Deep litter method

[Lacy Blues]

It's an empty feed sack. It's like a tarp, only printed and more or less waterproof.

 

[mynewbabies]

What do you use during the rainy season, where I live winter has been very messy. What is your thoughts on adding dried leaves to the pine /sand mix.?
I think nothing is full proof when it's this wet and nasty, I do have sand in the outer coop but like you said takes awhile to dry. Also
Can you cut those nesting pads to fit or are they pre measured?

 

[gilcamp4]

I am thinking about cleaning our coop out this week, other years I don't do it till march but this year they have been in it so much it is bad, I don't have a covered run so in bad weather they are locked in, its a good thing mine is large.

 

[armorfirelady]

I might take some of the DL out this week. They probably have about 3 feet of DL at the one end. I want to take some out and toss it in the veggie garden when the temps get up in the 40s at the end of the week then toss some leaves in with the remaining DL to see if it breaks down the hay better.

 

[pinkpeeps]

Does anyone use DL with silkies that do not roost? I have a small coop now(easy to clean), but will be building a larger one when the weather gets warmer. I would like to try DL. Does anyone think that would be a problem for silkies that sleep on the floor?

 

[gilcamp4]

I might take some of the DL out this week. They probably have about 3 feet of DL at the one end. I want to take some out and toss it in the veggie garden when the temps get up in the 40s at the end of the week then toss some leaves in with the remaining DL to see if it breaks down the hay better.

that is how mine is too and the front is not that bad but the back is bad, I think I am going to start on the front tomorrow then wed hit the back, that is going to take a couple days, I could not hit the roof but I can now, because the winter has been so bad this year we had to lock them in for a week, then there were days it was just to cold, we are looking to move it out a little or I should say back, going to the back yard some, I think right where we had our garden, we are going to cut back on that, the chickens get the part that was the garden, we had three parts of our yard as garden, just going to do one which is going to be small.

 

[Beekissed]

Does anyone use DL with silkies that do not roost? I have a small coop now(easy to clean), but will be building a larger one when the weather gets warmer. I would like to try DL. Does anyone think that would be a problem for silkies that sleep on the floor?

I would think it would be imperative for any breed that sleeps on the floor to have a deep litter in place. It will give them healthier cultures underfoot and will keep those feathered feet healthier in the long run if the DL is well tended and deeply cultured.

 

[Beekissed]

It rained all night and the snow is melting like mad...and my DL is the most perfect it has been all winter. Go figure. It's dry and fluffy on the top and middle, moist at the bottom, looks like flaked chocolate right now. Has no smell though the birds have been inside more than usual this winter. I'll have to get some video of the nature of this DL for the thread

 

[armorfirelady]

It's dry and fluffy on the top and middle, moist at the bottom, looks like flaked chocolate right now.

I don't think I would describe my DL as flaked chocolate

but the stuff at the bottom of my DL is nice & dark with a rich earthy smell

 

[gilcamp4]

well we had to go out and clean out our coop, not sure what happened but it was bad in there this last week, we took it all the way down, we live in farm land have no trees other then the burning cypus trees, no pine, we use hay and chips we have had chickens for many years and this is the first time we had a problem, they of course were in there a lot this year,