deep litter and linoleum floor?

[aart]

When you do the deep litter method, do you do it in the run as well?

I do DL only in the run....it works great.
Scroll up this thread to my other post, there's a couple links that could help you.

 

[seadrift]

Every 6 mos.(sometimes once a year) I empty the nesting/roosting upper part of my coop and hose it out, scrub the corners, dry it, then soak it with neem oil. When that is dry I coat the nests, floor and corners with DE and put down 4 to 6" pine shavings, then dust it again with DE. Every day I take out the clumps (I need to try the tray under the roost idea!) and scoop some more pine bedding out to keep it deep. I keep probably half a bale fits under the nest boxes and that way I can keep adding more easily. I have had no issue with mites or any other pests ever. I use cedar shavings outside in the run and even after days of rain, the run is dry in a half day.

 

[Coop de Grass]

Every 6 mos.(sometimes once a year) I empty the nesting/roosting upper part of my coop and hose it out, scrub the corners, dry it, then soak it with neem oil. When that is dry I coat the nests, floor and corners with DE and put down 4 to 6" pine shavings, then dust it again with DE. Every day I take out the clumps (I need to try the tray under the roost idea!) and scoop some more pine bedding out to keep it deep. I keep probably half a bale fits under the nest boxes and that way I can keep adding more easily. I have had no issue with mites or any other pests ever. I use cedar shavings outside in the run and even after days of rain, the run is dry in a half day.

I have read many posts in this thread and others that say to use DE with deep litter inside the coop. Wouldn't the DE stop the composting process?

 

[madhater52]

I have read many posts in this thread and others that say to use DE with deep litter inside the coop. Wouldn't the DE stop the composting process?

I would not think so... When you put it out side the rain should wash it away and you should be stirring your compost every so often any ways and it will all get wash away.

 

[aart]

I have read many posts in this thread and others that say to use DE with deep litter inside the coop. Wouldn't the DE stop the composting process?

I would not think so... When you put it out side the rain should wash it away and you should be stirring your compost every so often any ways and it will all get wash away.

But Coop de Grass' question was not about outside compost, it was about "deep litter inside the coop". .......yes, it is possible that DE would decrease the macro-organisms population in a coops deep litter. Plus it makes no sense to use DE in that, and most other, situations.

 

[madhater52]

But Coop de Grass' question was not about outside compost, it was about "deep litter inside the coop". .......yes, it is possible that DE would decrease the macro-organisms population in a coops deep litter. Plus it makes no sense to use DE in that, and most other, situations.

The question was will it prevent composting? I don't know about you but most of America dose their composting outside where the elements can get at it and break it down. So yes it will compost just fine.

 

[SuzanneT]

Quote:

Ebony: I know what you mean about wanting to keep it clean. I feel the same way. So far the best tip I've read on these boards is to put something underneath the roost to catch the poop. It really is where most of the poop in the coop ends up! So far I've just been putting an extra piece of wood under the roost, but I've been pondering a design that I could hang under the roost. Each morning when I check on food/water and collect eggs, I've been using a cat litter box scoop to pick up an large clumps and I dump the whole poop board into the composter pail.

We hung a piece of linoleum from the bottom of the roosting bars, then I can just unhook it and take it into the yard to clean periodically. I shake some DE and sand on the wet surface after clearing droppings

 

[Aji Dulce]

So the only major difference between the two 'methods' is that the deep litter with soil contact will decompose, while the wood/linoleum contact will not, is that correct? Because I'm in southern California, my hens would not need the heat from decomposition in winter....
The cleaner wood floor seems more my choice.

If I could change out the deep litter twice a year, just tossing it into the garden or a compost pile, things would be great!

This year when I last cleaned out the coop, I was putting my garden to bed for the winter and what I did was spread about 3 inches of the old wood shavings bedding plus manure on each of the raised beds. I will let it do its thing over the winter and come Springtime I will lightly mix it in, prior to planting.

 

[aart]

This year when I last cleaned out the coop, I was putting my garden to bed for the winter and what I did was spread about 3 inches of the old wood shavings bedding plus manure on each of the raised beds. I will let it do its thing over the winter and come Springtime I will lightly mix it in, prior to planting.

Keep the wood shavings on top as mulch....if it's mixed in it will suck up nitrogen your plants need....rain/snow/watering will wash the nitrogen from poop into soil.

 

[Ghosty]

Deep Litter is composting, Deep Bedding is not composting. Deep Litter would be full of other stuff besides chips and poop to promote breakdown, decay, composting. Most people, if they use this method, use it for the run only unless they have a dirt floor coop.

Deep Bedding is what most people use in the coop. You want to rake up and loosen your bedding, turn it over so everything can dry out and bring clean bedding to the top. Deep Bedding is about keeping things fairly clean and dry and mold/mildew free. You don't want to promote composting in Deep Bedding. Deep Litter is mostly a discussion for runs.