Deep Litter Method VS Poop boards OR in addition to?

[MeepBeep]

Thanks for all this input you guys!  So, for ventilation, that would be areas that are left open 24/7?  Would open eaves be enough? All around the top?  Or do I need additional vents in the walls?  

Yes, ventilation is open 24/7, you can use your nose to determine if it's enough in regards to ammonia, if you smell ammonia it's not enough, if there is no ammonia smell you have enough...

As for determining if it's enough for humidity removal, put a humidity gauge outside and one in the coop, the one in the coop should be only marginally more if at all, if it's say over 5% or 10% more inside the coop then you likley need more ventilation especially in the winter if it's not heated above freezing...

 

[DreamsInPink]

Thank you... will it require the use of fans? Or is vents enough? I have so many questions. :/

 

[RonP]

Can someone list their perceived differences between the proclaimed 'deep litter' and 'deep bedding' being talked about, what makes them different and not synonymous?

I find the two wordings to be synonymous unless you are saying 'deep bedding' is tossing excess litter in a coop to 'hide' the poop with no significant composting action or attempt to compost... If the goal is composting and you have composting it's deep litter to me, or as many call it deep litter bedding eluding further to the synonymous meaning... No mistaking the differences.

 

[MeepBeep]

I would take an educated guess after reading many posts on the subject, including a post in this very thread, that this is what we were discussing: [COLOR=333333]Quote:[/COLOR]
Originally Posted by ChickenMammX4 There is a difference between DEEP BEDDING and DEEP LITTER. (Someone more knowledgeable, please correct me if I'm wrong). We use DEEP BEDDING in our coop (with a poopboard). It's a deep layer of pine shavings. It stays dry due to the poopboard collecting most of the droppings. The water is outdoors so spills don't make the bedding wet. We use DEEP LITTER in the run, it's a dirt floor with straw, lawn clippings, leaves, hay, old pine shavings, pine needles and other garden debris. Even though the run is covered, rain sometimes blows in helping with the decomposing process. I don't use the deep litter in my coop due to the moisture needed to break the litter down. I like the coop very dry, especially in winter.
[CONTENTEMBED=/t/1084365/deep-litter-method-vs-poop-boards-or-in-addition-to/10#post_16626149 layout=inline] [/CONTENTEMBED] No mistaking the differences.

Well I guess we will have to beg to differ on the term 'deep bedding' as I would simply call that a traditional pine bedding since as actual depth is mostly irrelevant in said setup and there is no desire to compost...

 

[Jensownzoo]

I also consider "deep bedding" to be just that: a deep layer of bedding material where the goal is to dehydrate the droppings (such that are allowed to hit the bedding) instead of break them down by microbial action. After my deep bedding is ready to be replaced (maybe once or twice a year depending on bird density), I will be ending up with a nice mix of the "browns" of the bedding and the high-nitrogen droppings. This can then be mixed into the deep litter of my run for inoculation with the appropriate microbes for composting. As it will be taking place outside, I don't care what the moisture content is...the exposure to the bare earth should help regulate that.

Deep bedding essentially cuts the labor involved in providing dry bedding to the chickens in the coop because the total clean-outs can be less frequent while still preventing ammonia fumes from building up.

 

[RonP]

Well I guess we will have to beg to differ on the term 'deep bedding' as I would simply call that a traditional pine bedding since as actual depth is mostly irrelevant in said setup and there is no desire to compost...

No, not really.

You make the assumption "deep bedding" refers to pine.

I believe the term is used synonymously throughout this list and in many threads, for any bedding material used to dry the manure thus averting the harmful ammonia.

Some use shredded paper for their "deep bedding".

I also looked at your picture of your "deep litter".

You say it is composting.

It looks to be the same color as my spent "deep bedding" consisting of pine and dried manure.

I continuously add shavings to my deep bedding as they break down, but make no mistake about it, there is no heat, but a lot of dust.

This is what my finished dry cold compost looks like in my "deep litter" outdoor run.

Much much darker with a strong sweet "forest floor" like odor.

If I were to add moisture, it would be black, thus also commonly referred to as "black gold" by many gardeners.

 

[aart]

The 'litter' vs 'bedding' is kind of new terminology these past few weeks or so.....and certainly not 'official'.
I think 'bedding' pertains to too dry to even cold compost.

 

[MeepBeep]

You make the assumption "deep bedding" refers to pine.

I made no such assumption your quoted definition in your previous post (the one that I replied to) was quite specific that it was a "deep layer of pine shavings"...

We use DEEP BEDDING in our coop (with a poopboard). It's a deep layer of pine shavings."

I believe the term is used synonymously throughout this list and in many threads, for any bedding material used to dry the manure thus averting the harmful ammonia.

I would call that the 'built-up litter' method (as many industry sites call it) to avoid confusion with a composting type litter management program...

I also looked at your picture of your "deep litter".

You say it is composting.

It looks to be the same color as my spent "deep bedding" consisting of pine and dried manure.

I continuously add shavings to my deep bedding as they break down, but make no mistake about it, there is no heat, but a lot of dust.

My litter is in fact composting and warm to the touch, this is especially evident during the winter if you push your hand into it it's clearly warm and generating heat, and it's not dusty at all (nothing like pine shavings in by brooder boxes or what not, that is a pure dust machine) as it contains just enough moisture to prevent airborne dust, when I turn it with a pitch fork manually there is minimal to no dust tossed up, it's simply not dusty but slightly moist...

And for verification that it is in fact 'composting' and generating heat here is the current temps, the litter as you can see is about +10° over the inside air temp, while it's 28° outside...

And here is the moisture reading of my deep litter, appears to be dead on about 25% right now...

 

[TalkALittle]

The 'litter' vs 'bedding' is kind of new terminology these past few weeks or so.....and certainly not 'official'.
I think 'bedding' pertains to too dry to even cold compost.

That is how I differentiate between the two terms. But by no means am I an authority. My deep bedding is mechanically broken down, ie. broken into little bits, but doesn't "breakdown" as in start to compost. Over time I will end up with a very fine but heterogenous mixture of tiny particles of beddin. It is very hard to tell what some of them are bits of, but they are still bits of the original stuff. No aerobic microbial digestion has taken place as there is not enough moisture to support microbial growth. In my deep litter, where actual biotic decomposition is taking place, the chemical structure of the material is being altered by microbes digesting the material.

There is a difference between my deep bedding and deep litter despite that pretty much the same material goes in both. The difference is moisture. Grass goes into the litter wet but is dried before going into the bedding. No rain or waterer get dumped in the bedding but do in the litter.

 

[aart]

Quote: It was your post on litter vs bedding that made so much sense to me that I saved and share it.

TalkALittle's post on DB vs DL:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1075545/can-i-do-deep-litter-method-with-this-coop#post_16440037

There's always been a lot of confusion about 'deep litter'...what it really is, how it really 'works'.
Truly composting litter is not always a good thing for some coops/climates.