Deep litter in run - on top of concrete - SEMO

[gtaus]

The run is on concrete. So I'm hoping a deep litter method, the pine shavings seem to be a good method, and the coop and run are well covered from the elements, so I probably won't have too much to worry about.

As others have already mentioned, if your run is sitting on concrete, then you don't have a true deep litter system which is organic material placed on top of soil, and you also need moisture to get the composting up and running. If your run has a roof overhead and no rain water gets on the litter, then it will not really compost like you seem to want.

Essentially, what you have is a dry deep bedding system both inside the coop and in the covered run. That is not bad, and you will probably find that you don't have to clean it out very often. I only clean out my coop dry deep bedding twice a year, and I could easily get by with maybe only once a year cleaning. I throw out all my old coop bedding into my chicken run compost system, which is open to rainfall and sits on top of soil.

 

[Hedgeland Farms]

A dry system on a concrete floor is more of a Deep Bedding system, which doesn't compost in place, than a Deep Litter system, which is a moist, actively composting system.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/using-deep-bedding-in-a-small-coop.76343/

Which one do you think I am doing?? I have a WOOD floor, deep litter was the plan and seems to be going well...
I just did some turning tonight and added some more pine shaving and my bottom layer is moist and there is no smell or mold..I didn't touch it to see how wet it is ..looks like my compost outside lol

Is this deep bedding or deep litter?
I'd guess deep bedding since it's wood?

 

[gtaus]

Which one do you think I am doing?? I have a WOOD floor, deep litter was the plan and seems to be going well...
I just did some turning tonight and added some more pine shaving and my bottom layer is moist and there is no smell or mold..I didn't touch it to see how wet it is ..looks like my compost outside lol

Is this deep bedding or deep litter?
I'd guess deep bedding since it's wood?

I think it's largely part of terminology, and too often deep litter and deep bedding are used interchangeably.

My understanding is that deep litter is an active composting system, usually with deep material placed on soil, is moist, and is actively composting in place. You mention that your deep material is sitting on a wooden floor, but the bottom layer is moist and looks like your compost outside. Where are you getting all that moisture? Chicken poo contains urine, but in a deep material setup, it usually dries out fast. If you are indeed creating compost in your setup, then I would lean towards a deep litter system.

I have a dry deep bedding setup in my coop, which does not actively compost. I use wood chips, or last winter I use paper shreds, as my coop litter. I have a wood floor covered with linoleum. My goal was to keep the coop as dry as possible in our long winters. The only moisture in my coop is from chicken poo with urine, and mostly it dries up and works itself down to the lowest layers. Even after a full winter, my litter has not composted much, but the lowest layer can be a bit moist and smelly from the poo at that base layer. I toss all my chicken coop bedding out into the chicken run to begin composting with natural rainfall.

Deep bedding is not specific to wood. Some people use straw, hemp, leaves, dried grass, etc... and last year I used paper shreds. Whatever material you use, it's just dumped in the coop to a deep level. I might start out with 3-4 inches in the fall, adding fresh material on top of the old material all winter, and might have as much as 12 inches come spring clean out. Since I don't encourage active composting in my chicken coop, I call it a deep bedding setup, or sometimes a dry deep bedding system.

Also, you mentioned that your bottom layer of litter did not smell and that it looked like compost. Maybe it is. In my deep bedding system, the chicken poo filters its way down to the bottom, and the bottom layer smells like chicken poo and does not resemble compost. Because I have a number of layers of litter above that lowest base layer, my chicken coop does not smell, either. However, when I clean out the coop, that lowest layer does smell like bad chicken poo accumulated over the winter. But I would in no way confuse it with sweet smelling compost that I make out in the chicken run. Totally different.

 

[Hedgeland Farms]

I think it's largely part of terminology, and too often deep litter and deep bedding are used interchangeably.

My understanding is that deep litter is an active composting system, usually with deep material placed on soil, is moist, and is actively composting in place. You mention that your deep material is sitting on a wooden floor, but the bottom layer is moist and looks like your compost outside. Where are you getting all that moisture? Chicken poo contains urine, but in a deep material setup, it usually dries out fast. If you are indeed creating compost in your setup, then I would lean towards a deep litter system.

I have a dry deep bedding setup in my coop, which does not actively compost. I use wood chips, or last winter I use paper shreds, as my coop litter. I have a wood floor covered with linoleum. My goal was to keep the coop as dry as possible in our long winters. The only moisture in my coop is from chicken poo with urine, and mostly it dries up and works itself down to the lowest layers. Even after a full winter, my litter has not composted much, but the lowest layer can be a bit moist and smelly from the poo at that base layer. I toss all my chicken coop bedding out into the chicken run to begin composting with natural rainfall.

Deep bedding is not specific to wood. Some people use straw, hemp, leaves, dried grass, etc... and last year I used paper shreds. Whatever material you use, it's just dumped in the coop to a deep level. I might start out with 3-4 inches in the fall, adding fresh material on top of the old material all winter, and might have as much as 12 inches come spring clean out. Since I don't encourage active composting in my chicken coop, I call it a deep bedding setup, or sometimes a dry deep bedding system.

Also, you mentioned that your bottom layer of litter did not smell and that it looked like compost. Maybe it is. In my deep bedding system, the chicken poo filters its way down to the bottom, and the bottom layer smells like chicken poo and does not resemble compost. Because I have a number of layers of litter above that lowest base layer, my chicken coop does not smell, either. However, when I clean out the coop, that lowest layer does smell like bad chicken poo accumulated over the winter. But I would in no way confuse it with sweet smelling compost that I make out in the chicken run. Totally different.

Thanks so much for your reply and explanation.
I plan on looking at it further and making an actual decision to continue or change it out this wkend

 

[Thatscluckinggreat]

I live in PA but was stationed at Fort Leonardwood. Very humid here. Summertime runs a few degrees cooler than MO here. Put a nice DEEP covering of wood chips (not flakes) over that concrete. You will be amazed how dry it will keep your run. The chickens will dig in it all the time so make sure it's a good 5-9 inches deep on concrete. As others mentioned...this will be more of a deep bedding vs deep litter. You will not get good compost but it will stay very dry.

 

[3KillerBs]

Is this deep bedding or deep litter?
I'd guess deep bedding since it's wood?

Deep Bedding is a dry, non-composting system.

Deep Litter is a moist, actively-composting system.

Using Deep Litter on a wood floor is problematic because the composting organisms will attack the wood of the floor as readily as they attack the wood shavings in the litter.

 

[Hedgeland Farms]

Deep Bedding is a dry, non-composting system.

Deep Litter is a moist, actively-composting system.

Using Deep Litter on a wood floor is problematic because the composting organisms will attack the wood of the floor as readily as they attack the wood shavings in the litter.

I did seal the wood prior to starting deep litter....
I will have to examine it further this wkend...but from what I saw yesterday when I kinda mixed it up and added more...wood was still solid...

I squat down inside the coop "clean" it up so I do wanna make sure that wood doesn't rot.. I am not a super light person bahaha

 

[3KillerBs]

I did seal the wood prior to starting deep litter....
I will have to examine it further this wkend...but from what I saw yesterday when I kinda mixed it up and added more...wood was still solid...

I squat down inside the coop "clean" it up so I do wanna make sure that wood doesn't rot.. I am not a super light person bahaha

If the bedding is dry it's not an issue.

It's only if the bedding is moist and thus composting.

 

[Hedgeland Farms]

If the bedding is dry it's not an issue.

It's only if the bedding is moist and thus composting.

The bottom layers are moist...
I was hoping to pull it out in spring...

I do have an outside compost...
So plans are to examine, and decide to either leave it or pull it out and put it in my compost bin...

Thanks so much for your help!!!

 

[aart]

So plans are to examine, and decide to either leave it or pull it out and put it in my compost bin...

If the wood flooring is even damp, you want to find out where that moisture is coming from and fix it before your flooring starts to rot further.