deep litter and hay

[saildog]

Here to vouch for deep litter and using pine shavings. I did that last 6 months and it was great. Cleaned the whole coop out and did it this time with coastal hay instead. That was a mistake. A neighbor vouched for it with the reason that the hay was cheaper but it does not work for this use. My only trouble with the pine shavings is that t when I took the pine shavings out of the coop and scattered them around for mulch it often molded on the ground surface. So I would then have to try to bury the pine shavings.

But for the deep litter Stick to the pine shavings and adding the ammonia neutralizer. !!! No odor , warm coop, good padding for the hens jumping off the roosts in the morning too.

 

[sourland]

Pine pellets - the type used as horse bedding have worked well for me. Rather than spreading them upon coop cleaning, I add them to the mulch pile.

 

[1muttsfan]

Molding is part of the normal process of breakdown of plant materials. As Sourland says, adding them to a mulch pile and allowing them to cook for a while will make them better for spreading.

I also use deep litter with shavings and it works great.

 

[kjfrogster41]

Agreed, mold just happens. I have been using the deep litter method for over a year now. No problems and in the winter, because a certain level of composting goes on in the lower layers, it provides the girls with some added warmth inside their coop. I keep the hen house cleaner but also add a thick layer of hay and pine wood shavings, that I can get free at a local wood working shop.