Deep litter method

[goodb]

Saw your video. Pretty nice set up for temporary quarters. I'm wondering though, where is your access point? At the hardware cloth?

Apparently you have a hen hatching out your chicks? Hopefully she is fiercely protective of them. I wouldn't keep them separated any longer than absolutely necessary, say maybe 2 weeks at the most. Just long enough to be sure they're eating and drinking well and know where their food/water supply is. With the hen to protect them, you can let them mix among the flock... it will go better for the chicks. I'd watch older flock members, particularly other young birds if you have them... say a young cockerel coming into sexual maturity just might decide he doesn't like the chicks and might go after them. I had that issue here last week as a young cockerel who was only alive to get to butchering weight decided he didn't like some chicks and treated them poorly. It was only about 2-3 weeks before I had intended to dispatch him but I moved it up as he was disrupting the flock altogether and the older boys had taken to running him off the food too and I didn't want him to be tough eating so I did the deed early. Now, all is peaceful again and the chicks are free to move around without being harassed.

As of now the access point is the hardware cloth. Perhaps they'll be out by the time they are out the second hen hatches. I do have 4 young birds (2 each) in that situation. The 4 keep to themselves so it MAY not be an issue. Momma is pretty good with me as you can see but I don't know how she'll do with the others when they come out. This will be interesting. You say not more than 2 weeks? That was a question I was going to ask. Thank you for that and the feedback.

 

[Lacy Blues]

approximately 2 weeks... situations differ and you'll have to be the judge of when you think they're ready to mix with the flock.

 

[Arielle]

Could use a little input . . .

THe winter was long and cold here- far worse than usual. We added piles of fallen leaves all winter to coops and runs but the material is not breaking down. I suspect it didnt have enough time going into the fall to acuired the bugs necessary to manage the breakdown. I have both dirt floors and wooden floors . . . the really weird thing is that our compost pile takes foreever to compoist too and seems to lack obvious bugs, and has fewer worms than I would expect. We don't use any pesticides other than on the horsee to keep the flies off, and horses are occassionally dewormed, and that manure is in the compost pile or gets dumped in the woods to improve the soil. OUt there in the woods the clover is growing on the sumped shavings/manure. THe compost doesn't have any growth but that could be because the flock cruises thru regularly. Please need help getting the "composting" going!!

 

[Arielle]

Quote: HOw do I cut/ drill this hole??

 

[Windy Bay Farm]

HOw do I cut/ drill this hole??

I used 11/32" drill bit and wrapped the threaded end of the watering cup with Teflon tape, screwed it in the PVC pipe I used and it didn't leak. Works great !

 

[Arielle]

Quote: LOL ok I get it now-- I thought the hole was 1/2 inch!! I see now that there is an extension tat is only 11/32 that is inserted like the nipples. Bitting the bullet to order off eBay-- TSC was out of stock yesterday. They can't keep them instock apparently. SO much for using my G.C. for waterers-- bought rasperry bushes instead. Look like sticks, but they said they would grow . . . IDK. I really wanted to beleive the sale woman at the time, but now I am skeptacle.

 

[LindaB220]

Hatching began today! I have 2 out so far and 4 still coming along. Here as the video of the brooder I mentioned. Any suggestions for changes?

Thanks much!

Nice set up. I traveled around your videos and loved them. Subscribed of course.

 

[rfreedlund]

I have been reading more about the deep litter method and want to consider using it, but I have a question I can't seem to find an answer to (perhaps I haven't read enough). I have a 12' by 20' coop built in 1959 (still in very good shape) and the pop holes are right at the floor level. How do you handle using the deep litter method yet still provide good access to the pop holes?

 

[niqueie]

I'm not sure how tall the pop holes are but you could make them tall enough then put a board along the bottom to hold in the litter. My pop door is 6" higher than the "floor" /litter. The birds just jump up to it.

 

[Arielle]

I have been reading more about the deep litter method and want to consider using it, but I have a question I can't seem to find an answer to (perhaps I haven't read enough). I have a 12' by 20' coop built in 1959 (still in very good shape) and the pop holes are right at the floor level. How do you handle using the deep litter method yet still provide good access to the pop holes?

LOL, I have this problem in the main coop-- because I didn't know about DL when we built it. THe litter is about 10 inches deep now, except over at the pop door. Material falls out the door regularly and the inside looks like a ramp. I suspect abetter option is to make a box at the pop door to hold back the littler and let the birds jump down to floor levelbefore exiting, or allow for a ramp down to the base of the p op door.