Deep litter method. A little confused.

[True Grit]

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Cool idea, it would be alot easier for me to do that than scrape every day. I'm thinking I could elevate a poop board and cover it with a bag so they don't walk all over it. Thanks !

 

[WoodlandWoman]

I think for people that don't want to clear a poop board every day, but still want to clean out the poop from under the roosts regularly, maybe try using bins or trays under the roosts. Some people are doing that, also. That way, you can have a small amount of litter there. You could also lightly cover the accumulated poop during the week, if you need to, to keep the smell down. I keep a feed scoop in the top of a bale of wood shavings, to make it quick and easy to apply. You're only talking a few seconds, whether it's for the floor in a DLM coop or under the roosts in any system. Having piles of chicken poop sitting there without litter is not a great idea, smell wise.

 

[annaraven]

What about using a cat box instead of a board, under the roost? Cat boxes are easy to clean out.

 

[Chickens in the Grove]

Thanks so much everyone for the feedback! Sand sounds like a really good idea and I'll try the deep litter method in the coop. I think I'll use pellets, since I already have them. I'm not sure how well they will compost, but I'll just switch to pine shavings if they don't. I'm a little worried about it deteriorating the wood... but if it doesn't get too wet, I don't think that that would be too big of a problem. I saw someone just put a tarp down on the floor and pull all the litter out on it when it needed to be replaced. That would solve the deterioration problem.

 

[naomipoc]

Wait--pine bedding can be harmful to chickens? I've got about a 4" layer of it in my coop, have since they were peeps, and they're all laying well six months later. It's sold as chicken bedding--what's bad about it, please?

 

[thepaperrose]

I've never used the DLM, but I only have to clean about 6 or 8 times a year. I live in the northern lower peninsula of Michigan. We have an awkward assortment of soils. In one spot it will be sand, ten feet away will be clay. I've put bricks, paving blocks, whatever to give me a nice solid floor in the coop. I cover everything with DE, the floor, any shelves, door trims, walls, anywhere the little critters can hide. I start with a thin layer of pine shavings and add to it whenever I smell poo or, especially ammonia. One of the most dangerous things in the coop is ammonia, it's both toxic and flammable and also burns skin. I try to completely clean every month through the summer as thats when most pests and parasites are the most active. The last cleaning is usually in about October. After that simply add a sprinkle of DE and pine shavings. If it smells, I'll add. If I kneel in it and my knee is damp, I add. If anyone starts to have sores on their feet or they get listless or just don't feel well, I clean the whole thing and start over. The idea in the winter is to keep the top layer dry. It has to be damp underneath for decomposition to create a little bit of heat. However, with the heat comes damp, so ventilation is EXTREMELY important.

In the runs outside, we have that stupid mix of different soils. Michigan will rain all one week and not the next. We've incorporated the runs into our garden watering schedule. We run the sprinkler or the sprayer hooked on the fence about an hour or two every couple of days to rinse away all the poo. Since our birds are mostly free range in the summer, a simple hosing of the yard works great, too!

We put stone in a few years ago and all it did was sink into the ground and hold the poo. It was the leftover stone from redoing the septic tank. I've often wondered if a layer of gardening cloth that keeps out weeds, then a nice thick layer of pea gravel rinsed a few times a week would work well. But our girls like to dust bathe and I like to stick DE in whenever they find a spot!

 

[HeritageHens]

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This is brilliant! Thank you! My chicks are going to be moved out to the enclosed coop next weekend as they are outgrowing their brooder so this is just in time.

I have an unlimited source of huge burlap bags from a local coffee roasting company. I also plan on using coffee chaff in the coop instead of shavings after reading about it in Mother Earth News . If I weren't going to use the coffee chaff, I think I would use the same thing as I use in my ferret litter boxes - Noah's Choice . I used to use wood pellets but this stuff is SO much better at absorbing moisture and smells. I get the Noah's at Aloha (Oregon) Feed and Pet. I also saw it at the Urban Farm Store in Portland but it was twice the price as at Aloha.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

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Pine is fine to use.

 

[Schultz]

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NO! Pine is NOT toxic to chickens! CEDAR IS toxic to chickens. Don't worry, you are using the right stuff.

 

[MissJenny]

Yes, pine is fine -- I am sorry -- it was late when I wrote that and I was trying to think,

which is always my first mistake. Perhaps tomorrow will be a smarter day.

Jenny