Deep litter in coop

[ER123]

Going to be getting 25 cornish x meat birds. I am interesting in hearing peoples advice on deep litter. I plan on using pine shavings. If i have a coop that is 10'-10' and a run attached that they can go in during the day if they want, how often would I have to add more shavings? Also how much should I start with on the floor? Or should I just put some down and clean it all out as it gets dirty?
Thanks

 

[chickgma]

Hi! I just started raising layers this year & am doing deep litter. My coop is 8x10 & I started out putting a full bag of pine shavings on the floor once a month till it got to be around 6" deep. Each week I turn the litter & if they've knocked some out the pop door, add more. I've read that you only need to clean out the litter 1-2 times a year using this method. So far so good!

 

[ER123]

Ok thank you.

 

[bridget-rdh]

You can add some Sweet PDZ to the litter to help with the ammonia smell. I have an 8x10 coop, with 39 hens. The littler is not going to make it 6 months with that many hens, I can tell. I just add a bag of shavings tho, when it starts getting smelly, probably every 2-3 weeks. I also stir it once a week.

 

[ER123]

Sounds like using sweet PDZ is a good idea.

 

[cluckcluckluke]

The name is "Deep Litter", so any kind of leaf litter, pine shavings, sticks, dried grass clippings, straw, chopped up veggies and any vegetation that is non-poisonous to chickens and as long as it's not wet. Wet is the main downfall of the deep litter method it should only be slightly damp so ventilation is vital in a successful litter.
It is natural for fowls to scratch and turn over litter so doing it your self is not required, if you notice poo building up and the hens not doing their job them just chuck some scratch or feed over the litter and they will get to work.
After a couple of moths the leaf litter and chicken poo will have made a wonderful compost which can be collected at any time(when ever you need it) to be put on veggie patches, gardens or sold.
A dirt flood is recommended but concrete or brick will do.
Litter should be around 20-25 cm thick as a start.
The hens should enjoy dust bathing in the litter which helps beat lice and other parasites so all in all it's a fantastic ideas in my eyes.

 

[ms4runr]

Ok, I started with straw but read here that they might eat it so added dry leaves. That doesn't seem 'comfy' so I bought pine shavings which I have not added yet. I guess for Deep Litter you just put on top? The poo piles up fast under the roosting area. Do I stir or just add shavings? I can see they have moved the litter in other areas of the coop, but not so much under the roosting area. I have 3 hens and 2 roosters in a rather large area, appr. 9x9. Again, do I just keep adding shavings now to cover the 'pilings'?

 

[chickgma]

Hi ms4runr! Do you have a poop board under the roost? Mine is about 10" wide- We put 2-3" sides on it to make a tray of sorts. We fill it up with sweet pdc & I scoop it with a litter scooper once a week. Keeps the litter cleaner.

 

[chickgma]

Hi ms4runr! Do you have a poop board under the roost? Mine is about 10" wide- We put 2-3" sides on it to make a tray of sorts. We fill it up with sweet pdc & I scoop it with a litter scooper once a week. Keeps the litter cleaner.

That's sweet pdz not pdc

 

[ms4runr]

Never seen or heard of this, but it seems an interesting idea. Thanks.