Doo kashi or sweet coop?

[Devorah]

Hi folks!

Has anyone used sweet coop or doo kashi with the deep litter method? I am just starting out as a first time chick mama. As soon as the weather is a tad warmer here in northern Mass/Vermont, I’m going to be cleaning out the inherited coop and using deep litter. I am very interested in feedback! Thank you!

 

[aart]

IMO both are overpriced and not necessary for a good deep litter.
Are you looking for odor control or do you want to make garden soil?
Is your coop floor wooden or dirt?

@3KillerBs has a pretty good write up on deep litter and deep bedding.

 

[Devorah]

IMO both are overpriced and not necessary for a good deep litter.
Are you looking for odor control or do you want to make garden soil?
Is your coop floor wooden or dirt?

@3KillerBs has a pretty good write up on deep litter and deep bedding.

Ammonia control primarily. I haven’t checked totally but the floor seems to be some kind of pad on top of dirt. I know I have to check … the coop is in a barn …

 

[aart]

Ammonia control primarily.

Ventilation is the first key to good air quality.
All year around.
Looks like you are in the north?


What kind of bedding you use may depend on how you manage the manure.
This is about cleaning, but covers my big picture

-I use poop boards under roosts with thin(<1/2") layer of sand/PDZ mix, sifted daily(takes 5-10mins) into bucket going to friends compost.
-Scrape big or wet poops off roost and ramps as needed.
- Large flake pine shavings on coop floor, add some occasionally, totally changed out once or twice a year, old shavings added to run.
- My runs have semi-deep litter(cold composting), never clean anything out, just add smaller dry materials on occasion, add larger wood chippings as needed.
Aged ramial wood chippings are best IMO.
-Nests are bedded with straw, add some occasionally, change out if needed(broken egg).

There is no odor, unless a fresh cecal has been dropped and when I open the bucket to add more poop.
That's how I keep it 'clean', have not found any reason to clean 'deeper' in 8 years.

 

[Devorah]

Ventilation is the first key to good air quality.
All year around.
Looks like you are in the north?


What kind of bedding you use may depend on how you manage the manure.
This is about cleaning, but covers my big picture

-I use poop boards under roosts with thin(<1/2") layer of sand/PDZ mix, sifted daily(takes 5-10mins) into bucket going to friends compost.
-Scrape big or wet poops off roost and ramps as needed.
- Large flake pine shavings on coop floor, add some occasionally, totally changed out once or twice a year, old shavings added to run.
- My runs have semi-deep litter(cold composting), never clean anything out, just add smaller dry materials on occasion, add larger wood chippings as needed.
Aged ramial wood chippings are best IMO.
-Nests are bedded with straw, add some occasionally, change out if needed(broken egg).

There is no odor, unless a fresh cecal has been dropped and when I open the bucket to add more poop.
That's how I keep it 'clean', have not found any reason to clean 'deeper' in 8 years.

Thank you - very helpful! Yup - I’m in Mass, on the Vermont border. I need to survey the coop more closely. It’s 13’x10’ space in barn with decent ventilation (large window on west side, one wall looks into barn with open grating). I may be getting back to you if that’s ok!

 

[Devorah]

Ventilation is the first key to good air quality.
All year around.
Looks like you are in the north?


What kind of bedding you use may depend on how you manage the manure.
This is about cleaning, but covers my big picture

-I use poop boards under roosts with thin(<1/2") layer of sand/PDZ mix, sifted daily(takes 5-10mins) into bucket going to friends compost.
-Scrape big or wet poops off roost and ramps as needed.
- Large flake pine shavings on coop floor, add some occasionally, totally changed out once or twice a year, old shavings added to run.
- My runs have semi-deep litter(cold composting), never clean anything out, just add smaller dry materials on occasion, add larger wood chippings as needed.
Aged ramial wood chippings are best IMO.
-Nests are bedded with straw, add some occasionally, change out if needed(broken egg).

There is no odor, unless a fresh cecal has been dropped and when I open the bucket to add more poop.
That's how I keep it 'clean', have not found any reason to clean 'deeper' in 8 years.

What kind of straw do you use in the nesting boxes?

 

[RoyalChick]

Hi folks!

Has anyone used sweet coop or doo kashi with the deep litter method? I am just starting out as a first time chick mama. As soon as the weather is a tad warmer here in northern Mass/Vermont, I’m going to be cleaning out the inherited coop and using deep litter. I am very interested in feedback! Thank you!

I agree with @aart that you likely don’t need it as long as you have good ventilation.
But just to give you a contrasting approach, I will share what I do.
I don’t use poop boards. I use deep bedding with mostly dried leaves but also pine shavings and shredded paper on the floor of the coop. Everything just disappears into the bedding. I have a dirt floor under there somewhere. No smell.
In theory every now and then I clear it out into the run and then into the garden. I keep meaning to getting around to doing that. Maybe this year!
I am less experienced than @aart, so I am just starting my 4th year with chickens. Maybe my routine should be to clean out every 5 years!
And before you assume my chickens are all suffering from this cleaning neglect, they seem fine and I just had a fecal sample looked at by the vet and given the all clear.

 

[Devorah]

I agree with @aart that you likely don’t need it as long as you have good ventilation.
But just to give you a contrasting approach, I will share what I do.
I don’t use poop boards. I use deep bedding with mostly dried leaves but also pine shavings and shredded paper on the floor of the coop. Everything just disappears into the bedding. I have a dirt floor under there somewhere. No smell.
In theory every now and then I clear it out into the run and then into the garden. I keep meaning to getting around to doing that. Maybe this year!
I am less experienced than @aart, so I am just starting my 4th year with chickens. Maybe my routine should be to clean out every 5 years!
And before you assume my chickens are all suffering from this cleaning neglect, they seem fine and I just had a fecal sample looked at by the vet and given the all clear.

Thanks very much! I think I need to sneak into the coop later to reassess (floor, existence of poop boards and ventilation) and even take some photos to show you all. Since I have been researching the deep bedding method, my eyes have changed! When I first examined the coop, it was pre-deep bedding interest!

 

[aart]

I think I need to sneak into the coop later to reassess (floor, existence of poop boards and ventilation) and even take some photos to show you all.

Good Idea!
Take pics all around inside and out, showing cleared floor and vents and all of it.
Might be good to start a new thread, titled something like "assess my coop", to gather opinions and ideas.

 

[aart]

What kind of straw do you use in the nesting boxes?

I don't know what kind of grain plant it is from.
I try to buy it in the late summer/fall in order to get something fresh off the fields rather than waht has been stored in a barn for who knows how long with exposure to who knows what kind of wild birds and rodents(which can both carry avian pests).