Chicken manure!!!!!

[dtabor]

So Ive read some posts here on what people do with all the droppings. Im buried!(not literally!) I have 16 girls, there is a poop board under their roosts. Every morning I go out and scrape up ALOT of droppings. I have been putting them in compost bins but they are full and since it is winter here in Vermont there is no composting going on. Its also almost all manure so no other compost ingredients. Im in the country so could just dump in the woods but I have two Labs who love to find “frozen chicken treats” (ewwwww). Any other ideas? I see many just clean up the bedding a couple times per year but since I have the board, I clean up every day. Maybe Im just doing it all wrong?

 

[sweetater22]

I would recommend you research Deep Litter on this site and see if it can work for you also. It has worked for me here in Kentucky, however this time of year in your state would be harder to start but you could do your research and start in the Spring.

 

[dtabor]

I would recommend you research Deep Litter on this site and see if it can work for you also. It has worked for me here in Kentucky, however this time of year in your state would be harder to start but you could do your research and start in the Spring.

I had thought of and looked pretty extensively at that. So I guess I would remove the "poop board" as it defeats the purpose if I just scrape from the board to the floor shavings.

 

[sweetater22]

I don't use a poop board just stir in manure as it builds up under the roost and the deep litter does the rest, in the Winter time deep litter as compost works slower but if done properly keeps working. I encourage you to do research there is a treasure trove of info on this site. Deep Litter has made keeping my flock healthy and keeping my coop and run cleaner much easier. Not to mention the great compost for my garden come Spring time.

 

[lazy gardener]

More info please: What is the size of your coop including L x W x H? How much ventilation do you have (in square feet). What are you currently using for bedding.

I do DLM in my coop. currently maxed out with 30 birds in 120 s.f. Materials used: dry leaves and hay this time of year.

In the summer, I add grass clippings, some garden debris.

During the winter, the bedding freezes solid. If I get a pile of poo under the perches, and it works out to do so, I might scoop it out simply so the pile doesn't get too high. Most of the time, I simply toss on some more leaves, and toss down some scratch so the birds will mix it all up.

It thaws quickly in the spring, then it starts to compost. Never any odor. I never completely clean it out. When the pile under the perches is deep, I open the clean out door and push most of it out into the run. Then I move the stuff from the front of the coop to the back under the perches, add more litter in the front, and continue the process. In all, I may spend about 1 - 2 hours doing "clean out" chores per year.

 

[lazy gardener]

I don't use a poop board just stir in manure as it builds up under the roost and the deep litter does the rest, in the Winter time deep litter as compost works slower but if done properly keeps working. I encourage you to do research there is a treasure trove of info on this site. Deep Litter has made keeping my flock healthy and keeping my coop and run cleaner much easier. Not to mention the great compost for my garden come Spring time.

Idle curiosity, are you doing DLM on wood floor or soil floor? What is your general location/latitude? What are you using for materials?

 

[dtabor]

Idle curiosity, are you doing DLM on wood floor or soil floor? What is your general location/latitude? What are you using for materials?

My coop is 8x12' with a very large outdoor run that they use in the winter and they come outside the run in the summer when the snow is gone. I dont know measurements of ventilation but it seems to be sufficient as I have no issues with frostbite etc even during the coldest nights.

The floor of the coop is wood covered with vinyl flooring. As mentioned before, there is a vinyl covered board under their roosts. When I get new chicks, I actually use the area under it for integrating them with the flock so I hate to actually remove it. the bedding on the floor is shavings.

We live in North Central Vermont so cold/snow are an issue this time of year.

 

[lazy gardener]

Your climate is similar to mine. You could continue with your current method, and get a couple of bales of hay to layer up with your poo. Poo by it'self is too high in nitrogen, and too wet. It will get stinky, and maybe even go anaerobic. It needs some nice loose high carbon materials added to it. How big is your compost bin? Generally, a compost doesn't cook well unless it is a minimum of 3' x 3' x 3'. Do you have room in your yard to build a couple of large bins? Some folks even build a bin out of hay bales. That helps to insulate the pile so it continues to cook later into the year. In very cold climates, the pile will freeze up, but once weather warms a bit, it will quickly start cooking again.

It's really a matter of personal preference. Some folks do well with a poop board, and like that method. And they like using shavings.

I prefer not to use shavings b/c they take forever to break down. So, have gone to DLM. Besides, the materials are FREE! And they break down to give me TONS of wonderful compost for the garden.

 

[sweetater22]

Hey Lazy Gardener, I live in Western Kentucky my DL is on a dirt floor my coop is 8 feet x 8 feet and run is 8 feet by 24 feet both on ground level and I have 8 feet high 4x4 post to hold welded wire sides and across top of run the coop side is enclosed on three sides with metal with 6 inches of ventilation at top, one side has 3x6 door and 2 feet at bottom for ventilation. Run has 2 feet metal around outside to hold in DL with welded wire all sides and top. My DL is aged wood chips 6-8 inches deep, leaves, grass clippings, garden waste, kitchen waste on top for a depth now of about 10-12 deep. For predators I have a hot wire at the bottom approx. 6 inches off the ground and I have one at the top of the side walls to stop any coon that might try to climb the wire. So far have had zero problems with predation, we have lots of Hawks, Coyotes ,Coon, etc. here. I had way too much loses when I tried to free range 3 years ago As Beekissed taught us try to match the forest floor in your DL.

 

[lazy gardener]