Deep litter method

[nminusyplusm]

Mine will not be as deep as a meter either, but I'm on dirt and planning to loosen up the whole dirt floor so that eventually *maybe* it might get almost that deep.

That's similar to what I'm doing. Mine's about 2' deep and I only have 5 birds. I periodically fork down deeper to loosen the soil and give them access to giant grubs. The soil at the bottom is so much richer than it used to be.

 

[paneubert]

That guy is having a lot of fun! Haha.

 

[OlympicChick]

That guy is having a lot of fun! Haha.

Totally!!

 

[aart]

Found this fantastic video explaining deep litter:

One of the best I've seen, just wish he had included how to harvest the 'finished compost'. He also has a couple good vids on slaughtering/butchering.

That guy is having a lot of fun! Haha.

Several comments on youtube suggested his glee might be 'artificially induced'...I had the same thought.

 

[paneubert]

Several comments on youtube suggested his glee might be 'artificially induced'...I had the same thought.

If he is wrong, I don't want to be right! Haha.

 

[paintedChix]

That may be so, but the "artificially induced glee" gets you interested, keeps that interest and allows you to learn AND (HA) "DIGEST" what you are learning.

I'm so glad that was posted. I put it on a list I've put together as good learning tool vids for family and friends that are interested in composting with chickens and starting food forests.

My coops are not that deep. I was a little in shock when I saw that video. I started out with portable plans (3 cattle panel hoop coops - 2x4 & 2x6 bases about 8x8), found they were just too cumbersome & heavy on the new property and they became permanent on their new "sand beds". All I can say is that now, after 3 yrs, I can go in and harvest compost, too. I have not had chickens in all the coops for the full 3 years, I haven't been "perfect" about the actual adding of carbon, but I've done enough that we will be using the results now to start our food forest, garden containers (tires around the coops & in our rabbit area) and raised garden beds around the house and stationary pens behind our house...

Here's hoping that the work that I have for myself (I don't have lots of folks helping with gathering the carbon based products OR putting them into the coops, just me and sometimes I feel "spread" way too thin...) works for our new garden areas in 2019. I am still prepping areas, but hope to have a number of them ready to start with planting in March/April and will then have to fence the chickens totally out of those areas to allow our gardens to grow a bit.

 

[OlympicChick]

I was a little in shock too when he said for it to be that deep. This is what I just finished doing this weekend:


First image is of pine needles and pine cones over the dug up grassy dirt.
Second image is layer of gorgeous maple leaves.
Third is of happy chickens

 

[OlympicChick]

I have six remaining bags of maple leaves and 2 bags of pine needles. I will at some point find wood chips to mix in as well, and maybe add in a little straw or pine shavings. I figure the more different types of matter the better. Would that be wrong?

 

[paneubert]

@aart was just telling me in my other thread that she recommends larger woody bits so the leaves don't turn into slime. But yours appears to be under cover? So not as much of a concern. Mine is exposed to the weather. Ideal carbon to nitrogen is 25-30:1, and dry leaves are supposedly around 40:1 as long as they have changed from green to brown/yellow/orange/etc.... Not far off from already ideal compost material all by themselves. The poop will definitely shift that ratio towards the 25-30:1. If it were me, and I had access to "larger" woody bits, I would add it just to keep things fluffed up.

 

[OlympicChick]

Yes, it is all under cover. I'm still trying to track down wood chips that I don't have to buy, but I may have to just bite the bullet and eventually pay. None of the tree service people I've contacted want to just let me come and get small amounts of chips. They all want to drop off a truckload full which isn't feasible in my house location.