deep litter method for warmth

[sommrluv]

What will deep litter do to a wooden coop floor? Should I put a tarp down?

 

[gritsar]

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I painted my floor with several coats of floor paint before I started using the DLM and so far the floor is holding up real well.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

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It will be fine. Deep litter is supposed to be maintained at a low moisture level that supports good microbial activity to break down the manure and develop self-sanitizing qualities, but not wet enough to actually start composting. If it gets to the point where it actually starts hot composting, it will blow off large amounts of ammonia.

 

[cybercat]

I actually oiled sealed my floor except for the very center. Since then it has rained with door open many times and i have not had any problems. With DLM litter is not very wet unless you have what is happening to me with leaving person door open. After a rain I just fork front to back and vice a versa. That makes front dry up and gives a bit of moistre to the back area.

Personally I would not put DE in a DLM reason why you need the mircobs to work. DE dries thing up too much and will kill off any helpful composting bugs. I am not worried about bug in DLM because chickens go after them nicly. Chickens are big bug eater. If you are worried about lice or mites then do a dust bath box for them. I part woodash 1 Part dirt and 1 part sand they will love it and it will keep mites and lice off. Right now i need to make one for they are dustbathing against the house. Since we free range that is the dryest place they have found in the past month.

 

[sommrluv]

Thank you! Our coop is nearly as old as out house, so I would put it in the 80-100 year range, and it has beautiful old growth floor, about 2 inches thick. I'd hate to rot the floor or something.

 

[sonew123]

Quote:
It will be fine. Deep litter is supposed to be maintained at a low moisture level that supports good microbial activity to break down the manure and develop self-sanitizing qualities, but not wet enough to actually start composting. If it gets to the point where it actually starts hot composting, it will blow off large amounts of ammonia.

maybe thats why ours smells so bad! It wreaks of amonia and we dont know what to do-thast bad right? what do I do to fix the smell? DO I have to start all over??

 

[Garden Gal]

maybe thats why ours smells so bad! It wreaks of amonia and we dont know what to do-thast bad right? what do I do to fix the smell? DO I have to start all over??


It will probably help to remove some of the older material, add some stall dry and new fresh bedding on top. The stall dry really helps to cut down on the ammonia smell - which is not great for either chickens or humans!

Perhaps stirring it up more often might help as well to get some more oxygen to the lower levels? I'm at that point right now - I just started to notice an unpleasant odor and realized I had not been "mixing" as often as I probably should have...

 

[sonew123]

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I just went down there and realy turned it all up taking out about 25% and spreading out across the snow-which the chickens like so they are outside for once walking around and pucking through it. its 35 out today so I left the door wide open after I stirrued it all up to air it out big time! The stores are all closed until MOnday which is when Ill buy new bedding I dont have dry stall but I do have a big bag of DE which I will put more in today...thank you

 

[kelidei]

I just did my monthly coop maintenance today even with single digit temps--- I wasn't cold ----Bless the person who designed Carhart quilted overalls!!! I use the deep litter method and yesterday I noticed some ammonia smell. I usually remove top layer poo in the morning, then stir it up. Then every4- 6wks I remove about 25% of the litter, then I put down PDZ and more pine pellets--- in a few days the pellets break down into saw dust and it is really easy to remove the clumps with a manure fork--- just like a cat box. Right now I would say it is about 8" deep. I use pine shavings in the nest boxes only. This has worked really well for me. Everybody that comes over always comments at how there is no smell inside the coops.