better to stay in contact with the good sweet earth. Also, having a floor might create a great space (under the floor) for snakes, rats and others to hide in.

 

[Latestarter]

I live on the front range of Colorado. It's semi desert here and having the coop raised gives the birds a nice cool place to hide from the sun, rain, snow, aerial predators, dust bathe, and relax. I agree that raising a coop can cause rodent problems if it's NOT raised sufficiently to allow free access underneath by the chooks and owner. No rodent or snake will last long under my coops as the birds LOVE extra protein in their diets

 

[TalkALittle]

Just flip the wet stuff by the door into the dry stuff and give it a stir. Problem solved. If your coop is well ventilated you won't get a build up of humidity in there. If it's always raining in you'll get moisture no matter what type of bedding you use. The problem is with the design of your coop and that your door faces the direction the wind blows from. Change the orientation of your coop or build an awning or wind block for the door.

 

[Beekissed]

I do it a little different....I just flip the dry over the wet and not stir, so that the moisture is trapped underneath the dry and the birds have some dry footing instead of sopping wet. Either way you do it, that moisture can be utilized. There are some dry periods where I will dump buckets of water in the DL just to have some moisture there, though I've not had to do that this year. The new coop tweak has given me a wonderful way to let the rain in or keep it out in adequate measure, so my DL is better than ever.

 

[TalkALittle]

I just finished putting 10 gallons of water in my 8'x12' covered run. Usually enough rains in on the sides to keep things moist but it's been a while since we got any rain to speak of and the deep litter was getting pretty dusty. Five trips with a 2 gallon watering can later and just the top inch is damp. I'm going to have to take the hose to it later.

 

[TalkALittle]

I do it a little different....I just flip the dry over the wet and not stir, so that the moisture is trapped underneath the dry and the birds have some dry footing instead of sopping wet.

Normally what I would do too, but it seems like it's a problem area prone to excess moisture already. It also sounds like the rest of the litter could use that moisture. Plus, I don't like a build up of litter near the people or chicken doors.

 

[Beekissed]

I agree. That's the area where my DL gets piled the deepest by the birds, so I usually use that excess to flip onto the wet litter in the back of the coop. For some reason my chickens like to keep the DL level and my coop sits on a slight slope, so though the coop is level, the ground underneath is not, so they keep trying to level it out for me.

That always gives me a pile of dry DL to use on the manure deposits at the back, under the roosts.

 

[snhchick]

I know this thread has been going on for a long time, but I was hoping to ask a question. I had read a lot about DLM before I set up my coop, but didn't reread before putting in the shavings. I STARTED OUT with abut 6 inches of pine shavings. Will that be a problem? Right now I have 3 Silkies in a 4'x6' coop and they don't make much of a mess. They cuddle together in the shavings, but I'm thinking about trying a roost to see if they like it. I just clean out the area where they sleep from time to time and pull some clean shavings from another part of the coop. They also use nipple waterers that don't seem to drip (or at least not enough that I can feel any damp litter). I don't have anything in their run right now, just patches of grass, gravel and dirt. If I put leaves and hay in there will it be a problem when it gets wet and/or in the winter (I live in the Northeast)? I didn't realize that DLM was for the run as well as thee coop. Thanks for your help!

 

[Beekissed]

You might try scraping the shavings out of the coop and using them as your base of DL out in the run and using the leaves in the coop instead. They will break down better and you can add them more often for moisture control than you can the shavings in that small of a coop~I'd store up plenty for this winter if you have a good source. You can definitely use DL in the run, wet or not. Consider the alternative...a wet, muddy run vs. a wet, spongy, soft, cleaner run where the rain absorbs instead of standing around in mud puddles.

 

[Blooie]

Oh, Bee is so right! I started out with pine shavings that were way too deep and didn't get any kind of effective break down. But I listened to her (my friend and mentor) and cut way back, added a little water from time to time, and mixed stuff in that was bigger in composition - leaves WITH the small twigs still in them, weed clippings, a little straw now and then, etc - and I heaved a few shovels full of garden dirt over all to kick start it. The litter I have now is nothing like what I had before.