Deep litter in middle TN ...pine needles?

[flygirl1973]

I’ve read about the deep litter method and starting with pine straw....but that doesn’t make any sense to me as it’s not very absorbent. Pine shavings are readily available from TSC, and we have plenty of yard waste (sticks and bark) and leaves for now. Any middle TN peeps or northern Alabama guys have thoughts on this? It gets quite humid here for months. We have our first coop, currently grass and rock/gravel type floor. I’m sure I’ve missed a thread that talks all about this but everyone wants to know about their area specifically. Thanks!

 

[aart]

DLM is a deep subject(haha!)...but, seriously:
Pine straw can be a decent ingredient for a composting litter,
but it's the balance of all the ingredients, including moisture levels, that make it or break it.

 

[flygirl1973]

Ok, so if I don't have pine needles, that's not that big of a deal. And thank you for remaining humorous! With my dirt floor, I should be fine with pine shavings bought from TSC for starters, straw, and then small yard waste twigs and leaves and stuff?

 

[rosemarythyme]

I'm not in your area but I would nix the pine shavings, or at least not have that be a primary component. Frankly they just get soggy and never seem to get un-soggy. Your yard waste and twigs would be better.

 

[aart]

The term 'deep litter' is often misunderstood and misapplied.
I've always liked this explanation:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1075545/can-i-do-deep-litter-method-with-this-coop#post_16440037

Managing a truly composting deep litter can be tricky, you have to understand what it contains(both materials and the organisms that break it down) and how it works in order to manage it effectively or it can turn into an unhealthy nightmare. It's not just piling up a bunch of stuff and, viola!


Here's a great description of contents and how to manage organic 'bedding' in a run or coop...and there's a great video of what it looks like.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1037998/muddy-run-help-please#post_16017992

 

[Toothpick]

I’m in Middle TN but I have a plywood floor in my coop with RubrCoat 57 on it. Pine shavings in the coop and nothing in the run. The 14x60 run used to be grass. But now it’s dirt (mud when it rains). I threw pine shavings out there and they just wash away when it rains.

I wouldn’t use the pine shavings if it will get wet. As others have said they will get soggy and take forever to dry out. I guess if I had a coop with a dirt floor I would just use straw or hay, grass clippings, leaves, twigs, just general yard waste. Then I’d turn it over every day or so, mix it up. The chickens are going to do a good job of scratching through it too.

What does your coop look like?

 

[Harley Chick]

Hello fellow Tennessean!!! I live in the Eagleville area so rain and wet runs are a constant battle. This is our second year with our girls so i can add my 2 cents LOL. I started with pine shavings from co-op/TSC, when the DH mowed the back field I added the clippings once dry and leave from the trees in the fall. Our run/coop is kinda in a small bowl so it can become very soggy with the winter/spring rains. I buy alfalfa, seeded & grass bales from the co-op and layer that in the run. Girls LOVE it, and it helps keep their feet out of the wet muck. I'll go in the run and turn it over every so often so it won't get to compacted.

The cycle is this, once the shavings in the coop has reached their life I'll clean it out, those shavings will go into the covered portion of the run, then I'll move the old in the covered run out to the uncovered area and so on. Not sure if I'm doing the DLM or not but it seems to be working fine. No smell, very little flies last year (this year will be the test) and our girls seem happy and healthy. Like aart said, DLM is a tricky thing but one thing I've learned is being a chicken farmer has it's learning curves, the chickens seem to be hardy enough for minor flubs. This website has been a God send for me and I'm sure you'll continue to learn as you go along. Good luck!

 

[Kayla's Lunch]

The term 'deep litter' is often misunderstood and misapplied.
I've always liked this explanation:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1075545/can-i-do-deep-litter-method-with-this-coop#post_16440037

Here's a great description of contents and how to manage organic 'bedding' in a run or coop...and there's a great video of what it looks like.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1037998/muddy-run-help-please#post_16017992

For some reason I can't get these links to work. Anybody else have problems?

 

[Meg-in-MT]

@aart I also cannot view the links.

ETA: Says can't be found or has been moved.

 

[aart]

For some reason I can't get these links to work. Anybody else have problems?

@aart I also cannot view the links.
ETA: Says can't be found or has been moved.

OhCrap!
Are y'all on phones?
@Texas Kiki can you trouble shoot here, please?