New to deep litter

[Dayrel]

My three girls (baby picture to the left) have been in a chicken tractor since April. I've been happy with that setup, but since it is getting into winter and the tractor won't work in snow and ice, I'm parking it, adding a run extension and switching to deep litter.

I just added about 6" of loose leaves and scattered some dried meal worms as a bonus for them to find. Getting the girls into the new setup was a minor challenge as they were dubious about the new arrangement and they quickly jumped up to their main roost. I'm sure they'll get used to the new setup as they have to go into it to get their food/water, but it is funny watching them try to avoid the leaves initially.

I've already added plastic sheeting around the sides, so the run area will keep dry (while maintaining ventilation). I plan on adding some more leaves as they break down the current collection. Anything else to be aware of?

 

[Kiki]

Hi @Dayrel
Have you happen to see this post about deep litter yet?
#8

 

[CntryBoy777]

A few cups of all purpose sand amongst the leaves will give them something to scratch around in besides the leaves and as they grow it will aid in keeping them from ripping the plastic that ya have....their nails do get sharp....it will also give them something to dust bathe in and when ya clean it up all can go on the compost pile. If ya have a bagger mower ya can run it over the leaves and it will break them down some and could contain some extra protein for them too.....

 

[Dayrel]

Hi @Dayrel
Have you happen to see this post about deep litter yet?
#8

Hadn't seen that. Very helpful. I understand composting pretty well, but making the leap from bin composting to chicken-driven composting left a few questions. One additional benefit is that composting creates heat, which should help a little in winter.

Right now they are in pure whole leaves, but I'll be adding some wood shavings/poo from their coop and some straw from their nests periodically to mix it up.

A few cups of all purpose sand amongst the leaves will give them something to scratch around in besides the leaves and as they grow it will aid in keeping them from ripping the plastic that ya have....their nails do get sharp....it will also give them something to dust bathe in and when ya clean it up all can go on the compost pile. If ya have a bagger mower ya can run it over the leaves and it will break them down some and could contain some extra protein for them too.....

Fortunately, there is a 1" gap between the hardware cloth and the plastic, so I'm not expecting much of a problem there. I only have a mulching mower, so I'm not eager to try and work with the mess that would create. I'll be sure to crush the leaves in the bag before adding more to break them into smaller pieces. They are getting around with the deep leaves, but it is a bit of a hassle. I'm sure they'd do better with smaller particles. Thanks.

 

[lazy gardener]

How old are your girls now? While it would be great to break the leaves up, most of us simply toss them in whole.

 

[Dayrel]

They are full grown- about 7 months old.

I think I'm going to try and crush the future leaves anyway. Won't take anything away from the girls and will help with faster composting. I only expect to have this arrangement for about 5 months until I can start moving the tractor again and the grass is growing.

If I understand CntryBoy777 properly, I won't really need a separate dust bath while they are in this environment, correct?

 

[CntryBoy777]

Not if they have a solid bottom that will contain the sand....with the broken down leaves mixed with the sand they will dust away.....something else that should be mentioned that will make things a little clearer is what kind of leaves they are.....there is a huge difference between a sycamore leaf and a live oak leaf, it won't matter in the composting or litter, but the size is what is assumed here and with so many different locales represented the assumed size of the word leaves allows one to think readily of their common leaf....here it is live oak....sorry about going on about it, but it could explain the size....cause a 7 month old chicken is not a little chick.....

 

[Dayrel]

They are oak leaves. Nicely dried and bagged by a neighbor with a huge tree in his backyard. It is just that 6" is kinda deep for the chickens to plow through. It is too fluffy for them to casually walk on top of. Doesn't look anything like that video as the material hasn't broken down yet. I do have some sand handy, so that won't be a problem.

 

[nenebynature]

A few cups of all purpose sand amongst the leaves will give them something to scratch around in besides the leaves and as they grow it will aid in keeping them from ripping the plastic that ya have....their nails do get sharp....it will also give them something to dust bathe in and when ya clean it up all can go on the compost pile. If ya have a bagger mower ya can run it over the leaves and it will break them down some and could contain some extra protein for them too.....

Thanks for the sand tip! I will be adding some promptly. I have leaves straw and all kinds of veggie scraps and yard debri in the bottom of my run. I toss in a bit of scratch now and then and they mix it all together for me. It breaks down so quickly. I do occasionally hit it with a rake if they haven't been turning it for me. Need to add a pitch fork to my wish list ha. On the days I don't let them out in the rain, they dig holes all they way to the dirt floor. Still waiting for it to heat up though....