Deep litter method

[Beekissed]

@Beekissed ...help! The shavings in our duck's coop have been in since last October-Ish. Not much breakdown,I don't think. Doesn't smell, not sure what to do with it. Leave it? I wanted to spread it on the garden beds, but not sure it's ready. It's over linoleum, not bare ground, so I'm sure that's why, but not sure how to proceed. Throw it in the compost and start over? And this is ducks, not chickens. Thanks!

Without a lot of moisture and time, deep pine shavings won't decompose very well....takes forever. I'd not put them on the garden....if you have a run, I'd put them in there. Try a couple of shovels of good, healthy sod in that coop~wet it down a bit, then try layering in leaves, a little dab of straw, even a few of the wood shavings here and there as the poop builds. Just keep laying dry layers on top of the duck poop, sort of like building lasagna. Don't use all of one material....try things of different particle size and break down times....it will all start to work really well if you do that. Mine didn't do very well either when I was using all pine shavings...lots of ammonia, very little breakdown.

You'll want to trap some level of moisture in that bottom layer...if you can't keep it a little moist, just empty your dirty duck water in there every now and again. Moisture, good microbes at the bottom and layering in the dry bedding of different particle sizes should help things break down well. Whatever you do, avoid stirring up those bottom layers....disturbing them just loses that valuable moisture and also breaks up chains of healthy fungi and bacteria that you'll want there. Also disturbs the tiny bug life...you'll want that there.

You're in luck....fall is here and leaves abound! Collect all you can and store them for winter bedding....they break down quickly, so you'll need a LOT...but I've found they make the very best dry bedding that breaks down fast.

 

[Korzak]

So this has been a huge help. We have an enclosed run with a coop that is about 3' off the ground. So it's not in contact with dirt, but we built it so about 8" of litter could accumulate. It hasn't been settling well, but we have been using pine shavings, so maybe that is why.

I have a ton of leaves I can use for littler in the coop itself. I'm thinking about taking half the bedding out, and replacing it with leaves. Then keep adding leaves over the winter.

When we don't have leaves, though, should I be using hay or straw? Doesn't one have seeds in it, which can be an issue if you want to put the litter into compost for the garden?

 

[Beekissed]

I've experienced seeds from both straw and hay in my garden, so I don't think it matters much. If you can store enough leaves, I'd stick with the leaves if you can but if you have to use the hay and straw, I'd not do it too deeply....you'll want to be able to flip it with a fork if you need to or for the chickens to move that top layer around a little....when hay and straw get wet, they can be difficult to move and can even form mold caps.

A little of this or that seems to work best, so changing up bedding materials doesn't hurt much unless one uses too much of a material that is slow to compost, all one particle size or doesn't absorb moisture well.

 

[Stephine]

So this has been a huge help.  We have an enclosed run with a coop that is about 3' off the ground.  So it's not in contact with dirt, but we built it so about 8" of litter could accumulate.  It hasn't been settling well, but we have been using pine shavings, so maybe that is why.

I have a ton of leaves I can use for littler in the coop itself.  I'm thinking about taking half the bedding out, and replacing it with leaves.  Then keep adding leaves over the winter.

When we don't have leaves, though, should I be using hay or straw?  Doesn't one have seeds in it, which can be an issue if you want to put the litter into compost for the garden?

I would think that the chickens will eat the seeds, so it shouldn't be a problem...

 

[MayhemMarr]

I am doing this for the most part I was planning on cleaning out my coop twice a year spring and fall but after now play heck to build it all back up I think I will only clean it out in the spring I use this for most my whole barn with the exception of the stalls for the goats,

 

[TateLewis]

How do you start this method? Is there a "base" that is good to start with?

 

[Blooie]

How do you start this method? Is there a "base" that is good to start with?

Dirt. That's what's in my coop and run. Yep, plain old dirt, although many people have found ways to successfully use linoleum, Black Jack, etc at the bottom. Then pile on deep layer of leaves, garden trimmings, wood chips, pine needles, or whatever is available. I started out with pine shavings...one 5 dollar bale expands to cover quite a lot of coop.....but quickly gave that up when I did a clean out and after a year they still looked like pine shavings. Hmmmm, I had deep bedding, not deep litter! My good friend @Beekissed helped me get that fixed and the switch to deep litter was painless and so much less work and money than constantly buying pine shavings that weren't doing anything in there anyway.

 

[TateLewis]

Dirt. That's what's in my coop and run. Yep, plain old dirt, although many people have found ways to successfully use linoleum, Black Jack, etc at the bottom. Then pile on deep layer of leaves, garden trimmings, wood chips, pine needles, or whatever is available. I started out with pine shavings...one 5 dollar bale expands to cover quite a lot of coop.....but quickly gave that up when I did a clean out and after a year they still looked like pine shavings. Hmmmm, I had deep bedding, not deep litter! My good friend @Beekissed helped me get that fixed and the switch to deep litter was painless and so much less work and money than constantly buying pine shavings that weren't doing anything in there anyway.

I can do this in the run? Our girls area is dirt and right now it's basically mud with all the rain we're getting. If I pile a layer of leaves, wood chips, pine needles (which we have plenty of all 3 of those in our yard) it'll help with the wet mucky smell out there?

 

[Blooie]

I can do this in the run? Our girls area is dirt and right now it's basically mud with all the rain we're getting. If I pile a layer of leaves, wood chips, pine needles (which we have plenty of all 3 of those in our yard) it'll help with the wet mucky smell out there?

I think so. Put a thick layer of garden lime (watch the labels on the bags) down first and that will help absorb some of the yuck. I use the same litter in my run as I do in coop. Makes it easier to manage if you have at least a partial cover so they always have one mostly dry spot to get to.

 

[Howard E]

I can do this in the run? Our girls area is dirt and right now it's basically mud with all the rain we're getting. If I pile a layer of leaves, wood chips, pine needles (which we have plenty of all 3 of those in our yard) it'll help with the wet mucky smell out there?

I am using grass hay in a garden area outside the coop......an area where the birds hang out a lot. We get a lot of rain (3 inches yesterday). The grass hay is at least 6 inches deep and it stays clean and dry most of the time. Wet and moist below, but dry on top. Birds like to dig and scratch in it. I'm leaving it for garden mulch/compost and will dig it in and replace it with new or until then, just keep piling on new as the old rots down.

Same situation in a run, but you would want to pull it out when it rots down and put that on the garden or in a compost bin. My daughter has a small run and her birds had turned that to mud. The same hay method has fixed that for her too.

In a permanent run, unless you keep it deep and pull it out when it is fully saturated and spent, over time, run area will get fouled (fowled)? Think of deep litter as being like changing a baby's diaper. You change it now and then and for the same reason.