Deep litter method Vs. Traditional Cleaning

[whittychick]

I mark in the paragraph where I want the lil fellow to go.I then pull up the face that I want to put there.I click on it and there it goes.If I want more I do the same thing until I have all that I want on the page.It's the lil smiley face in the area where you can make changes in your fonts and adjustments .  Good luck.

I always post from my phone so maybe that's why??

 

[Alex41]

In everyones experience, how deep is the deep litter?

Reason I ask is because I'm building my coop with nest boxes on the floor. I want to use deep litter, but realize I either need to raise the nest boxes or set a board in front to keep the deep litter out.

So how deep is the deep litter? I've heard about 6", but want to ask the question before I finalize the nest box height.

Thanks,
Alex

 

[trooper]

In everyones experience, how deep is the deep litter?

Reason I ask is because I'm building my coop with nest boxes on the floor. I want to use deep litter, but realize I either need to raise the nest boxes or set a board in front to keep the deep litter out.

So how deep is the deep litter? I've heard about 6", but want to ask the question before I finalize the nest box height.

Thanks,
Alex

I have mine about 16" off of the floor. This way I can get into them easier and trash doesnt get in them.

 

[Alex41]

Thanks trooper, unfortunay I can't raise them that high. I can maybe raise them 3-4 inches with a higher board in front to keep litter out though.

 

[donrae]

I don't use built in nest boxes. I use rubbermaid tubs or milk crates, things like that. Several reasons....

Cheap
Easy to clean
They can be moved to set on top of the litter
They can be moved to whatever spot the hens chose to lay, and if they're way back in a corner under a shelf (coop is old greenhouse) can be pulled out so I don't have to crawl underneath the shelf to collect eggs.


If you use deep litter, you also need to have a threshold at the door, something to keep the litter in the coop, or you'll lose it all out the door.

 

[Alex41]

In everyones experience, how deep is the deep litter?

 

[donrae]

I start out with probably 5-6 inches or so. That breaks down, and I add more. My coop hasn't been cleaned out for over a year now, and it's 6ish inches deep in some places, up to 10 in others. It just depends on how the hens re-arrange the furniture, so to speak.

 

[Alex41]

I start out with probably 5-6 inches or so. That breaks down, and I add more. My coop hasn't been cleaned out for over a year now, and it's 6ish inches deep in some places, up to 10 in others. It just depends on how the hens re-arrange the furniture, so to speak.

Donrae,

Thanks for the reply, very helpful. My coop design has the nest boxes on the floor, I needed some info as to how much of a board is necessary in the front to keep the deep litter out.

Alex

 

[bugman990]

Any input on ash from a pellet stove?

 

[Beekissed]

How does it NOT smell? 2 weeks go by and mine is full of poo and so yucky!

Ventilation is the key to successful deep litter. If you don't have good ventilation, the DL will tell on you. Also, the DL method is most effective if you layer in your litter like lasagna, over time, and also when you go to feed each day, take a pitchfork and lightly just turn the poop under the roosts into the bedding. You don't have to do much, just either toss some dry bedding on top of it or just flip it under the bedding it's lying upon.

Don't stir up the bedding...just layer it, lightly cover and let it start to digest the manure.

Guys...what about the dreaded MITES & LICE!?!?!
After all that, sometimes expensive bedding material to be put down to then get Lice or worse Mites would be an awful sham, would it not?
I have never seen anyone mention this subject with the DLM, does it not happen then??

Thanks, Lucas.

That has nothing to do with bedding or no bedding....external parasites are usually a flock management problem and not so much to do with bedding, wild birds, etc. I kept chickens for over 30 yrs before I ever got scale mites in a flock and those were introduced by taking in someone's old flock and not treating them before integrating with my own flock. Then, years later I loaned out my flock to a friend while I traveled...when I got them back they were infested with lice and scale mites. I've had to deal with that for a bit to finally eradicate that in my flock and my coop.

It's all about flock management and pretreating any new birds that come into the flock and keep those events to a minimum. If you are constantly adding birds to your flock from other places, you place your whole coop and soils at risk from parasite incursions.

I've never has a problem with either

I honestly believe parasites are mainly a problem for incorrectly managed animals in general. Over confinement, improper diet, other things that stress an animal and make it susceptible.

I do use wood ashes for my birds to dust bathe in, they're reputed to be a natural parasite repellant.

Agreed!

hmm...well I look after my birds correctly to a phenomenal state and I have just receive a lovely lot of lice.....I think they come from the bloody birds that come to the coop.
I keep all food cleaned up and away and they still come. Mostly to feed off bugs and such from the big mulberry tree in their coop.

I have tried laying DE down where the chickens nest, but they don't like it, they move on to a new spot. Also my birds like to scrub-up out side, so when it rains anything laid down get washed away. But I have not tired wood Ash. I am assuming wood ash is just as the name suggests??

Perhaps it is just my area then. Every flock is different.
I too have learned from my mistakes with new birds. I don't even do the quarantine thing any more, only hatching eggs.

The thing with DL is that if properly managed and not dusted with DE all the time, it will attract the kind of bugs that prey on your bird parasites. A natural balance of microbial life and bug life in your DL and soils are a must to keep external and internal parasites in check....using DE puts that natural order into imbalance. If you must use an insecticide~natural or unnatural~use it only on the bird, nest or in specific dusting areas but never in the bedding or soils.

In everyones experience, how deep is the deep litter?

Start small, layer it in lightly, let it settle into a pack and you will soon find it will pretty much just settle, compost down and disappear(particularly if in a soil floor coop). Don't stir it up...just turn in your poop under the roosts lightly and keep making poop lasagna with the bedding and it will slowly build...and sink..and build...and sink. Mostly a good DL will maintain at 6-10 in.