Deep litter— what should it look like?

[Chick-n-lily]

Gathering leaves is a wonderful idea i wish i had done before winter last year. This year I will for sure. Good luck!

Yes, they will be excited about that come winter lol

 

[slowloris]

Hi— I have my first chicken coop, and am using the deep litter method (with a mix of hemp and wood shavings). I’m interested in opinions on whether the litter looks normal for its stage, or not.

I have 7 hens in a coop with attached run (no free ranging). The coop (where I have the deep litter) is 10’x4’. My girls have been in the coop for about 4 months.

So far, the method seems to be functioning pretty well. The coop isn’t smelly, and I just turn everything over with a small rake, about once a week or anytime I notice concentrations of fresh poo. But it really doesn’t seem like anything is breaking down! I just see a dry mix of the litter and poo. I don’t use DE in the coop because I’ve read it could halt the composting process.

If anyone has thoughts or can share experience, I’d appreciate it.

I think it looks fine but I'd like to suggest you use a 'poop board' under the roosts. I have 15 hens and it takes me less than one minute a day to scrape off the poo in the morning. In winter I line it with newspaper and it can go a few days if necessary (no flies or smell when poo freezes). I do use deep litter on the floor and I used to do it the same way you do but have found the board to be a really great way to keep things clean and the flies away in warm weather.

 

[MROO]

A question for y'all ... How much a of difference does a sand floor make in cold winters?
I've considered using sand in my coop - but I'm concerned about my chickens being able to keep warm in the cold, damp, often icy Maryland winters.

My coop is an uninsulated wooden playhouse with a seven foot peak. It has an attached, free access run that the birds use all year. Ventilation is high, with roosts at three and four feet (and one little perch about six feet up that's been claimed by my senior Nankin hen!)
I've tried pellets and moving the roosts up higher in the winter, but my two larger hens (a New Hampshire Red and a massive BJG) insist on jumping down (apparently, ramps and ladders are for bantams and sissies!) The BJG injured her leg on landing at least once. That's a fiasco I'd rather not repeat, so I went back to a deeper and softer bedding pack.

I generally keep a light layer of flakes on the vinyl floor through the warmer weather, but during our nasty-damp winters, I use a much deeper bedding - flakes, seed straw and yard leaves. The mix generally adds a little composting heat through the winter. I spot clean as needed and everything gets cleared out and scrubbed twice a year - at the end of each season.

So, I guess what I'm really asking if sand is a good choice for cold regions or is it more of an option for warmer-weather or climate controlled coops?

 

[3KillerBs]

A question for y'all ... How much a of difference does a sand floor make in cold winters?
I've considered using sand in my coop - but I'm concerned about my chickens being able to keep warm in the cold, damp, often icy Maryland winters.

My coop is an uninsulated wooden playhouse with a seven foot peak. It has an attached, free access run that the birds use all year. Ventilation is high, with roosts at three and four feet (and one little perch about six feet up that's been claimed by my senior Nankin hen!)
I've tried pellets and moving the roosts up higher in the winter, but my two larger hens (a New Hampshire Red and a massive BJG) insist on jumping down (apparently, ramps and ladders are for bantams and sissies!) The BJG injured her leg on landing at least once. That's a fiasco I'd rather not repeat, so I went back to a deeper and softer bedding pack.

I generally keep a light layer of flakes on the vinyl floor through the warmer weather, but during our nasty-damp winters, I use a much deeper bedding - flakes, seed straw and yard leaves. The mix generally adds a little composting heat through the winter. I spot clean as needed and everything gets cleared out and scrubbed twice a year - at the end of each season.

So, I guess what I'm really asking if sand is a good choice for cold regions or is it more of an option for warmer-weather or climate controlled coops?

I'm a Deep Bedding and Deep Litter fan and not a sand fan, but one issue I've read about with sand in the winter is that things freeze so you can't scoop and the effectiveness of sand absolutely depends on frequent scooping.

Sand fans probably have means of dealing with that, but I don't know what they are.

IMO, Deep Bedding in an enclosed coop, since it stays absolutely dry, doesn't produce any heat and even a moist, composting Deep Litter doesn't produce any significant heat in any season because it's a cold composting environment -- being a layer rather than a cube and not receiving the intensive management of a hot composting pile.

We keep them dry and well-ventilated. They keep themselves warm with their built-in down parkas.

 

[MROO]

I'm a Deep Bedding and Deep Litter fan and not a sand fan, but one issue I've read about with sand in the winter is that things freeze so you can't scoop and the effectiveness of sand absolutely depends on frequent scooping.

Sand fans probably have means of dealing with that, but I don't know what they are.

IMO, Deep Bedding in an enclosed coop, since it stays absolutely dry, doesn't produce any heat and even a moist, composting Deep Litter doesn't produce any significant heat in any season because it's a cold composting environment -- being a layer rather than a cube and not receiving the intensive management of a hot composting pile.

We keep them dry and well-ventilated. They keep themselves warm with their built-in down parkas.

Yup - that's pretty much the premise we work with, here. The sunshine can come through the winter-bare trees shading the coop in the summer, so the coop tends to be a bit warmer during the day. The deep bedding does seem to help hold in that warmth for a bit, at least to my own summer-loving soul, so we'll likely just keep doing what we're doing. It seems to be working ... and if it ain't broke, I guess I won't fix it. There's enough to do without adding that extra project. Thanks for the input.

 

[The head hen]

Hi— I have my first chicken coop, and am using the deep litter method (with a mix of hemp and wood shavings). I’m interested in opinions on whether the litter looks normal for its stage, or not.

I have 7 hens in a coop with attached run (no free ranging). The coop (where I have the deep litter) is 10’x4’. My girls have been in the coop for about 4 months.

So far, the method seems to be functioning pretty well. The coop isn’t smelly, and I just turn everything over with a small rake, about once a week or anytime I notice concentrations of fresh poo. But it really doesn’t seem like anything is breaking down! I just see a dry mix of the litter and poo. I don’t use DE in the coop because I’ve read it could halt the composting process.

If anyone has thoughts or can share experience, I’d appreciate it.

Looks normal to me! I use 100% hemp now, and do exactly what you are doing - rake it over every 5-7 days and about 1 time a month through some fresh hemp in the mix.

I love hemp bedding! It is amazingly absorbent. Next spring, it will serve as a layer of fertilizer in my garden.

Oh yea, and as part of the weekly rakings, I add fresh herbs like rosemary, mint, lemon balm, or lavender. I cut and toss them around the coop and in the laying boxes.

 

[The head hen]

This comment is so helpful! I thought I was doing the deep litter method but couldn’t figure it out. All the poop was just piling up under the roost. My girls free range all day and only go into the coop to lay or roost. I’m going back to a dirt floor and maybe add in some construction sand. The pine shavings are driving me nuts!

I love deep layer bedding! I started out using a combination of sand, pine shaving, and horse bedding pellets. I added starw in the winter to help with heat conservation. I would turn it over 1 time a week and periodically add some fresh pine or horse bedding. When I clean in the spring the bedding goes straight to the garden for fertilizer.

I am now only using hemp, but still deep layered. It is way more absorbent and super soft and light weight. I do the same maintenance as with the other.

 

[saysfaa]

I tried really hard, since I first saw the title of the thread, not to do this because it doesn't answer the questions ask. But my resistance is low right...

Here is what (one kind of many options) of deep litter should look like this time of year...