I'm new to chickens and have been trying to figure out what would be best to put in the coop and the run. It seems like the deep litter method would be the easiest, but there are a few things I just don't think I'm getting.
1. Is it just for the coop or the run? Can you use it for both? Does it work better for one or the other? I originally thought that I would use it for the run until I realized that I didn't know what I was doing for the coop! I've been reading threads about it, but I couldn't find any that said, "yes, go for it" or "no, this works better" or "yes, but not in this climate."
2. In the coop: I've heard that the deep litter method will help keep your chickens warm in the winter, which would be nice, but I was wondering if it would help with the moisture in the coop? I live in Oregon. It rains 9 months out of the year. Everything is moist. So, would several inches of composting chicken poo be a problem? Would the litter absorb the moisture and actually help with the rain? Or would litter absorbing moisture trap moisture in the coop and make things worse? With proper ventilation would it not matter?
3. In the run: What is the best litter to use for very rainy climates? Most people seem to use wood shavings, but I was worried something like that would just absorb all the rain and be useless for when the chickens want to use it. I saw someone who used pellets, instead, and I thought that that would be perfect since I have a pellet stove and use them anyway. But, again, I was worried that that would have the same moisture problem. I left some in a bucket outside and they did kind of puff up when it rained, but I don't know if it's enough to be a problem or not. So, does anyone have ant experience with lots of rain? My boyfriend's allergic to barkdust and hay, so I want to stay away from those, but is there a better alternative? Or would wood shavings or pellets work just fine? I don't know if it will help or not, but the coop and run are going to sit on top of what used to be a little walkway, so most of it is on concrete. There's a little strip of dirt in the middle, but only 6 or 7 inches. So, I'm hoping that that will help with a mud problem. I was trying to keep from having to put a piece of plywood on the bottom because I thought that that would just trap water when it rained, but maybe something like that would be better...? I don't know.
4. And then I don't quite understand how people use the poo for compost with this method. Does the litter just compost with it or do you have to pick it out later? It sounded like some people had the poo draining out of it into something else, but is that a completely different method?
Thanks for the help! I've been trying to read up on it all day and I'm more confused than when I started
So thanks in advance for all of the help
1. Is it just for the coop or the run? Can you use it for both? Does it work better for one or the other? I originally thought that I would use it for the run until I realized that I didn't know what I was doing for the coop! I've been reading threads about it, but I couldn't find any that said, "yes, go for it" or "no, this works better" or "yes, but not in this climate."
2. In the coop: I've heard that the deep litter method will help keep your chickens warm in the winter, which would be nice, but I was wondering if it would help with the moisture in the coop? I live in Oregon. It rains 9 months out of the year. Everything is moist. So, would several inches of composting chicken poo be a problem? Would the litter absorb the moisture and actually help with the rain? Or would litter absorbing moisture trap moisture in the coop and make things worse? With proper ventilation would it not matter?
3. In the run: What is the best litter to use for very rainy climates? Most people seem to use wood shavings, but I was worried something like that would just absorb all the rain and be useless for when the chickens want to use it. I saw someone who used pellets, instead, and I thought that that would be perfect since I have a pellet stove and use them anyway. But, again, I was worried that that would have the same moisture problem. I left some in a bucket outside and they did kind of puff up when it rained, but I don't know if it's enough to be a problem or not. So, does anyone have ant experience with lots of rain? My boyfriend's allergic to barkdust and hay, so I want to stay away from those, but is there a better alternative? Or would wood shavings or pellets work just fine? I don't know if it will help or not, but the coop and run are going to sit on top of what used to be a little walkway, so most of it is on concrete. There's a little strip of dirt in the middle, but only 6 or 7 inches. So, I'm hoping that that will help with a mud problem. I was trying to keep from having to put a piece of plywood on the bottom because I thought that that would just trap water when it rained, but maybe something like that would be better...? I don't know.
4. And then I don't quite understand how people use the poo for compost with this method. Does the litter just compost with it or do you have to pick it out later? It sounded like some people had the poo draining out of it into something else, but is that a completely different method?
Thanks for the help! I've been trying to read up on it all day and I'm more confused than when I started
