fixing ammonia smell with deep litter method

[Motts]

I also live in the bay area, though this is a big area and not sure exactly where you are. My coop is raised off the ground. Inside I am using pine shavings that I get from Concord feed. They have locations in Concord and in Dublin, Ca. I have had my chickens in the coop about 5 months and have only cleaned it out two or three times. The shavings keep everything very dry and seem very low dust. Since this is not in contact with the ground I feel a little weird about doing deep litter method. On the other hand my outdoor covered run is deep litter (at least as much as the girls will let it be

). For the run I use pine flake from Tractor Supply. http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/sto...ium-pine-shavings-covers-8-cu-ft?cm_vc=-10005. These are bigger then a stall shaving but not a true wood chip. I have not had to change this run out once and there is no smell. I just keep adding in more. I have also added in leaves from our giant magnolia tree and some grass clippings. Now the tractor supply is a little more of a drive but I buy a bought a 4 bags 5 months ago and just put the last one in last week.

Good luck!

 

[Blooie]

Oh, Bee-eee, my fine feathered friend, I have a DLM question. I was going to ask on the Porch but then I thought since so many people are interested in DLM it might be better to ask here and get an answer that could help more folks than just little old me.

I started our new coop using DLM, and on your wise advice also have the run going in DL. But the coop is so dusty! I mean, like a layer on everything, including the vent screens. I know that moisture and deep litter can result in a release of ammonia, even with good ventilation. But is it supposed to be so dusty in there? Do I want to use the mister on the garden wand and just give the litter a light spray, then add more shavings? I want to make the lasagna so I try to avoid stirring the litter deeply, just kinda raking over the surface about once week. Even the 2x4 cross framing pieces are coated with dust, and the windows and screens are too.

Conversely the litter in the run is saturated. We've had continual rain for 2 days and even the covering over the run isn't preventing everything from getting soaked. Too much water in the run, not enough in the coop. Sheesh! Maybe I should just lock the chickens in the garage since there's no room for a car in there anyway!

Am I doing something wrong t cause so much dust, or does a lot of dust mean that I'm doing a proper job of keeping things well layered and dry? I've had no odor problems (okay, that's a lie - I actually had a little bit in there but another layer of shavings took care of that immediately so I don't count it) but the dust is as bad as it was when the girls (and Charlie) were in the house! I'm not using anything else but the leaves, other green material, and shavings.

 

[Beekissed]

Quote:
When you empty out your waterers for cleaning and refreshing, just slop them into the DL in your coop. The dust and dryness will not help it compost...gotta have some moisture there for that. It takes time to have good deep litter...it's a slow build and with time and not disturbing the lower layers too often, the moisture can be trapped at the lower layers where it can aid in composting, in attracting the organisms to compost , etc. Patience, Grasshopper....deep litter is a process and it takes a little tweaking to get your coop's environment just right for it, but when that day happens you'll stand back and take a deep whiff...and know you've arrived! Low and slow in building the DL in a coop with a wooden floor, small layers and no stirring...just a light turn over or tossing of dry materials on top of the poop. Just takes time....

 

[Blooie]

Quote: Okay, I feel better now. My coop has a dirt floor, no wood, so that should help speed things up a little bit as the layers build and time passes. I knew it would take a long time for good decomposition to take place, but I was just wondering if I was doing something wrong because it's so dry and dusty. Empty waterers - check! Thank you, my special friend!

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

I started my coop with DL ... my coop is right on the ground, but I thought that would be too damp so put down a layer of sand, and then I put some weed barrier fabric down. Stooooooooooopid!

For one thing, the fabric is expensive. So ... that's just dumb from the start. But also the crew installing the weed barrier didn't follow instructions ... they stretched it so tight it was actually pulling my coop apart and ... ugh ... I was fighting that stuff all the time ... But also the birds would scratch down to it, then I'd have strings of the stuff to deal with, and ... ugh, so many other details I'll spare you. But for another, the barrier layers of sand and weed fabric didn't let the bugs come up into the litter the way they're supposed to, and I didn't know enough to add a layer of lively organic matter before I put in the bedding.

So I eventually ripped out the cloth. Very satisfying.

I think DL is best when it is right on the soil, but BK suggested some great work arounds if that's not possible.

I toss scratch under the roosts in the morning so the flock can "make their beds." Because my coop is on a hillside, I do occasionally have to rake the bedding up the hill, but that's still way easier than cleaning the coop all the time. The flock LOVES dust bathing in the DL.

 

[Duke6017]

Beekissed,

My coop is raised and has a wood floor. Just to confirm, you recommend not stirring the pine shavings. Since I read your comment a few weeks back I have not been stirring, just adding a fresh layer of shavings every few days, creating the "poop lasagna" you mentioned. This seems to be working well, but I just want to make sure I am approaching it the right way.

 

[pmcatnip]

I'm considering DLM and wondering, does deep litter cause wood floors to rot out? I just built my new coop with 3/4 plywood for the floor. I don't expect it to ever have problems if cleaned out regularly. Reading about DLM it sounds pretty convenient but with litter essentially sitting there composting with bugs and things that sounds like it could start to eat away at the floor.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Oh, Bee-eee, my fine feathered friend, I have a DLM question. I was going to ask on the Porch but then I thought since so many people are interested in DLM it might be better to ask here and get an answer that could help more folks than just little old me.

I started our new coop using DLM, and on your wise advice also have the run going in DL. But the coop is so dusty! I mean, like a layer on everything, including the vent screens. I know that moisture and deep litter can result in a release of ammonia, even with good ventilation. But is it supposed to be so dusty in there? Do I want to use the mister on the garden wand and just give the litter a light spray, then add more shavings? I want to make the lasagna so I try to avoid stirring the litter deeply, just kinda raking over the surface about once week. Even the 2x4 cross framing pieces are coated with dust, and the windows and screens are too.

Conversely the litter in the run is saturated. We've had continual rain for 2 days and even the covering over the run isn't preventing everything from getting soaked. Too much water in the run, not enough in the coop. Sheesh! Maybe I should just lock the chickens in the garage since there's no room for a car in there anyway!

Am I doing something wrong t cause so much dust, or does a lot of dust mean that I'm doing a proper job of keeping things well layered and dry? I've had no odor problems (okay, that's a lie - I actually had a little bit in there but another layer of shavings took care of that immediately so I don't count it) but the dust is as bad as it was when the girls (and Charlie) were in the house! I'm not using anything else but the leaves, other green material, and shavings.

Everyone has different techniques, purposes and environmental conditions. IMO, there will be dust everywhere chickens are housed. Here in the Midwest, we are always humid and either extremely cold or extremely hot - some nice stuff in between. I work very hard to never get excess moisture into the coop. When the dust gets too bad, I muck out the coop, vacuum the cobwebs and put in fresh shavings.

I'm considering DLM and wondering, does deep litter cause wood floors to rot out? I just built my new coop with 3/4 plywood for the floor. I don't expect it to ever have problems if cleaned out regularly. Reading about DLM it sounds pretty convenient but with litter essentially sitting there composting with bugs and things that sounds like it could start to eat away at the floor.

If kept dry, it won't rot floors. If allowed to get wet, it will.

 

[tracker77]

I started DLM back in May when the chicks were still small pullets. My coop has a concrete floor. It's a 4x9 converted shed; 10 hens. I left a layer of newspaper from when they were chicks and layered pine shavings, about 2" initially. I was fussing over it adding pine shavings every 4-5 days, but found if I just sprinkled a little scratch around, the girls would turn it nicely. I just emptied the coop to the floor and added 3".

Observations, thoughts & questions.
• When mucking it out, I did notice a pretty strong ammonia smell. I've detected a light ammonia smell from time to time and wondered if that was contributing to some thin shell/watery egg whites of some of my eggs.
• I had a couple of spots where water had dripped in from tiny roof leaks. It was composted better in these spots. Thinking of lightly spraying/misting with a pump up garden sprayer once a week to see if that helps some with the dust problem.
• Most of what I shoveled out was about halfway composted, but very dry & dusty. I put it in my compost bin for anther 1-2 months of "work".
• I've never understood the idea of "disinfecting" a coop after cleanout. Why make it sterile for one day of the year? I could see doing that with some flock infection, but otherwise, I'm just shoveling out the big hunks and calling it good.

 

[RonP]

I also have dust everywhere inside the coop.

I use an electric leaf blower every once in a while to un dust it everywhere

.

Takes 5 minutes...and makes me happy.