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

[IamRainey]

Most encouraging, TeeMom!

 

[aart]

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.

I do the exact same as TAL^^^

The term 'DLM' is widely misused/misapplied.
True composting DLM needs moisture and good balance of components,
not something I want to establish/maintain in my coop with it's vinyl floor.
Even what I have in my run is not a true DLM as it's not deep or always moist but enough dry plant materials to keep the poops decomposing, more of a cold compost.

 

[ChickenMammX4]

In the coop we have a poop board filled with Sweet PDZ to absorb odor and moisture. I scoop it daily. On the coop floor there are pine flakes. We do Deep Litter in the run.

 

[chikmaw]

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!

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!

 

[CatWhisperer]

I use deep litter in coop and run. PDZ on poop board. Chickens free range during the day. Wouldn’t do it any other way. Poop board gets sifted every morning, coop always smells clean, minimal flies.

 

[RumneyRoost]

I’m another that does “cold composting” in the run.
Being in Canada it freezes from Nov-April. I add some mulch every spring and the chickens mix everything together as it thaws, which keeps the smell down.

In the coop I bed with shavings and clean the poop boards under the roosts every second day.
I have a raised coop with a vinyl floor. DLM wouldn’t work very well.
I like that my coop stay nice and dry. I like that I can check the poop boards in the morning, it’s obvious if anyone has loose stools, laid a soft shelled egg that broke, etc.

 

[Sassysouth]

This is what I do. Scoop in a grocery sack and take to the trash can. That is what is easiest for me. I think you will find out what works for you.

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!

 

[MFRcoop]

I have been using the deep litter method and it's been awesome. I took Pine Shavings, Hemp Bedding, Peat Moss, & Construction grade sand to create my deep litter in the coop. It's worked flawlessly we have no smell or issues at all and we are going on 6+ months. I would highly recommend it.

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

I went two and a half years before cleaning out my deep litter on dirt floor in the chicken house. I ended up with at least 15 wheelbarrows of compost, my garden loves me. I set it up with this in mind, high ceilings in coop to compensate, I probably had 16-18 inches of compost when I cleaned it out. I added paper shreddings from shredder, pine chips, leaves and food waste. The chickens did all the work turning it, I would scrape a few spots where poop built up and toss in the middle. It never stank, just a earthy compost smell. I do add water about once a month otherwise it would be too dry and take even longer to compost.

I also started that pile with aged wood chips from the tree service, I won't do that again because it takes too long to break down.

Gary