Deep litter method

[Kangasox]

I have read through most of this thread but I can't search on my phone and my brain is used up for the day so can't remember.

Bugs in the coop - normal and ok? I was stirring the top layer, and moved their food bucket and saw many squirmy meal-type worms underneath. I frequently see the small black beetles in the lower layers too. I just don't want to let something get out of hand, so want to address it now if there's an issue.

 

[Beekissed]

Those are a type of meal worm, much like folks are growing for their chickens. Darkling beetles are the bugs, the worms are their larvae, and in commercial poultry houses they don't like them and blame them for all kinds of things. None of that really applies to a backyard flock, but in a commercial setting where disease is rampant, they pretty much blame it on anything but their management practices.

I believe they are integral to the breaking down of the material and manure, while providing the chickens with natural protein.

 

[Kris64]

I began our coop (open-air so just 3 sides) with ~6 inches straw on a dirt floor. The pullets started sleeping on the ground even though there were roosts. I kept moving one of the roosts lower until at 3-4 months they started using this. I wanted them on the roost because as they get older and bigger their poops get bigger and more prolific! Now at 6 months they use the highest roost happily. There are 6 hens in a 6x6 foot area about 7 feet tall. So like you, we don't have a lot of moisture in the hen house. I tried adding water, but that didn't work well--perhaps due to the straw bedding. I like straw because it's cheap in comparison to other beddings available to me. And have no mold issues as long as I don't add water. A bit of rain and poop are fine because I turn it every 3-4 days.

I used to just turn the whole area every few days. With 6" it was easy to hide the poop. Zero trouble with smell and everything remained very dry. Periodically I toss in grass, leaves, and weeds. Still dry. These items break down--not the straw though. To aid in the breakdown of straw--only because I want to use it as compost in my garden not because there is any problem continuing this way--a couple of week ago I began tossing the poopy spots of the hen house out into the run and turn it upside down. Then I toss the front bedding to the back (where the poop falls) and throw in a couple handfuls of fresh straw if it's looking lower than ~6 inches.

Out in the run the hens romp around the straw and the rain dampens it. Eventually it gets broken down a bit and then I'll move it to a compost bin and then the garden. For me this is working so far. Then again one must look at how much they can spend on bedding, what they want to do with it (if anything), and how things break for them, which can be related to the coop size, coop style, coop floor, number of hens, and hens activity (mine are out in the yard all day so they almost never scratch in the coop and only a bit in the run).

 

[TalkALittle]

I dislike straw. I've got some cooking in a compost pile out back and it's the only thing that isn't breaking down. I have used chopped straw (sparingly) in my deep litter in the run. When it comes time to screen the litter for use, I anticipate the straw will still be there. I've got a bale of straw sitting around and I'll probably just toss it in the woods rather than use it in the coop.

 

[Blooie]

I use straw mostly for the outside brooder. I brood chicks outdoors in the run using Mama Heating Pad and a cave covered in straw. But I also use it sparingly in the run and coop. You're right - it doesn't break down well, but I am not using it for that. I just use it to help make air spaces in the litter. Good deep litter needs air to help with the breakdown. But it took me forever to figure out how much was too much and how much aided in aerating the litter.

 

[Kangasox]

Those are a type of meal worm, much like folks are growing for their chickens.   Darkling beetles are the bugs, the worms are their larvae, and in commercial poultry houses they don't like them and blame them for all kinds of things.  None of that really applies to a backyard flock, but in a commercial setting where disease is rampant, they pretty much blame it on anything but their management practices. 

I believe they are integral to the breaking down of the material and manure, while providing the chickens with natural protein. 

Thanks @beekissed. You are always so helpful. I was pretty sure that's what was going on, but wanted to confirm. If only my ducks would catch on that they are a tasty treat an eat some.

 

[pepparaaraa]

So, are wood shavings a good starting point on an earth floor in a (can be wet) run? I saw some posts say they don't breakdown well?
What should the next layers be and do you wait a while to add each layer?

 

[Beekissed]

So, are wood shavings a good starting point on an earth floor in a (can be wet) run? I saw some posts say they don't breakdown well?
What should the next layers be and do you wait a while to add each layer?

In the run, unless it's covered and small, it's not as important what you use and when, though it's still a good idea to use a variety of materials that have different break down times. Wood shavings take a very, very long time to break down, especially in a coop setting, but they can be a good base for a run if it has a lot of soft mud going on. If the run is covered and very small I'd treat it much like a coop and use materials that break down more quickly, along with those that provide air spaces.

In a run that is uncovered you don't need to layer it in as slowly as you do a coop....you can make it as deep as you wish in a run, as long as you have high sides to hold in the litter. You'll still want it to compost there, so using a variety of materials works best, but you can go deeper, faster to help keep the chickens out of the mud. The deeper the litter in the run, the better those layers next to the soil will compost, attract bugs and worms and wick moisture away from the top layers. If you use all wood shavings there, it will take a very long, long time to decompose and meanwhile it may put off ammonia smells during the hot and wet parts of the year.

Leaves are great, small twigs, pine cones and needles, bark, corn shucks and other garden debris/trimmings, grass clippings (not too many for the space if you live where it's mostly humid....nice to let those dry and then put them in the run), a little of this and a little of that seems to work best.

 

[TalkALittle]

X2. My covered run is very forgiving. I put material in when I have it available with not much worry to whether the run "needs" it or not. If after a period it looks like the overall texture is getting too fine then I will make it a point to add some more coarse material. If it's too coarse I'll add some fine stuff. I don't really layer it, but rather dump it in and let the girls do the mixing for me. I may spread it around if it is a particularly large quantity or if it is heavy material like wood chips.

When I first started I used a little bit of everything right away. I laid down wood chips first then dumped some shavings, chopped straw, and old leaves on top. It was probably a good foot deep of material in there to start. Once I started adding stuff and seeing how it broke down and how it affected the litter overall, the more comfortable I got with the process and I stopped worrying and over thinking it. But that process is going to be different for you and the unique conditions of your run. I eventually stopped thinking about what the actual material was and began to think of it in terms of what it brought to the table. "Is my litter looking too dry and coarse? Is it heavy on the browns? It could use some fine, green material. It would be better to add some grass clippings this week instead of leaves. Oops, I've got moldy clumps of grass in there now. I added more grass than I probably should have last week. I'll toss in those leaves now. Ah, problem solved. Next time I'll go easy on the grass or let it dry a bit before I put it in." That's the kind of conversation you end up having with yourself. The litter starts telling you what it needs and you start to know what to add, how much, and when.

 

[Beekissed]

Exactly! Each DL is individual and takes on a life of its own, according to the climate, materials used, the number of birds in the run, the seasonal weather. Usually I just tell folks to try and mimic the forest floor as that seems to work for all kinds of animals living there, particularly the turkeys, grouse, quail, etc.