Deep litter method

[snow5164]

Hello,
My floor is linoleum .

 

[Beekissed]

I Thot I was doing deep litter method... But I'm doing deep bedding. I have 4 inches of compressed straw and poop

and sweet Lyme and some DE sprinkled on top, stir it up every few days ....what should I add or is this ok?? They've only been outside for 4 weeks .no smell and its dry

If you want it to compost in place and stay in the coop without having to clean it out all the time, you might forgo the DE...it is an indiscriminate killer of insects and can kill beneficial bugs you will need to help decompose your litter and manure. Some have reported an absence of composting in the layers where they applied DE.

You'll have better success in the long run if you don't use straw too much or any one kind of bedding, but try to mix several different types and sizes of particles...you'll find the straw won't absorb moisture and will mold, but not in a good way.

I'd not stir it, just lightly flip the bedding over areas with the most concentrated droppings, like under the roosts. If you have too much moisture, droppings or start to smell ammonia, you can just add another light layer of litter material to change things.

The lime is not a bad idea but I'd not add it so often...it can cause some breathing problems in the birds if the bedding is dry and they scratch around in it, so a light dusting only when needed to absorb moisture/odor will be a more efficient use of it.

If you don't have a lot of ventilation, make sure you open up plenty at all levels to help move humidity from the bedding and out of the coop.

I'd try incorporating some different types of bedding...leaves, wood chips (by chips I don't mean pine shavings, but if you do use the shavings try to do so in moderation...they take a long time to break down) if you can get them, bark, twigs, pine needles, saw dust (in moderation)weed and flower trimmings. All of these different types and sizes of particles will allow air into the DL and encourage better composting of the litter.

Hope that helps!

 

[PapaChaz]

I added some grass clippings in my coop yesterday, and the run today. First the coop: I went 3 weeks between cutting, to make sure I'd get enough to rake and add. I cut it in the morning, and let it dry all day in the sun, then raked and added to the coop yesterday.




I had straw in the coop, but the bale I'd bought was really small and didn't give me enough depth. As you can see I left the pine straw in it, and just added this on top of the straw. My coop has wooden floor with vinyl on it.

for the run, I went out today and raked the rest of the clippings, filled my dump carry all completely! It's 4' x 3' and 30 inches deep. I put all this in the run this evening after the chickens went in to roost. My run is 220 square feet, and this added a nice layer to it. My next layer will be more wood chips, probably sometime around the end of august. We have a tree service company here that piles all their chips on their lot and anyone can get all they want:


by the time I finished spreading it, it was too dark to get a pic, I'll try to get one tomorrow. They really like when I pile the grass clippings in, gives them a new texture to dig in

 

[snow5164]

You haven't done grass in the coop before now ?have you done other yard waste in coop before ? I'm just wanting to know how it works out after a season , will it be humid inside?

 

[PapaChaz]

You haven't done grass in the coop before now ?have you done other yard waste in coop before ? I'm just wanting to know how it works out after a season , will it be humid inside?

yes, I've put grass in the coop and run before. I did let it dry in the sun before raking it up though, that's very important if you're putting it inside because you don't want it to build up 'heat' and catch fire. Lots of hay farmers have learned that lesson the hard way, let it dry before you bale and store inside. With my coop though, I'll change out the bedding completely since it's not a dirt floor, probably every 3 or 4 months. I do use a poop tray with sand and sweet pdz, I have literally NO smell in my coop at all

And as for other yard waste and the run, I've put everything from the yard in there, wood chips, weeds from the flower beds and garden (dirt and all), pine straw, grass clippings, flowers we've dead headed. This fall we'll add leaves to the mix. As Beekissed said, and I think I alluded to, you want to mix the texture and particle sizes and not use the same thing all the time.

 

[snow5164]

Ok , thanks for your help . I will have to do some raking today

 

[Beekissed]

You haven't done grass in the coop before now ?have you done other yard waste in coop before ? I'm just wanting to know how it works out after a season , will it be humid inside?

I've thrown a little bit of everything in my coop...anything I rake up out of the yard, garden trimmings and waste, etc. If you have a lot of open, airy flow through opportunities, the humidity is not an issue no matter what time of year. I even have huge open areas during single digit temps, as the warmth from the compost keeps my roosting area 10 degrees warmer than the outside air.

 

[Kris64]

Great reply!!! I have a dirt floor and only straw and poop that I turn every few days. Still no composting. Tried adding water in a corner, which only resulted in mold in that corner. I'll be sure to toss in lots more weeds. I've also thought, in my case, that there's way more floor space and straw than chicken poop, so the extra nitrogen would be great. Thanks!

 

[Beekissed]

Straw is a very waxy, woody grass, so it doesn't compost well at all....I've used straw as mulch in gardens before and tilled that straw for years to come, so even tilled under the soil where it should compost quickly, it doesn't do much of anything but create air spaces.

Try to layer in your bedding like lasagna, trapping the manure and moisture below, then covering it with dry when necessary for good, healthy footing. The bugs and worms that speed composting don't like to be exposed, so every time you disturb that layer, they retreat to the soil where they can stay under cover. The beneficial bacteria and fungi that contribute to composting also benefit from a retention of moisture and darkness in those lower levels as well, so keeping them close to the soil is a good idea.

The chickens will dig in it anyway but if you can, try not to disturb the lower layers and you will see much more progress in your composting efforts....that's one thing I've found out along the way. I've also found that the composting seems to start and proceed better when the DL is at least 6 in. deep or more....much better if it's more. The deeper you get and the less it's disturbed, the quicker and better the composting, it seems.

 

[JayJo]

Beekissed, that's a great video. Thanks for making it.

I'm just getting started with deep litter in a new coop. I started with a bare dirt floor, added a little sand (maybe 1/2 inch, just what was left over from setting the coop foundation) and the clippings from the last time I mowed the lawn. Is that it? Do I just keep adding stuff? The dirt is pretty packed so I couldn't turn anything right now if I tried. Should I add some mostly-finished compost from my tumbler to get the right bugs in there?