Results from First Year with Deep Litter Method

[LindaB220]

I don't think I'd ad ashes from a trash burn nor from wood that has had lighter fluid or gasoline, etc. added to it. 'Ive read that chickens can eat some of the unburned yet chared bits (it's healthy to absorb toxins) and you don't want them to eat everything else that was in the fire. Plus, didn't someone say something about ash and water (and probably something else) makes lye (think granny's homemade soap) and lye is caustic.

I've wanted to add to the dust baths ashes from fallen trees/stumps but we always seem to put some kind of accellerant on it and then I can't use it

CG

Use dryer lint saved up as a starter. I melt a tiny candle and dip the lint. Let dry. It will start your fires.

 

[A1momof3]

Use dryer lint saved up as a starter.   I melt a tiny candle and dip the lint.  Let dry.  It will start your fires.    

Hey that's a good idea!! That stuff is very flammable. Lol love it!

 

[A1momof3]

Yes, buy pine shavings (not cedar)   and alternate a couple of inches at a time with the leaves and grass.  It's cheap and easy to obtain at a feed store.   

I has added some when they were babies but I haven't add any in a while. I'll remember that.

 

[CGinJCMO]

Quote:
My boy scout son saved some dryer lint in a baggie and then forgot to take it with him and I was thinking of having a weenie roast on the 4th and using the lint to start the fire. I'll have to prevent hubby from adding anything and to not use the fire pit as a used-fireworks disposal. Hopefully it won't rain before I get the wheel barrow down there to scoop up some of the ashes.

CG

 

[roo-many]

Thanks so much! Great info!

 

[pdirt]

Ok this I my first time owning chickens and I am interested in the deep litter method. My question is can it be done if your coop has a wood floor raised off the ground? The floor is made out of an old deck. If I can do it how should I get it ready. Thanks

I know other folks have a wood floor and supposedly do deep litter method. We also have a wood floor and our first year's clean-out was surprising. Nothing was really decomposing. There were feces several inches deep (meaning several months old) that were dry an not decomposed at all. The whole thing was dry, very dry, but we live in a very dry climate. It's a tricky thing with a wood floor...keep the litter wet enough to make good compost and you'll rot the floor in a 2-3 seasons, keep it too dry and it won't compost. A dirt floor (with wire mesh dug deep into the perimeter) would be ideal and is what we'll do if we ever build a new coop.

This time I added a thin layer of compost onto the bare wood floor to try to add in some more helpful microorganisms to the litter. I spray it down about 1x a month with a soil probiotic solution. Perhaps next spring at clean out time it will be more like compost and I'll update here. But for this year, we simply dug out about 85% of the litter and piled it up outside, where it is composting much better.

 

[MeggyC]

I copied a few recipes,https://fiascofarm.com/recipes/whitewash.html or http://tinyfarmblog.com/liming-the-chickenhouse/. There are still examples of this at old plantations, and if you have seen or been in a dairy barn it's what they use. These posts did not explain the salt which helps make it lasts better against water, when you mix it in and allow to sit overnight to use the next day-there is a chemical reaction that develops with the salt-have no idea what that is called.http://thehistoricfoodie.wordpress.com/tag/whitewash/--try this too. No reason not to use regular paint, I'm using lime wash ( whitewash) for it's anti bacterial properties, the fact that pests, like red mites and mice, hate it and it really gives a bright finish. You can add ingredients to color the lime wash--but white is what I am after. I want this for interior use--I would not want to use it on the exterior because i would have to fight the rain/humidity
.

Hi all! I am about to be a first time chicken mommy and have been doing my research. this thread is extremely helpful with regard the deep litter method and many other chicken keeping tips. one of which I was wondering about-

amenfarm: if you still read this, is it ok to whitewash over paint? The walls of my coop are painted using a deck paint (they are wood and I wanted to prevent any warping or breaking down of the wood), but I have been reading up on whitewash and its beneficial properties regarding lice, mites, etc. Can I still whitewash?

also, have you ever used whitewash on the floor? I have a wood floor (like many others on here) and I put a big layer of linoleum down to protect the wood from the litter (I am aware of the need for dirt from the earth with the organisms necessary to start the DLM composting- thanks to this thread). could I whitewash the wood underneath the linoleum as a preventative measure? it wont come into contact with the litter or the birds, just to prevent mites trying to make a home under the linoleum. what do you think (or anyone else who might have any answers/suggestions)?

thanks everyone!

 

[goodb]

bump

 

[amenfarm]

Oops, sorry for not replying.. I've been so behind since I fracture my ankle, in 2 places no less--didn't even get a good story out of it!! Hopefully, less aircast or no cast after Friday!.
Yes, in doing research you can whitewash over paint. do remember to let the lime sit overnight to slacken,http://www.motherearthnews.com/home...ewashing-using-slaked-lime.aspx#axzz3Bd1B74Ou or http://chicora.org/pdfs/whitewash.pdf . I don't know about the floor--i see no harm- but with chicken litter it's probable a waste of time. Lime can irritate the feet/but I have never seen that, and has for years used to be sprinkled on floors, I don't know how it effects the composting of the litter--and it will change the ph of the litter, don't know if it's a good or bad change.. If you do it I would sprinkle in on the floor. It would not be worth the effect to paint it on, any kind of litter would rub it off. So far i have only got the roost whitewashed, and it's time to redo. Remember to use type S lime. I can't even go in the barn until they say I can remove the cast, my husband gets them out on the weekends so i can see them..

 

[MeggyC]

Oops, sorry for not replying.. I've been so behind since I fracture my ankle, in 2 places no less--didn't even get a good story out of it!! Hopefully, less aircast or no cast after Friday!.
Yes, in doing research you can whitewash over paint. do remember to let the lime sit overnight to slacken,http://www.motherearthnews.com/home...ewashing-using-slaked-lime.aspx#axzz3Bd1B74Ou or http://chicora.org/pdfs/whitewash.pdf . I don't know about the floor--i see no harm- but with chicken litter it's probable a waste of time. Lime can irritate the feet/but I have never seen that, and has for years used to be sprinkled on floors, I don't know how it effects the composting of the litter--and it will change the ph of the litter, don't know if it's a good or bad change.. If you do it I would sprinkle in on the floor. It would not be worth the effect to paint it on, any kind of litter would rub it off. So far i have only got the roost whitewashed, and it's time to redo. Remember to use type S lime. I can't even go in the barn until they say I can remove the cast, my husband gets them out on the weekends so i can see them..

Sorry about your ankle; that's awful! Thanks for info, very helpful! And that's a good husband you have there- idk what I would do if couldn't look in on mine! Speedy recovery to you!