Deep litter method

[Bobby Basham]

Thank you! I'd love for anyone who is doing it in their run to put together a vid to show it being done there....that one is hard to explain to people too as they think it will stay wet and stinky all the time and it's just the opposite.

Bless Yo' Bones, Beekissed:

Your video was an excellent demonstration of the DL method, which I'm gonna use, and I would particularly like to see how folks use that method in an uncovered run out in the elements. I don't think we have enough rain to be a problem here in Arizona, but we do have our rainy seasons at times and wonder how folks in wetter climates deal with it. --BB

Bobby Basham
Tucson, Arizona

 

[emmajane07]

Hi all!

So, the deep litter method is working out wonderful for me. One little problem....I now have mice living under it! How can iI stop this?

 

[RonP]

Mice /rats, subject comes up often.

Posted to another query.
Hope it helps.:

My understanding is that rats/mice are everywhere.
They will congregate and breed where there is available food, water, and shelter.
Look closely around any fast food restaurant and you will see rat bait stations.

They will eventually come, the idea is to prevent them from establishing a colony.
If you see 1, there are probably fifty.
If you see two or more holes, expect dozens.

Keeping a rat trap/bait station baited 24/7 hopefully keeps the population from establishing near your food source. Once established, they are very difficult to eliminate.

Remember, chickens don't attract rats, food does.

That said, I fabricated black 4 inch circular x 18" long drainage plastic pipe as a bait station.
Placed along the outside of my coop, looks like drainage pipe (not unsightly).
I put a t fitting in the center, capped, for easy viewing once a week.
Inside I maintain commercial rat poison.

My run has food scraps 24/7.
My coop has food access 24/7.
Water access 24/7.

5 years, no sign of rats or mice...

Hope this helps.

 

[Beekissed]

I've not had that problem but I would handle it in much the same way and have done so in the past before I ever used deep litter. As Ron said, where there's feed there are rodents. I don't use continuous feeders so all the feed is cleaned up by the chickens every day....I think this cuts down on the rodent problem considerably. I also have beneficial snakes in the area that help, as well as the chickens and dog.

But, if I had a problem, I'd be using JustOneBite poison bars...I like the bars as they have to nibble some off to eat it or attempt to store it, which is unlike the pellets that can be carried away to other parts of the coop and yard that are accessible to chickens and dogs. For my setup, I'd do an upturned bucket with a weight on the top, anchored to the side of the coop so it can't possibly be tipped, knocked over, etc., with a small entrance/open area blocked open at the bottom so that rodents can get in but nothing else can knock over the bucket and get the poison.

 

[Kris64]

Ha!! I've lived in FL and the midwest and now NC. I had a German mother and NY Jewish husband and detected no accent from you at all--just good old well-spoken English.

 

[Kris64]

How often do you turn the litter? I'd be interested in what others have to say, but many years ago I noticed if I turned my compost pile more, less rodents were attracted to it. Imagine it would be the same with DL. Also, I've seen some folks that keep food and water outside the coop only to encourage the chickens to get outdoors even if it's chilly out.

 

[Beekissed]

Now...these folks have a rodent problem.....watch these dogs work!!! My dog, Jake, can catch a mouse or rat as easily as a cat can and I find dead mice around the yard at times that he has caught. That's likely another reason I don't have a rodent problem in this deep litter.

 

[Blooie]

I'm using deep litter in both the run and coop. I'm not as successful at it as my friend Bee yet, but I'm still learning. So far I love it. I've never had a rat or mouse problem in my setup, although I blush to admit that every once in awhile we find one in this old house of ours. I think the reason I have none out there is because I have 1/4 hardware cloth all the way around the coop and the run, running about 2 feet up and extending out about two feet as an apron. I don't have a dog that I can rely on to keep the little boogers at bay - Molly is more likely to bring some home as friends than do anything to them. <sigh> I learned that a small mouse can squeeze through the tiniest opening, one that is almost invisible to us. The babies can even go through the 1/2 inch hardware cloth, then grow up right under your chickens' noses. So I'd rather exclude them than fight them.

 

[gilcamp4]

How often do you turn the litter? I'd be interested in what others have to say, but many years ago I noticed if I turned my compost pile more, less rodents were attracted to it. Imagine it would be the same with DL. Also, I've seen some folks that keep food and water outside the coop only to encourage the chickens to get outdoors even if it's chilly out.

i was turning mine once a week and it was good, then the snow came and i have not been able to do it i can not walk far in the snow or ice so hubbie was taken full care of them, but he did not know to turn the litter, we went out today and took it out as we put chickens in new coop, he was surprised how it looked under the first coat and i told him thats why i turn it every week. now he knows to turn it once a week. i have a friend who does it every day

 

[yellowchicks]

How often do you turn the litter? I'd be interested in what others have to say, but many years ago I noticed if I turned my compost pile more, less rodents were attracted to it. Imagine it would be the same with DL. Also, I've seen some folks that keep food and water outside the coop only to encourage the chickens to get outdoors even if it's chilly out.

We use pine shaving DLM in the covered run area (4'x6') and under the coop (4'x4'). Since the DL is dry so it doesn't smell. By raking it daily, it is easy to break up the large chunks and accelerate the composting process. I also clean the poop board and the pine shaving daily. The cleaning, refilling the feeder, put out warm water, make them warm oatmeal, and collect the eggs take about 15 minutes in the morning.

The chicken feed and water are always outside in the run, my chickens never stay indoor except for laying eggs and sleep. I don't have a rodent problem because the entire run including the floor is covered with 1/2" hardware cloth.

Our coop is so "clean" that a Vegan friend, and a vegetarian neighbor (who only eats certified humane eggs), love eating our chicken eggs.