for those that use deep litter method...please advise me

[Kuntry Klucker]

I am looking forward to starting the deep litter method.
I figured I was doing it wrong when cleaning the littler box
seemed to be a fun compared to cleaning the chicken coop.

I am due for my (regular cleaning) but this time instead of doing that I am just going to
add shavings and take it from there. My poor chickens are going to think that I have flipped.

But then they never really came to like the leaf blower either.

 

[featherz]

Just do it, I'd never be able to have chickens if I did what some folks on here do - cleaning daily, cleaning weekly, etc. Twice a year and the only time I ever smell anything is on a really hot humid day when it's not turned. If that happens I just run a rake through and all is well. And if it wasn't raining, I'd go take a pic of my removed coop shavings after my six month cleaning- they look just about new!

Only time I see flies is if they poop somewhere other than on the shavings, like on a roost or a stair. I scrape that off into the shavings. That link I posted is helpful also.

 

[Judy]

Twice a year here, too. We compost what is removed, or spread it under bushes, etc. that need food, or spread it in the garden and till under, several weeks before planting. Maybe twice a month I sprinkle some pelletized lime or Sevin around, or add a few shavings. The chickens usually keep it turned well. If they haven't turned the poop under the roosts for several days, I rake things around, then they start doing it for me again. (no, no poop board.) It is unusual for there to be any odor in there, or more than a few flies. I sit in a lawn chair in my coop about every day. The only reason what is removed doesn't go directly on the garden is concern that the newer pine shavings will draw nitrogen from the soil.

eta there are some threads linked on the FAQ page about this.

 

[Hawkeye95]

So glad to read this- I am going to use the DLM, as well, but have no experience with it. What about the poop boards? I really, really don't want to be in there cleaning constantly. Do you all use them or not? Or is it something that really helps the deep litter stay cleaner? Please say no! LOL!!

 

[featherz]

I don't use any poop boards at all. So far so good, going on two years now.

 

[Kuntry Klucker]

Quote:
I do not have poop boards in my coop either. Just a wood floor. Like you I hope that I do not need them.

 

[Kuntry Klucker]

Quote:
Good, that means that I do not have to install them. Just put the shaving on the wood
floor and let the chickens and nature do the rest. I think that I am going to love the DLM.

Too bad that I have been beating myself up, no more of that.

 

[1muttsfan]

I clean my coop once a year. Shavings work best, as straw tends to tangle up and does not break down and decompose as well. I never use lime, pdz or any insecticides, as I do not want any chemical residues in my eggs, and the insecticides will also kill the fly predators that control the fly population. I do scoop out the poopiest spot under the favorite night roost about once a week, and turn the bedding with a fork every few weeks. This time of year I am adding a bag of bedding every few weeks, with the goal of about 14 inches by the time the seriously cold weather arrives.

 

[Kuntry Klucker]

Quote:
This may be a silly question, but why do yo want 14 inches by the time cold weather arrives? Just wondering.
I am still collecting info on DLM. Thanks.

 

[nickie]

More litter means warmer chickens.