Deep litter method

[Beekissed]

The DL is doing great this winter....we've not had much snow at all yet and unseasonably warm temps for most of the winter, so not much going on with the DL. Did have a cycle of freeze and thawing going on for awhile, which caused some pretty muddy conditions outside the coop around the entrances and one side where the dogs and chickens walk the most, so put down wood chips in these areas and problem solved....was having some dirty eggs from that issue for a few days but that all stopped with the application of the wood chips.

I'd urge anyone who has the room on their land to scope around for tree services needing a place to dump chips in their area...these wood chips are invaluable! You can use them for muddy areas, for mulch in flower beds, on your garden, in the coop and run or just leave them in a great big pile to compost down and act as a bug tank for your flock to pick over later.

If I had to keep my flock in a run, it would be almost entirely done in wood chips and I'd save most of my leaves for inside the coop. Those wood chips make for a wonderful, spongey and absorbent place to walk, no matter how wet or dry it gets outside.

 

[saronna]

Hello,

In Ontario first winter with chickens.
We use deep litter method in coop and run, I have a mix of wood shavings and straw. I recently found one of my hens dead, I know this can happen for no reason. She looked perfectly healthy previous to me finding her. However it has gotten me concerned and I want to make sure everything is ship shape in the coop. My question is, if there was an ammonia problem, would I be able to smell it?
Thanks any healthy flock tips appreciated.

 

[Beekissed]

Hello,

In Ontario first winter with chickens.
We use deep litter method in coop and run, I have a mix of wood shavings and straw. I recently found one of my hens dead, I know this can happen for no reason. She looked perfectly healthy previous to me finding her. However it has gotten me concerned and I want to make sure everything is ship shape in the coop. My question is, if there was an ammonia problem, would I be able to smell it?
Thanks any healthy flock tips appreciated.

Most definitely. Even if it's slight you'd get a whiff of it when you enter the coop, especially on wet, humid days. You may want to cut your bird open and see if you can pinpoint any obvious problems in her viscera, as I'm doubting it was anything to do with high ammonia levels if you can't immediately smell ammonia when you enter the coop and you'd also see it affecting more than one bird. Sometimes a chicken just dies for no obvious reason(unless you do an autopsy) and that happens every few years or so if you keep chickens long enough.

On a side note: Wood shavings are notorious for producing ammonia as they decompose, so next winter you may want to veer more towards adding things that don't take as long to break down such as leaves, pine needles, etc. The wood shavings and more slow to break down items are great in the run but my DL didn't start working at its best until I stopped using a lot of wood shavings in the DL of the coop.

 

[saronna]

Thank you, I'll have to save all my leaves next fall and try that.

 

[Daox13]

Question. I have been splitting wood and I have a mound of tree bark strips that I was thinking of breaking up and adding to the deep bedding. Thought?

 

[Beekissed]

Question. I have been splitting wood and I have a mound of tree bark strips that I was thinking of breaking up and adding to the deep bedding. Thought?

I'd do it! Good stuff if you don't use too much at one time in the coop. If in the run, just go for it.

 

[Tillicans]

The DL is doing great this winter....we've not had much snow at all yet and unseasonably warm temps for most of the winter, so not much going on with the DL. Did have a cycle of freeze and thawing going on for awhile, which caused some pretty muddy conditions outside the coop around the entrances and one side where the dogs and chickens walk the most, so put down wood chips in these areas and problem solved....was having some dirty eggs from that issue for a few days but that all stopped with the application of the wood chips.

I'd urge anyone who has the room on their land to scope around for tree services needing a place to dump chips in their area...these wood chips are invaluable! You can use them for muddy areas, for mulch in flower beds, on your garden, in the coop and run or just leave them in a great big pile to compost down and act as a bug tank for your flock to pick over later.

If I had to keep my flock in a run, it would be almost entirely done in wood chips and I'd save most of my leaves for inside the coop. Those wood chips make for a wonderful, spongey and absorbent place to walk, no matter how wet or dry it gets outside.

How deep would it need to be? How often do you top it up? Our coop gets a bit wet and soggy when we have heavy rain. I'm always afraid the sugar cane I have down as DL is going to go mouldy so have to rake it all out each time it rains. Mud and all. Do the wood chips attract cockroaches? I don't like that idea so much if it does. What kind of wood chips do you recommend? I'm in Sydney suburbia. Sorry for all the questions.

 

[Beekissed]

How deep would it need to be? How often do you top it up? Our coop gets a bit wet and soggy when we have heavy rain. I'm always afraid the sugar cane I have down as DL is going to go mouldy so have to rake it all out each time it rains. Mud and all. Do the wood chips attract cockroaches? I don't like that idea so much if it does. What kind of wood chips do you recommend? I'm in Sydney suburbia. Sorry for all the questions.

Cockroaches are chicken food, so don't worry about them too much. A good DL should be anywhere from 6 in. to 12 in or more in the coop....I've got some in my coop under the roosts right now that is about 2 ft. deep or more. In the run you'd want it to be at least 10-12 in. at all times if you want to avoid mud.

I'd recommend a variety of materials, from small to larger, different break down times, etc. If you use all of one kind it tends to mat down more, creating less spaces in the pack for air. If you use stuff that is too long and hard for the chickens and you to move once it gets wet, then you run into problems there as well. I wouldn't use too much sugar cane...too long, too woody and break down time would be too slow but it wouldn't hurt to use it underneath more fine stuff like leaves, wood chips(doesn't really matter what kind as long as they've sat and aged for awhile), pine needles, etc.

 

[Tillicans]

Cockroaches are chicken food, so don't worry about them too much.  A good DL should be anywhere from 6 in. to 12 in or more in the coop....I've got some in my coop under the roosts right now that is about 2 ft. deep or more.  In the run you'd want it to be at least 10-12 in. at all times if you want to avoid mud. 

I'd recommend a variety of materials, from small to larger, different break down times, etc.  If you use all of one kind it tends to mat down more, creating less spaces in the pack for air.  If you use stuff that is too long and hard for the chickens and you to move once it gets wet, then you run into problems there as well.  I wouldn't use too much sugar cane...too long, too woody and break down time would be too slow but it wouldn't hurt to use it underneath more fine stuff like leaves, wood chips(doesn't really matter what kind as long as they've sat and aged for awhile), pine needles, etc. 

Thanks for the info. I read the previous posts as well and learnt that the DL needs some moisture after all. How much moisture is enough? I got hubby to buy some river sand and some wood chips. Should the sand go in first or is it Okay if I put the sugar mulch in there first. How do you then maintain the DL. Just turn the pile? You mention you don't need to remove the litter, how long can I leave it in there I thought it was a yearly job. I have a tray under their roost so can't really do a DL there. I usually remove the poop daily into a compost bin. Thanks again.

 

[Beekissed]

Thanks for the info. I read the previous posts as well and learnt that the DL needs some moisture after all. How much moisture is enough? I got hubby to buy some river sand and some wood chips. Should the sand go in first or is it Okay if I put the sugar mulch in there first. How do you then maintain the DL. Just turn the pile? You mention you don't need to remove the litter, how long can I leave it in there I thought it was a yearly job. I have a tray under their roost so can't really do a DL there. I usually remove the poop daily into a compost bin. Thanks again.

Just enough to get composting going, so not too wet, not too dry. I'd not put any sand under it, the sand will not serve any purpose. I don't know what sugar mulch is, but if it's anything like soil, that wouldn't hurt. I wouldn't use all wood chips...it's best if you use a variety of materials but most seem to get a better result from mostly a leaf based litter, with other materials being added in moderation.

If you remove the poop, you'll defeat the purpose of the litter....if you just want deep bedding, then removing the poop is fine and you can change out the bedding when it gets too saturated or too deep. If you want true deep litter, you'll want to keep that manure in the coop, not "turn the pile" but merely put a light layer of dry bedding over the nightly deposit of feces under the roost to cover them and trap the moisture in the litter pack.