Chicken Run-- what's in it?

[Kiki]

Here is one more:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...st-way-to-deal-with-chicken-litter-dlm.47740/

 

[Outdoorlover]

Throw any organic material in there (leaves, wood chips, grass clippings, etc) and have the chickens turn it into great soil/compost. I'll often just go into the run and sift some of the material into a bucket, and spread it on the plants. Just try and pick out any fresh poops in it.

So can I put in the run the pine shavings I remove from the coop when I clean it, or is it too poopy?

 

[Kusanar]

So can I put in the run the pine shavings I remove from the coop when I clean it, or is it too poopy?

Yes, you can. I would throw some other things there too, like leaves, grass clippings, sticks, chickens love old rotten firewood logs or stumps that they can climb on and pick bugs out of....

 

[Outdoorlover]

Yes, you can. I would throw some other things there too, like leaves, grass clippings, sticks, chickens love old rotten firewood logs or stumps that they can climb on and pick bugs out of....

Thank you!

 

[PinkMinnow]

Is there any kind of ratio of green vs. dry litter to throw in? I know that when composting, the ratio is important if you're trying to get the appropriate heat build-up. I've been throwing pine shavings and straw, but not many layers of green, like cut grass, etc. Should I be adding more green?

 

[Kusanar]

Is there any kind of ratio of green vs. dry litter to throw in? I know that when composting, the ratio is important if you're trying to get the appropriate heat build-up. I've been throwing pine shavings and straw, but not many layers of green, like cut grass, etc. Should I be adding more green?

Chicken poop is a "green" and in my understanding, the ratio is 2 "brown" to 1 "green", so, every chicken poop will break down 2 units of brown. I would keep it brown heavy, but some green is fine, cut grass once it has dried should be a brown, hay is, and that's all that it is. If a compost, or in this case deep litter, gets nitrogen (green) heavy, that's when you get heat and smell out of it which is what you don't want in a deep litter.

You DO want SOME moisture in the lower levels, don't keep it wet, but dump a waterer out now and then to keep the bottom layer slightly moist which will encourage a break down of the lower layers while the top stays dry and fluffy.

 

[Outdoorlover]

I'm going to let the chicken eat up all the grass and then I will give this DLM a try!

 

[Mr Pink]

The main reason we have chickens is the compost that the deep litter method produces . I have a large mower with a collection system on it and all fall long I suck up every available leaf ...needless to say I have literally tons of leaf mulch. My coop and run are both filled with leaf mulch and I have ZERO odor issues , muddy run issues or coop odor issues or fly issues and an almost endless supply of high grade quality garden mulch AND the chickens do all the work

People come over and say "there is no smell at all " or " I thought I'd see poop all over the place but I hardly see any at all " While I have a total cover on my run I have it set up where I can still add material with the front end loader of my tractor ( beats hauling bags of leaves around ) and the girls love playing king of the hill when fresh loads are added.

All in all it's a slick system once you get it going

 

[Almost Acre]

I have a large mower with a collection system on it and all fall long I suck up every available leaf ...needless to say I have literally tons of leaf mulch.

I need to get a leaf collection system on mine, I'd be in heaven.

 

[aart]

This:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/turning-the-stinky-dirt-in-the-run.1187756/#post-18759161