Deep litter v poop board -- what do you think?

[IamRainey]

I'm a total chicken virgin still getting my coop constructed.

I'm trying to decide whether I will do deep litter or use sand and sift through it on a daily basis. I've read that both deep litter and sand have constructive properties for the chickens' health. IF I understand it properly it's a question of a high functioning immune system v pristine hygiene that doesn't admit the possibility of infection getting started.

In my own life, I go the broadly exposed, high functioning immune system route. So, I'm inclined to do deep litter, especially with cooler months approaching. And my understanding of how deep litter works is I want a reasonable amount of poop mixing with shavings that are turned daily. Is that correct? So a poop board would interfere with that? OR I want a poop board to eliminate what would be excessive poop? OR do you recommend sand over deep litter?

I'd like to get a clear understanding of what I want to accomplish so I can position the roosting bars to get the optimal situation with the easiest and most effective clean up/manipulation.

Thanks in advance to all the old hands who care to weigh in on this topic!

 

[Geranium]

I'm glad you asked this! I'm still in the chicken planning stage and having this dilemma as well.

 

[NatureNikki]

I'm past this point now and understand your thoughts here. This is what I did and it's working. I purchased something like a litter for chickens. It's called Sani ...... something. It's basically a litter that scoops real - real easily. I placed that on top of brown cardboard paper. Under there perches, we have plastic bins like buspan bins used in diners with the sani in it. My girls picked a spot where most of their poop is too. It literally takes me 5 minutes to scoop. My scoop was 1.00 at dollar store. I use a cat litter one. I also keep a child size rake hanging outside the coop for easy reaching and to scatter. They love it. No odor either.

 

[runnermom]

I have a poop board filled with sweet PDZ. I am so glad I decided to go this method. I scoop it every morning, and my coop is SO CLEAN! My chickens come up and sit with me while I'm scooping it out and want me to pet them. It's our bonding time too!

 

[IamRainey]

What is PDZ?

And does this mean you don't make any attempt at deep litter?

Sorry for even more questions but I really don't know what I'm doing yet.

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

I use deep litter on a dirt floor,wood chips from the tree trimmer went in first, then hay and wood shavings here and there, I get about 50 lbs of produce a week from the market, the stuff they trim off and discard and add that as well, I started in April and intend to clean it out next fall, so like 18 months. It should be black gold by then. No poopy smells, just an earthy barn smell.

Gary

Edited to add: I never would have started with chickens if I had to clean the coop every day or every week. I am loving DLM

 

[IamRainey]

I use deep litter on a dirt floor,wood chips from the tree trimmer went in first, then hay and wood shavings here and there, I get about 50 lbs of produce a week from the market, the stuff they trim off and discard and add that as well, I started in April and intend to clean it out next fall, so like 18 months. It should be black gold by then. No poopy smells, just an earthy barn smell.

Gary

Edited to add: I never would have started with chickens if I had to clean the coop every day or every week. I am loving DLM

So I take it you don't use a poop board. Is that right?

And your chickens have been disease-free?

 

[TalkALittle]

I maintain a composting deep litter in my run. In the coop I have a deep layer of dry bedding (some combination of pine shavings, chopped straw, hay, and dry leaves) and a poop tray with PDZ (crushed zeolite product)

My coop is a tad small for the number of birds I have. They would produce too much poop for the space if I tried to maintain a composting deep litter in the coop. The trays catch 90% of the poop and are scooped every couple of days. The random stray poops "disappear" into the bedding which gets cleaned out yearly and dumped in the run along with grass clippings, leaves, and other yard waste.

The net result is that my birds get all the benefit deep litter has to offer and they have a very dry, clean and odor-free coop to sleep and lay in.

The only time my birds had coccidiosis was when I had a sand run that got saturated with spring snowmelt and rain. I've had two rainy springs on the deep litter since and no sign of cocci.

 

[TalkALittle]

Oh, and btw, they are chickens. You will never have "pristine hygiene" conditions in the coop.

 

[IamRainey]

Thanks, TalkALittle, that really addressed my questions. I'm grateful to get to benefit from your experience.

And, yeah, I get that they're poultry. We once had ducks who used to visit us on long elementary school breaks and I adored them no matter that they took 3 steps and pooped all day long, turned our swimming pool a bright emerald green and destroyed my garden. They were just so freakin' sweet to one another! Decades later I still remember them with deep and abiding affection.

I just was trying to draw a distinction between the logic of the 2 different approaches.