Composting...

[Gammas Bearded Babies]

Yeah, I have heard good things about hemp litter. I don't even know if it is available around where I live. In any case, it sounds expensive. Does it smell good at least?

It smells AMAZING!!!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Yeah, I have heard good things about hemp litter. I don't even know if it is available around where I live. In any case, it sounds expensive. Does it smell good at least?

It honestly doesn't smell like much of anything, compared to wood products. It is costly though, mostly because it's not available for pick up in many areas so has to be shipped, so half the cost is shipping.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Or do I just move that layer to the side, dig out the ready made compost layers a few inches thin load the run back up with wood chips and stuff?

I don't bother pushing chunky stuff aside. I just grab a hoe or shovel and dig down a couple inches at a time, then I sift the collected litter over a tarp. The fine bits get collected for use in my garden, while the bigger chunks go back into the run. I also see no need to rake or spread out the returning chunks, because the chickens will do that for me. By the next day, you can hardly tell I removed buckets of compost from the area.

 

[gtaus]

How can yall tell when is good time to dig out the chicken run if you use the deep litter method?

My litter is about 12-18 inches deep in the chicken run. I rake off a few inches and if the litter underneath is that good, rich, black, compost then I know it's ready for harvest. I started off with a wood chip base, but then added layers of leaves and grass clippings. Almost everything organic gets tossed into the chicken run and what the chickens don't eat gets mixed in with the litter and turns to compost.

It takes about 6 months where I live to turn grass clippings and leaves into compost. But I don't do anything myself in the process. I just let the chickens dig and turn over the litter. If an area need more turning, I'll throw some scratch on that place and the chickens will peck and scratch for the food, turning over the litter at the same time.

 

[gtaus]

It honestly doesn't smell like much of anything, compared to wood products. It is costly though, mostly because it's not available for pick up in many areas so has to be shipped, so half the cost is shipping.

Well, like I said, this winter I am using paper shreds for coop litter that I make at home for free. The paper does not have any smell by itself, and it's really dust free. It has been doing an excellent job absorbing the chicken poo in the coop and I have yet to notice any smell.

In my case, shredding up the junk paper at home, actually saves me money because I don't have to haul it off to the recycle center. Saves me gas money, and time, from making those trips to rid myself of our garbage.

I'm not saying that wood chips, paper shreds, or leaves make the best litter compared to all other options, but I will say I have not paid for any of my coop litter for the 3 years I have had my chickens. I have successfully been using all the free resources I have available to me and it works fine.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I'm not saying that wood chips, paper shreds, or leaves make the best litter compared to all other options, but I will say I have not paid for any of my coop litter for the 3 years I have had my chickens. I have successfully been using all the free resources I have available to me and it works fine.

I agree, free is the way to go. And other than the hemp I don't pay for any coop or run litter. The switch to hemp was for my own sanity - much easier to sift poop under the roosts, and a lot less sifting of compost afterwards (since fewer wood bits in it). Because I use it strictly under the roost area I can minimize how much I use, so a single bag should last me a year or more.