Deep Litter Method.....

[Mac in Wisco]

Here is a picture of deep litter as it is maintained in a broiler barn. Probably with sawdust as a base. It's not just sawdust and it's not just manure, it becomes something else, poultry litter.

 

[Amiga]

Mac, thanks! You speak my language!

The exposure I have had in more recent years is to manure pack for beef cattle, and various bedding methods for dairy animals. There are definitely differences between that and what we have with poultry.

I am in New England - I sometimes call my place "Mildew on the Fog." It can get and stay damp, all but the coldest parts of the year.

Any further thoughts on optimal bedding for poultry on a tiny scale (10 ducks)? Ducks are on the horizon, so to speak.

For example, might a deep layer of straw be good in the winter, and a switch over to shavings be better for summer? I am thinking air space, which is insulating, would be slightly greater with the straw. That written, the straw fibers aren't as strong as wood fibers and would be more easily compacted. But runner ducks weigh 3.5 to 4 pounds. A total of 40 pounds in a 4' x 8' duck house doesn't sound like it has much potential for serious compaction.

Well, I would appreciate your thoughts.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Softwood (pine) shavings are generally considered to be the best litter. The straw has a tendency to mat down and is less absorbent, although it still does work fairly well. We use hay and straw in our layer barn because we cut and bale it here and it's organic. I don't have to have anything trucked in. It's also easy to store. You just stack it. For the amounts we use here, I would have to build special facilities to store a truckload of loose shavings.

If you do choose to use straw, use wheat straw. Other varieties of straw such as oats, rye, or barley contain oils that make them even less absorbent.

 

[Amiga]

What I can get most easily is timothy. Any experience with that? And I agree, having a local source for bedding easily stored (I have already invested in a very small stack of bales which I can keep covered and dry under the deck) is worth something.

 

[patandchickens]

Seems a shame to waste good edible timothy hay on bedding when other things (shavings, or straw, or whatever) are available.

Moreover, hay really does not make great bedding, it is even less absorbant than straw and even more prone to matting down.

Shavings are usually the warmest thing for wintertime, as they can easily "burrow down into" a nice fluffy pile of dry shavings for considerable warmth if they want, which can't be done *nearly* so well with straw or similar materials. Also, somewhat-pooey shavings are more easily fluffed back up than somewhat-pooey straw is. Compaction isn't so much a function of weight as *repetition* and the inherent compactability of the material.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[Amiga]

It does seem a shame, if other things are available for similar cost.

Alas, that is not the case. This is the local affordable option right now. Perhaps I will find sources for other bedding that are comparable in price.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

How much are pine shavings in your area? I was paying $6 a bale in Texas. A bale would go a long ways with 15 birds.

 

[Amiga]

Okay,

since it is First Day, I cannot check the surrounding towns' shops by phone, so I did a quick 'net search.

The closest pine shavings bale source I found is about 50 miles away (manageable on occasion), and yes, they are 5.45 a bale. So I could load 4 (or more) bales and spend 3 or so gallons of fuel getting back and forth, and end up with $7.70 a bale for 4.

The hay I can get is 4 miles away for $5 a bale, but if it is not as good and won't last as long, that has to be considered.

I may be able to get it a couple of towns away, which would bring down the per bale cost. That would be comparable to the hay.

Thanks!!


(I could go to the local store and spend about $3 for about 2 pounds, but that didn't seem like a good price.)

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
If these are standard New England area "horse hay" small square bales, probably 45-55 lbs apiece no matter what the *farmer* says they way <g>, a bag of shavings contains much larger volume of bedding than a bale of the hay does. Making the shavings less expensive. The shavings bales expand 2-3x their volume, they are highly compressed in those bags.

Pat

 

[Amiga]

Indeed, the shavings are sounding better all the time!

Part of my goals for 2010 is to cut down driving, and find local sources for as much as possible.

I will scout for closer sources for shavings - there is a very small lumber mill just starting up on the other side of town. I will see if he has shavings. Would hardwood shavings work as well as pine? Do folks tend to use pine because it is available, or because it is superior to hardwood?

Thanks, all, for the guidance. I want to know as much as possible before the arrival of the ducklings in a couple of months. When I raised Pekins in Georgia long years ago, we already had an infrastructure, and the birds thrived in spite of my lack of knowledge.

Here, I am older and more conscientious (I think), and the winters are much more harsh.

Thanks again.