Lots of people don't cover the ground with anything if using the deep litter method. All the wood shavings go directly on top of the earth. I do it that way. I empty out all the used shavings only once a year, in the Spring. All the used shavings go directly onto the compost pile. Fresh clean shavings then go down in the coop. I mix in a good amount of DE (food grade DE) and that's it. I only have three hens. Coop's litter is stirred up maybe once a month with a rake. I add more DE and shavings maybe every two months. It NEVER smells. Every morning I look at the roost board and if there are any droppings there, I easily scrape them off with a long handled barbeque tool that hangs from a handy hook on the wall. I then spray the roost board a quick squirt of a 50/50 solution of white vinegar and water, and toss a paper towel onto the wet board. The barbeque scraper then pushes the towel around to wipe down the board and then I flick the dirty towel into the trash can just outside the coop.
My hands never get dirty as I never have to touch anything yukky. Then I top up their water bowl, check the nestbox for eggs, and in five minutes flat I'm outta there.
