Deep litter and smell? Help!

[raingarden]

An ammoia smell is always associated with too much moisture. I wouldn't use DE to dry and make things dusty. DE is terrible stuff to breath and will destroy your lungs.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

You put DE in it? I thought I read that will kill the good bacteria and defeat the whole process of deep liter method. I hadn't been addingn DE but the ammonia smell got bad, so I shoveled out a lot of liter, then added DE (because I also worry about lice) added a thin layer of pune shavings, I don't think that was enough to take away the smell.

I don't know where you read that, but DE won't to any such thing. DE is basically fossilized ancient diatoms, mostly silica - like miniature sandpaper balls. When it works (almost never, except under very specific circumstances), it works by scrapping the waxy coating off insect's carapaces, causing them to (slowly, oh so slowly) deyhydrade - to death. The larger the insect the longer it takes. DAYS is not uncommon.

Does nothing to bacteria.

and DE works essentially not at all when wet.

 

[Denilynn]

You put DE in it? I thought I read that will kill the good bacteria and defeat the whole process of deep liter method. I hadn't been addingn DE but the ammonia smell got bad, so I shoveled out a lot of liter, then added DE (because I also worry about lice) added a thin layer of pune shavings, I don't think that was enough to take away the smell.

I don't know where you read that, but DE won't to any such thing. DE is basically fossilized ancient diatoms, mostly silica - like miniature sandpaper balls. When it works (almost never, except under very specific circumstances), it works by scrapping the waxy coating off insect's carapaces, causing them to (slowly, oh so slowly) deyhydrade - to death. The larger the insect the longer it takes. DAYS is not uncommon.

Does nothing to bacteria.

and DE works essentially not at all when wet.

What I read was something about not being able to use the liternin compost if you use DE I think, but your saying DE is good to use in deep liter method?