Results from First Year with Deep Litter Method

[paintedChix]

BeeKissed -

ROFLMAO!!!

TRUST ME, I've learned to be VERY careful what I say around whom... Yep, even in the country, folk completely flip out. I still get a great laugh out of the folks who say - "ooooo, that's gross. Your eggs are dirty (don't get them all collected every day right now & do wipe them off), I'll just get my eggs from the store." and the other day I nearly sprayed coffee over my computer at work, cuz two clients were talking while in line (I work for a low cost spay/neuter vet clinic - 3 days/wk we schedule 60 animals & 1 day we schedule 32). Didn't hear the first comment - but the response was ..."OMG, those poor, poor animals. Why would anyone want to butcher their pets (realized they were talking about pigs and goats)? Just so cruel - and so mean and soo GROSS/DIRTY - I'll get the bacon from the grocery store. That's not a butchered animal..." WHERE do people think their food COMES FROM? Sure as heck doesn't grow in vats (yet - now that grosses me out!).

? - can the remains of a chicken (butchered) that aren't used/fed to other animals be added to a compost pile like you'd do with fish before planting? IN the fall, like the ones I'm getting ready to do. Figured I'd bury those remains in between layers of horse manure and leaves in the planters - if would be OK?

 

[Beekissed]

I've never tried it and I'm thinking you'd have animals digging them up out of there, maybe. Should compost eventually but not sure if it will compost too well in the winter months. In short, I just don't know what would happen.... but if you do it, we'll both find out. I've heard all kinds of dire warning about that too...composting meat....but a rotting animal can really put nutrients into the soil. Like you said, the Indians used fish and fish heads in their planting, though fish rot at a much quicker rate.

 

[TBirdsTheWord33]

I'd like to try the deep litter method, but before I do, could someone please tell me if it works on concrete floors? Also, we have several mature black walnut trees on the farm. Would it present a problem if we added walnuts to the bedding?

 

[Mims]

I'd like to try the deep litter method, but before I do, could someone please tell me if it works on concrete floors? Also, we have several mature black walnut trees on the farm. Would it present a problem if we added walnuts to the bedding?

I don't know the answers to these questions, but I'm interested to find out the answer to the concrete floor.

I think you need to be careful with black walnuts, they may be toxic to chickens. Anyone else have input on this?

 

[lynnehd]

I don't know the answers to these questions, but I'm interested to find out the answer to the concrete floor.

I think you need to be careful with black walnuts, they may be toxic to chickens. Anyone else have input on this?

I think the Deep Litter method relies on having soil underneath to support the bacteria, worms, etc., that help break down the litter.
So I 'm not sure if a concrete floor would allow this.

Black walnut trees are OK around chickens, I think. But they do product juglone, which can be a toxin to some vegetables. So if you wanted to harvest the deep litter for compost in your garden, that might be an issue.

 

[henless]

Dirt floor is optimal for the deep litter method, but it will work with other flooring. You need to inoculate it. Put down a few shovel fulls of good dirt then put your litter on top. The dirt will add the organisms that you need to start your breakdown. You won't have worms and stuff in your dl, but you will have the organisms that will break it down.

When you clean out your deep litter, be sure and leave some behind. This will start your next batch of deep litter.

 

[Molpet]

Has anyone used shredded paper as one of the components in DL? I have 6 hens and 2 roosters (soon for freezer camp) in a 4x4 coop and 24 x 16 run. I have been putting in leaves, shavings and shredded paper in the coop. So far so good, but it has been about 3 weeks.

 

[sophiaw00]

Can anybody tell me how to keep the litter in the coop? Somehow it keeps disapearing. I mentioned it before that I had around 5-6 inches and then within two or three weeks I could see the wood floor. It's not getting kicked out of the coop so I'm thinking they are eating it? I just added another 3 inches of leaves that I got from my sister and I'm working on finding more. Also, unrelated, but my andalusian ate a downy feather. I'm worried about her getting a compacted crop or something.

 

[paintedChix]

Has anyone used shredded paper as one of the components in DL? I have 6 hens and 2 roosters (soon for freezer camp) in a 4x4 coop and 24 x 16 run. I have been putting in leaves, shavings and shredded paper in the coop. So far so good, but it has been about 3 weeks.

I haven't started it yet, but plan on doing so in small amounts. Shredded paper has a tendency to pack down/become a rock, so I don't plan on using it by itself but will mix it. I have tried using it for bedding ponies and litter boxes for the cats. Also, brooded chix on it (YUCK!) but again - all of those were by itself and the results were NOT easy to deal with!

**** shredded paper seems to work great in the composting bucket toilets (human) that I have out in the sheds (3) in our pastures for when myself or the grand kids can't make it back to the house (1/2 mile away - thru several gates). BUT I only about 5 bucket loads in the little compost pile for that so far... That is composted separately right now from other "stuff", though I now understand could probably be added (??) ****

When I put items out from our home (in the DLM in the coops) - I add paper towels, non-coated paper plates (rip them to shreds by hand - different sizes), hair from hairbrushes (3 adults in our home), hair from grooming dogs and hair "raked" out of carpet or swept up from linoleum floors from those dogs (4 double coated dogs ranging from #11 to #45 & 2 short coated pitt Xs), veggie leftovers, food leftovers from not eating BEFORE it turns to "penicillin". We also have a bunch of nuts and dried veggies/fruit that we didn't get eaten and are now not just outof date but WAY out of date. Want to grind the nuts before adding to the mix, the veggies (dried) should be fine.

When have hair from the ponies (mane, tail, shedding coats - we have 1 full size horse, 2 Xbred shetland ponies & 22 purebred shetland ponies) - will add all of that to the 3 hoop coops out in our pony pastures!! We will be putting more hoop coops together out there over the winter and next spring - for other chicken projects, as well.

I literally just started doing the DLM, so don't know how it will all work out. BUT composting these items in the past worked well & our free ranging chickens often dug thru our compost piles (mainly consisting of LOTs of pony manure picked up from pastures) at our previous property. Wish I had known about the DLM, then, but never too late to learn and start! We are getting our Cyclone Rake serviced and then will go back to it for picking up manure and leaves/pine straw in the pastures. When it's heavy on pine straw/leaves, we will use it in the coops. When it's predominantly horse/pony manure, we'll dump it out on the sandy portions of the pastures then spread it later... We will see how that works.

 

[TBirdsTheWord33]

Mims, lynnehd, and henless, thank you so much for your help. I'll give DLM a shot (minus the walnuts since I plan to use the compost in the garden). Hopefully, I'll have good results to report.