Deep litter method using straw, zone 5B-6

[Minky]

My question is about deep litter method, and if I am doing it right?

My coop is about 15x10 and the rest of the barn has become their "run" since we got 12+inches of snow 2 weeks ago (they wont go out unless its above zero, and the path I shovelled melts down to the grass, as it did 2 days ago-even then, they were out only for 20 minutes!!) The "rest of the barn" is maybe 40x20. Usually they just free range (grass and in the woods), we dont have a protected run.
There are 7 hens.
The barn has a dirt floor, and is not really insulated, but has this sort of cardboard/donnaconna/particle board inside which I think is old school insulation, so its cold in there.
The straw is about a foot deep right now, every day or so I sprinkle new straw over the poop that collects under the roosts, but other than that, I have done zero maintenance. Once in a while I will kick and toss all the straw around (sort of like what they do!!) maybe in a corner or in a spot they havent tossed lately. I also will pick up any veggie scraps they they may have pulled out of their dish, if I see any.
Can I just keep doing this until spring (nice warm day in March) when I hope to clean it all out and start over?
I started in October.

Thanks. Any tips or ideas would be much appreciated. Also, when I do clean out the coop in the spring, what shall I do with all that poopy straw? Id love to get the benefit for my garden, but Im assuming the straw will take a while to break down.....?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

That's what we do. We generally don't clean ours out until summer to fall after it dries out some. It's the old farmer way of keeping livestock in cold regions. I wouldn't bother picking up food, it will just join the litter. We actually use hay because we are feeding goats and donkeys.

When we clean it out it gets piled to mellow a year out in the pasture, than it goes on garden beds in the fall.

 

[Minky]

Ok sounds like a good plan. Thanks!

 

[lazy gardener]

I use leaves that have been stock piled. Same idea. Just toss in a new bag full now and then, kick them around a bit. When I open their bag of sprouting grains, I'll toss some grains down now and then to make them work their litter. The only concern you should have is if you notice any ammonia smell. If you do, you will need to add more carbon to the mix.

 

[Minky]

I do the same thing with some oats, toss it on the straw so they dig (and they do!).
If I smell ammonia, how would I add carbon? In what form? thanks

 

[pennyJo1960]

through some white shaving toss that into the mix you can buy them in bales get like 4 then any aroma will be also be killed and not as likely to mold as old straw

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I do the same thing with some oats, toss it on the straw so they dig (and they do!).
If I smell ammonia, how would I add carbon? In what form? thanks

I don't think you will smell any ammonia until spring when the mix thaws out. Tossing shavings in the mix can help as mentioned by @penny1960 .

 

[aart]

I don't think you will smell any ammonia until spring when the mix thaws out. Tossing shavings in the mix can help as mentioned by @penny1960 .

I would be adding some shavings in now so they get mixed into the frozen mass and are there when things start to thaw.

 

[lchick]

My question is about deep litter method, and if I am doing it right?

My coop is about 15x10 and the rest of the barn has become their "run" since we got 12+inches of snow 2 weeks ago (they wont go out unless its above zero, and the path I shovelled melts down to the grass, as it did 2 days ago-even then, they were out only for 20 minutes!!) The "rest of the barn" is maybe 40x20. Usually they just free range (grass and in the woods), we dont have a protected run.
There are 7 hens.
The barn has a dirt floor, and is not really insulated, but has this sort of cardboard/donnaconna/particle board inside which I think is old school insulation, so its cold in there.
The straw is about a foot deep right now, every day or so I sprinkle new straw over the poop that collects under the roosts, but other than that, I have done zero maintenance. Once in a while I will kick and toss all the straw around (sort of like what they do!!) maybe in a corner or in a spot they havent tossed lately. I also will pick up any veggie scraps they they may have pulled out of their dish, if I see any.
Can I just keep doing this until spring (nice warm day in March) when I hope to clean it all out and start over?
I started in October.

Thanks. Any tips or ideas would be much appreciated. Also, when I do clean out the coop in the spring, what shall I do with all that poopy straw? Id love to get the benefit for my garden, but Im assuming the straw will take a while to break down.....?

I Found out that straw is working much better than the wood shavings. I don't have to clean weekly. In fact, I don't think I will have to clean all winter.

 

[aart]

True composting deep litter will have a mix of sizes and shapes and types of materials.
Too much of any one or two things can create nasty packed mass of the wrong kind of 'rot'.