DEEP LITER METHOD IS GOOD?

[Browniethechicken]

Anyone have experience with deep liter method? So far so good at my coop! I’ve been adding only pine shavings once a week after my initial 4-6 inches of shavings to start. I bought a hand rake and use it to shuffle up the litter twice a week or so and I also add a little scratch or pellets so the birds shuffle it up themselves. Smells and looks good so far. I like this method. Am I doing it right? Also… thinking before winter I’ll clean it all out and start over.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

How long do you plan on using it before you replace it? Yearly?
You can throw some crickets in there which will encourage the chickens to turn the litter themselves.

 

[aart]

Am I doing it right?

Just pine shavings do not make for deep litter(composting).
Sounds more like you have deep bedding.

What does the floor of your coop consist of, dirt or wood or....?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Could be... Its a very popular method around here if you have the available resources and a coop design suited to it.

 

[Browniethechicken]

Just pine shavings do not make for deep litter(composting).
Sounds more like you have deep bedding.

What does the floor of your coop consist of, dirt or wood or....?

Wood floor. Thanks for your input. What do you suggest?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Just pine shavings do not make for deep litter(composting).
Sounds more like you have deep bedding.

What does the floor of your coop consist of, dirt or wood or....?

My method is more like deep bedding. I have big compost piles next to one of the coops and that is what I go with.

 

[Browniethechicken]

How long do you plan on using it before you replace it? Yearly?
You can throw some crickets in there which will encourage the chickens to turn the litter themselves.

 

[Browniethechicken]

Every 6 months? Im
New to this…. What say you? Thank you!!!

 

[Browniethechicken]

Could be... Its a very popular method around here if you have the available resources and a coop design suited to it.

What kind of coop do I need? Thank you!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

What kind of coop do I need? Thank you!

Deep Litter works best in contact with the ground, so that beneficial microbes can move up thru the pile to aid decomposition. It also helps maintain appropriate moisture levels. Under typical circumstances, you can't deep litter in a raised coop, or one with wooden/concrete/linoleum floors - "deep bedding" is as close as it gets.

Note how I use deep bedding in my raised coop, then move it down to the ground (no floor) to become deep litter under the ducks.

In theory, I could deep litter in the raised coop because I use concreteboard as flooring - I could shovel several inches of good dirt from my soils, complete with bacteria, worms, and all the rest in the top soil, then pile on the leaf litter another 6-8", and as long as the moisture levels stayed good, the process could operate as intended. But that's (potentially) a lot of weight, its definitely a lot of trapped moisture, and it will definitely accelerate the decay of anything its in contact with. Concrete board is better than lumber for that purpose, but it has limits. That's why I don't practice that theory.