- Thread starter
- #21
IamRainey
Crowing
Most encouraging, TeeMom!
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I do the exact same as TAL^^^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.
And this is where I have been stuck as well. I have come to this... Deep Litter or (cold composting) in the run, on the earth floor. I will be using industrial hemp in the coop for bedding. Turning daily and keeping it dry. Throwing in some Diatomaceous Earth whenever I add more hemp. Throwing scratch in every now and then to let chickens help turn it and keep it dry. It is my understanding to deep litter in the coop itself, it has to be moist. I dont think this is healthy. When I clean the coop out every spring (because they say it adds warmth for the chickens in the winter) I will throw it in the run to add to many other things (scraps, garden clippings, grass clippings, leaves, etc.) to build the deep litter in there. This is where I think I have landed. Having never done this before, I just dont know. If the coop deep bedding doesnt work out, I will move to Poop Boards. We shall see!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!
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!