Deep litter method

[wsmith]

I took out 8 large wheelbarrow loads yesterday in various stages of de-comp. Now off to the bins for finishing!

 

[padavali]

New to chickens, mine range from 4 weeks ( broilers) to 2 weeks (egg layers) and they are not yet in the coop. Is DE a must? We have a corn/wood pellet burner, can I used the ashes from the burner with this DLM? I ask because I believe the wood pellets we burn are not for human or animal consumption. Also, if the ashes are able to be used, can I use that instead of DE?

 

[nannie]

I would not take any chances . DE don't cost much.tractor supply sells 20lb for about $13.00 safe for the chickens,

 

[lablover]

I have a 10x10 dig kennel coop with a dirt floor. Rain can blow in at the front part. The dirt floor is pretty loose right now from the chickens scratching in it. (It's a new coop). Can I do the DLM with this?

 

[armorfirelady]

I have a 10x10 dig kennel coop with a dirt floor. Rain can blow in at the front part. The dirt floor is pretty loose right now from the chickens scratching in it. (It's a new coop). Can I do the DLM with this?

Absolutely!!!! The floors of both my coops are dirt and the DL does wonderfully. In the middle of a deep freeze I actually found an earthworm in the dirt as I turned the DL

You can use leaves, ,grass clippings, weeds, whatever you can find for free....I also use straw/hay & shavings. Breaks down wonderfully. (tho the straw & hay take more time)

New to chickens, mine range from 4 weeks ( broilers) to 2 weeks (egg layers) and they are not yet in the coop. Is DE a must? We have a corn/wood pellet burner, can I used the ashes from the burner with this DLM? I ask because I believe the wood pellets we burn are not for human or animal consumption. Also, if the ashes are able to be used, can I use that instead of DE?

I have NEVER used DE. My DL is completely chemical free. I would suggest reading the bag the pellets came in to see what it says about people/animal consumption. Also if you have an outside fire pit you can also use those ashes. Ashes are a non chemical way of the prevention of lice & mites. And the hens love to dust bathe in it,

 

[lablover]

Absolutely!!!! The floors of both my coops are dirt and the DL does wonderfully. In the middle of a deep freeze I actually found an earthworm in the dirt as I turned the DL

You can use leaves, ,grass clippings, weeds, whatever you can find for free....I also use straw/hay & shavings. Breaks down wonderfully. (tho the straw & hay take more time)

But what about the chance of it getting wet? Most of what I've read says that DL should be kept dry.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

You don't want deep litter to be too dry or too wet.

It it's too dry, it will be dusty, as well as not have any of the good organisms in it, that break it down.

If it's too wet, it will be stinky and release ammonia. Add more fresh litter to it and stir it in.

You want it to only be slightly moist.

 

[armorfirelady]

I

Absolutely!!!! The floors of both my coops are dirt and the DL does wonderfully. In the middle of a deep freeze I actually found an earthworm in the dirt as I turned the DL

You can use leaves, ,grass clippings, weeds, whatever you can find for free....I also use straw/hay

But what about the chance of it getting wet? Most of what I've read says that DL should be kept dry.

It got wet around the edges and even some snow in there but I just kept turning it when it did and the girls helped stir it up & broke down great. My current coop got partially flooded a few weeks ago so I added some shavings and have been turning it frequently so the wet stuff underneath can dry. I have had no problems

 

[Yayachick]

I use a natural cat litter in my coop. It is easy to clean up and help with the smell. I made a "litter box" under their roost and clean it every day which just takes minutes. I use various litters, the ones that are made from corn husks, wheat, nut shells etc. I am going to try the one made out of newspaper because I cannot use the others in my vegetable garden because it has some kind of clean smell that when I called the company could not say if it was safe for human consuption. I empty it completley about once every 4 months.

 

[meganpugh]

This is going to sound ridiculous... but where would I acquire large amounts of Pine Shavings for litter? Or is chopped up hay just fine? I have access to lots of hay but I cannot find large enough bags of pine shavings and if I can, they don't ship to Canada. If anyone has any suggestions that would be VERY helpful... I get my 6 Rouen ducks in 1 week, I have 8 4 week old chickies (2 Easter Eggers, 2 Silver Lace Wyndotte, 2 Barred Rock, and 2 Blue Orpintons). I also have 2 3 week old turkeys. They will be housed in a converted garage (all separate). I would ideally like to use hay, what is the verdict.. is hay okay??