Deep liter.

[Cats Critters]

Ok me and my dad argue over everything from my picky eating to cheese (Don't Ask) are most resent one is over deep liter I say that it stays in the coop for half a year to a year with turning, My dad says cleen every couple weeks or my chickens will get sick and also get bugs

. So who is right?

 

[Crest Acres Girl]

I use deep litter method with DE and change take out the litter once a year

no bugs or anything, smells fine and no flies woohoo!! also keeps my chickies warm in the winter!

 

[Cats Critters]

Thank you! now I get to tell my dad he's wrong ( he will still think he's right though

)

 

[Momma_Cluck]

More on this.....??

This is a great question, and a lot of us are just starting to use the method...

I have had ours for about 3 months in deep litter... but still get to points where there is a bad odor...

Am I not adding enough DE, Hay etc?? I Fluff every week regardless of whether I add to it or not...???

And what about the HUGE amounts of airborne dust??? Is it harmful??

 

[Chicken Boo]

I have been cleaning out the hen house twice a year.

 

[freemotion]

I love deep litter. I found I had to add some shavings until I got the magic depth that was not stinky. Throw in some scratch or whole grains every day and they will keep it well-turned. Proper depth and constant turning, along with not over-crowding, seem to be the keys.

You can help them under the roosts by loosening the crust with a spading fork on occasion to get the mixing going.

Don't use moldy hay for bedding, mold is bad for everyone, including chickens. The other thing that might produce bad dust is if they spill their water often, the bedding might mold or get stinky. So re-arrange your watering system so it doesn't get tipped over if this happens more than a couple of times.

This fall, the maple leaves fell during very dry weather, no mold, so I filled the coop and the goat stall with them....very nice. They will break down and make fantastic compost. I will add shavings as needed to supplement the bedding as they break down, but I haven't needed to yet. The chickies are already shredding them...very exciting to a gardener!

 

[aiwetir]

just make sure you make your dad say 'i was wrong and you were right'

he'll love that

 

[ChickaD]

I love the deep litter method and was doing it (rather guiltily, I'll admit) before joining BYC and learning I was not in deep doo-doo after all!

I find DE keeps the wood shavings nice and separate and dry, so it's easier for the hens to dust bathe in them (thus dusting themselves with DE, heh heh heh) and to scratch for grain. I do notice the shavings keep breaking down so I need to keep adding more regularly.

 

[ozark hen]

This is my second year on deep litter method. I clean out the coop rooms twice a year but use a pitch fork to turn the litter about every other day. There are days I throw some cracked corn around to get them (chickens)to help me turn the litter.

I also use the pitch fork to remove the thick layer of chicken-poo under the roosts once a week. I also add more shavings at the first smell of odor. My coop rooms smell fine, especially since I banned the ducks from going in there!!

 

[bdp7150]

dlm works great and you need de to put down for smell and bugs etc.clean on how much poop you build up mostly i change 2 times a year with 2 bags 7.5 pine shavings(4.39 a bag) which is 4 to 5 iches deep this is my choice . don't clean to much you will waste money.