Chickens for 10-20 years or more? Pull up a rockin' chair and lay some wisdom on us!

[Beekissed]

I've never tried it....try it and tell us how it goes!

Can't see how it would have any harm in it. Might be more fine than wood ash and might get into the lungs a little...not sure about that. Anyone out there have any thoughts on that? Couldn't be more fine and powdery than DE, could it?

 

[Wanny07]

When you guys/gals talk about "deep litter"...what exactly do you mean?

 

[Beekissed]

For many, deep litter means one leaves the bedding in place and merely adds to it as it decomposes or as needed for moisture absorption. It is a way to provide a place for the growth of beneficial microorganisms in the coop environment that can take some time to establish, but once they have a good growth, can inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria and fungus/molds.

This can take a little managing to create the right environment, for if it is too wet it will grow the wrong kind, too dry it won't grow the right kind, too ammonia it will create harmful fumes and kill the right kinds of organism....well...you get the picture. Once you get the knack of it, you can pretty much tell by sight, smell and feel of your bedding when and how to make the adjustments it may need to keep it working right.

Good deep litter is usually a golden, medium brown in color, can be picked up easily in the hand without clumping if you squeeze it...should be sort of mealy and should smell like good composted material~sort of earthy. Good ventilation is needed to use deep litter and I like to aerate the bedding itself by using "chicken power"...I just toss a handful of BOSS in the bedding during the wetter months of fall and winter and let the chickens toss the bedding around and break up any spots with a high moisture content.

I clean mine out twice a year but some never clean out their bedding for years...they merely take out some for gardening purposes and then let it build back up into the proper mix again with time. I don't use DE or any other additive to mine to "dry it out" as the chickens and the ventilation do this just fine. Some people say their DL is too dry but I'm thinking they have too much bedding to too little chickens or they have poop boards and remove all the good moisture that should be available in the fecal matter.

Some will claim you can't get DL to decompose unless you have a soil floor to your coop but just about anything will decompose if it has the right conditions and it doesn't require a soil floor to make those conditions right..composting can happen on many types of surfaces. I've been doing it on old oak flooring for the past 5 years and it decomposes just fine and makes a great addition to my gardens.

The main reason I do it is to promote good health in my chickens, but it also keeps my coop floor warmer in the winter and keeps my coop smelling way better than it did when I used to rake out the droppings every other day. It doesn't promote mite, lice or worms as many would claim...those who use true deep litter rarely, if ever, complain of those things in their flocks.

 

[WasabiChicki]

LOVE this thread!

 

[stayathomechick]

im useing pine wood chips in my coop and cleaning it out and puttin new every 2 weeks is that exsecive ? i have 9 chickens ,coop is 4 by 8 and run is 8 by 12 , i just been racking the run this mornning i hosed it down .. am i doing ok? i am soo green in AR been to many years gone by.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

im useing pine wood chips in my coop and cleaning it out and puttin new every 2 weeks is that exsecive ? i have 9 chickens ,coop is 4 by 8 and run is 8 by 12 , i just been racking the run this mornning i hosed it down .. am i doing ok? i am soo green in AR been to many years gone by.

I'd say it's a bit excessive. One of my coops is 6X8 with 10 chickens (all of the coops are about that density). I do a thorough cleaning 3 times a year. Usually, but not always, late fall, early spring and mid summer. I start with about 3" and add an inch or so once or twice during the four months.
The thorough cleaning goes into the first stage compost bin.
I don't think adding DE helps with moisture at all. I do add it though to help keep parasites down. The deep litter also gives the legs a cushion when they jump down off the roost.
In my area with high humidity keeping it dry is more of a problem than not enough moisture.
Where one lives makes a big difference in management techniques. I always say the details of good management in one region may not work very well in another mostly because of climate. So there's no absolute right or wrong.
My runs are mostly penned small pastures that I rotate but the one run that is permanent I use straw under the roof and replace it out every 3 or 4 weeks and hose down the concrete pad that's under roof.

 

[fowlman01]

I'd say it's a bit excessive. One of my coops is 6X8 with 10 chickens (all of the coops are about that density). I do a thorough cleaning 3 times a year. Usually, but not always, late fall, early spring and mid summer. I start with about 3" and add an inch or so once or twice during the four months.
The thorough cleaning goes into the first stage compost bin.
I don't think adding DE helps with moisture at all. I do add it though to help keep parasites down. The deep litter also gives the legs a cushion when they jump down off the roost.
In my area with high humidity keeping it dry is more of a problem than not enough moisture.
Where one lives makes a big difference in management techniques. I always say the details of good management in one region may not work very well in another mostly because of climate. So there's no absolute right or wrong.
My runs are mostly penned small pastures that I rotate but the one run that is permanent I use straw under the roof and replace it out every 3 or 4 weeks and hose down the concrete pad that's under roof.

This is very true and some people forget that different regions management don't always work everywhere.

Walt

 

[stayathomechick]

thank you,

 

[stayathomechick]

found a large wet spot in laying box did not look like poop it was big as a hand layed out wy did one of my girls do that? is she sick?

 

[Beekissed]

Sounds like an egg got crushed and was then eaten. No, you don't have an "egg-eater"....just an egg got crushed. It happens.