Deep litter

[KeMe]

I have a 10X10 resin shed with a thick waterproofed floor for the chickens coop.
I been keeping about a 3" deep pine shaving layer inside the coop, but I have about 12" layer of pine shavings on their play yard. Otherwise they would be wading in mud. They also like to scratch in it and kick it around.

I cleaned out the floor of their coop once when there wasn't but about 6" of litter on the floor. So, do you think that it's okay to add more pine shavings to the coop. It would certainly help with the oder problem.
With the wood shaving, how can I get them the grit and oyster shell that they need? It gets lost in the shavings if I put it on their floor.
Would they get enough when they free range in the afternoons?

 

[shmeggs]

I have a 8x8 coop I want to put the shavings 6 inches deep. How many bales from TSC would I need

 

[jerrey]

with the deep litter since you are not cleaning the coop out what about chicken lice how do you deal with this

 

[jerrey]

I put up some little chicken 6 pint size feeder cups that hang on the wire pen that cut and put in side of the coop on the some wire fence I got these from cackle hatchery for 6 for $16.00 really love them I keep inside the coop.

 

[TalkALittle]

with the deep litter since you are not cleaning the coop out what about chicken lice how do you deal with this

My birds don't have lice. They have a spot in the yard with sand, mulch, ash, peat, and some diatomacious earth that they bathe in. I think that helps prevent lice and mites.

 

[jerrey]

I was thinking about the winter time it will be 6 degree this coming Sunday I just don't want to deal with the chicken lice and that is at night time that it will 6 degree

 

[Blooie]

If chickens are going to get lice and/or mites, they are going to get them regardless of what kind of bedding you use. I've seen posts from people who keep their birds on sand, deep litter, and even in chicken tractors which they move constantly to fresh ground, looking for help combating these pests.

I fought them this summer, and it's a bummer no matter what surface the birds are on, believe me! We had to take out some of the bedding in both the coop and the run. We power washed the walls, hitting the corners especially well, and took out the roosts and power washed them outside. The same with the nest boxes. After it dried, we hit every surface in the coop with Neem Oil, applied according to directions with the addition of a dab of dishwashing liquid to make it easier to apply. We sprayed the roosts, especially the ends of the 2x4s, the roost attachment points, and the plywood behind the nests and the nests. Then we put everything back, dusted well with Pyrethrin, and raked more Pyrethrin into the remaining bedding. That night, after the chickens went to roost, we dusted them well. It took 3 treatments, but we finally got it done and now I dust the roosts with Pyrethrin weekly.

 

[shmeggs]

I cleaned coop really good today put shavings in about 6 inches deep. If I like it in the long run, I will do same thing in our other 2 coops

 

[CyndiD]

I think you need to decide if you want "deep litter" or "deep bedding".  In my limited experience, pine shavings will give a wonderful deep bedding but will not give you a true deep litter.  I took everything out of my coop and run at the end of the first year.  I was amazed, and a bit dismayed, to see that after a full year, even with adding other material to the litter, the pine shavings were still pretty much intact, even in the lower layers that were resting directly on the ground. They had broken down some around the waterer and around the edges of the run where rain and snow melt moistened it, but other than that after a year I had, well, pine shavings. Not true deep litter, but deep bedding.  Nothing wrong with that - the girls loved it and did very well on it, but deep litter it ain't!

I changed things up, following the advice of folks who have been doing this far longer than I have.  @Beekissed
 has a really great handle on this deep litter stuff.  So now I use lawn and garden waste, weeds, dried leaves complete with any little twigs that are in there, whatever I have on hand.  If it's too dry, I give it a light mist, flip it, and add a little more green stuff.  If it gets to damp, especially in those areas I mentioned before, I drag some of the damp into the drier areas and pull some of the dry over the damp areas, then give it a flip.  I am very happy with the way everything is breaking down now.  

Right now, with sub zero temps, I am finding that the litter isn't working as well, so more carbon based materials are going in.  I'm still learning as I go, but when I showed Bee the great earthy litter that was down in the lower layers she said that was just how I wanted it to look.  So I'm closer now to true deep litter than I was before.

Hi, can this be used in a Duck House for ducks? I would think so. Only one difference, my floor is rock/river rock, about 1/2" diameter. This would be difficult to scoop up and clean once a year without picking up some of the river rock, huh? or do you think the litter would make its own layer and be lifted up and away from the river rock??? Ducks are much more wetter than chickens??? Thanks

 

[CyndiD]

I have a 10X10 resin shed with a thick waterproofed floor for the chickens coop.
I been keeping about a 3" deep pine shaving layer inside the coop, but I have about 12" layer of pine shavings on their play yard. Otherwise they would be wading in mud. They also like to scratch in it and kick it around.

I cleaned out the floor of their coop once when there wasn't but about 6" of litter on the floor. So, do you think that it's okay to add more pine shavings to the coop. It would certainly help with the oder problem.
With the wood shaving, how can I get them the grit and oyster shell that they need? It gets lost in the shavings if I put it on their floor.
Would they get enough when they free range in the afternoons?

oops, this Q was for Blooie