Deep litter method or Deep compost system, what's the difference?

[Chef JimmyJ]

Spreading it? I'm nobody, a day old Peep in the huge BYC Coop. I was discussing the confusing terms with Gtaus and gave an example of why folks may continue to confuse the two. I edited the post to reflect this...JJ

 

[aart]

Spending it?

...then why are you spreading it?

Spreading, not spending.
Pasting all that without an explanation may give the impression that you support and recommend it.

 

[Chef JimmyJ]

Yeah...Stupid Auto correct.
I can see your point and edited to reflect the post is an example of confusing info out there. I disagree with their marketing. But there is no denying they build some dang fine coops, if you have the money...JJ

 

[Meg-in-MT]

Ehhh, nah, that's Deep Bedding.

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

Aart, I don't know why I always have trouble with your links

I always want to read what you think is a good/bad idea. That's probably why.

 

[gtaus]

I agree a consensus on terms would be helpful. One example of Companies adding to the confusion...Carolina Coops advertises their Signiture Deep Litter Bed Design....

It was the Carolina Coops YouTube videos that first got me thinking about this method. But even there, they seem to say that their bedding remains dry for a year or more, and yet they also talk about composting in the elevated coop. So I'm confused.

I have about 4-6 inches of wood chips in my coop and will continue to add throughout the summer. Late in the fall, after the garden has been harvested, I plan on cleaning out all the coop bedding, throw the bedding into the garden, and let it sit over winter. Then I will start new bedding with wood chips, adding to them through out the winter, and clean the coop once again in the spring. In the spring, I will use the bedding in the garden as mulch in the pathways, but since the bedding will be hot with chicken poo, I will not put it around plants.

I guess I will see how much moisture builds up in the bedding over those months. I will not be adding moisture to the bedding as my goal is to keep it dry, especially in the winter to reduce the chance of humidity leading to frostbite on the chickens. I would think in a true composting system you would constantly be adding moisture to the material to keep it active.

 

[gtaus]

Ehhh, nah, that's Deep Bedding.

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

@aart, that link is dead. Page has been moved or deleted.

 

[gtaus]

...there is no denying they [Carolina Coops] build some dang fine coops, if you have the money...JJ

Yes, I really appreciated their YouTube videos on their coops. I don't have that kind of money, and really wanted to build a coop myself (or so I tell myself), but I did borrow some of their design ideas when I built my coop.

 

[gtaus]

Pasting all that without an explanation may give the impression that you support and recommend it.

I did not take that as an endorsement, just passing on some info to me. But I do think it adds to the confusion about this whole issue of Deep Litter, Deep Litter Composting, Deep Bedding, or Deep Compost - or whatever we call it. There are any number of articles on the internet that also interchange these terms with the various methods, wet or dry, all in the same breath. Perhaps @aart had a good article on the subject, but the link did not work for me.

 

[aart]

@aart, that link is dead. Page has been moved or deleted.

Fixed link, sorry, some of my notes links are old and don't translate with the platform change. Thanks for letting me know.

 

[gtaus]

Fixed link, sorry, some of my notes links are old and don't translate with the platform change. Thanks for letting me know.

OK, I read that link. In that passage, (Dry) Deep Bedding is a different concept than (Wet) Deep Litter. I don't have a problem if "the chicken community" would adopt those definitions, but the problem, of course, is that other people refer to (Dry) Deep Litter and (Wet) Deep Litter Composting, and Deep Bedding might either wet or dry. I have been talking about Deep Composting, which term may not even exist, and leads me to wonder if I picked it up somewhere or did I just make it up on my own? Is there no authoritative body that lists and defines terms for poultry keepers - like the APA does for perfection of breed standards?

I did not mean to beat a dead horse on this topic. I just can't believe that a community that has such well defined terms in most areas of poultry management, still has terms frequently used without any real definition or understanding. Dry/Wet Deep Litter bedding systems is just one issue I have been very interested in learning more about, but asking questions is more difficult when most people do not understand the basic terms used because they are just not defined and agreed upon.