Deep litter method

[Kusanar]

Has anyone used the deep litter method with a small flock? I plan on having only 3 girls and have read mixed things about deep litter and a small flock. I do like the idea that the deep litter will help the coop insulate itself as I live in Alaska, but don't know much about the associated downsides to that theory either. With deep litter method requiring more ventilation, will that actually make the coop colder in the long run?

Take this however you want, but knowing that I have read this entire thread but do not have chickens, I also know a good bit about composting which is what deep litter is at a basic level.

Your bedding is a Carbon based, wood products, dried grass (hay), straw, leaves are all carbon. Left in a dry area with no nitrogen added they will not break down at all.
Chicken poop is a moist, strong nitrogen which will break down a certain amount of bedding per poop (compost needs 2 carbons to a nitrogen, so a cup of chicken poop should break down up to 2 cups of bedding over time) but deep litter also needs a little moisture in the lower levels to keep it working.

If I were to do a small flock like that, I would start in the spring if possible, and put a fairly light level of bedding in the coup, keeping a good mix of things but mostly things that break down faster, more grass and leaf types than pine shavings, when it starts getting covered, toss a few more handfuls in on top of the poopy bedding, so you make layers, bedding, light layer of poop, then bedding, until you get it close to the depth you want. Also, if you can get away with it without it freezing instantly, I would empty the water into a different spot in the floor each time you empty it, let some of the moisture go into the bottom layers. if it stays really dry, it won't break down, but it also shouldn't release too much ammonia either.

So, maybe cook it good and keep it moist in the "warm" weather with lots of ventilation and then close it up and dry it out some for winter.

You do still want to have good ventilation in the top of the coup even in the winter, chickens "steam" in cold weather and that moisture being trapped against their skin is what causes frost bite, if you keep the ventilation good, then the steam will just drift up and out and not bother the chickens.

 

[Johntodd]

This winter I had only 3 chooks in mine, and I use deep litter.

It would seem that chickens can poop while they are asleep! Just look under the roost in the morning and notice the "line of poop" that forms directly under where a group of birds was roosting. What a great idea! If humans could do that, we'd never have to get up in the middle of the night!

My point: even 3 birds will make plenty of poop for deep litter. In fact, I turned the litter every 3 days during the coldest times when they stayed inside all day. Had to run them out in the cold to do it (and they complained about that!), but it was for their benefit.

And I noticed that on our coldest days, the inside of the coop could be 20 degrees warmer than the outside air. So, yes, it does work. I put fresh hay in in September and only added fresh hay once in a while.

As for Alaksa, that's a bit colder than we get here. I think deep litter would be essential for your birds, as it generates some heat with only 3 birds, but I wonder if other heating might be needed? Anyone want to weigh in on that?

-Johntodd

 

[Austin T]

Can I use this to build my Chukar pen. I will still have wiring at the bottom to keep out predators. Worried about it lasting under weather conditions and birds beating on the wiring.

 

[Austin T]

Here is the description of the netting.

 

[akchickenman]

Thanks for the responses. This sounds great! I think I will give it a shot this summer once I get my coop built and start my flock!

 

[Bobby Basham]

If you could till/plow all of it together that would help things out a lot faster. But if time is not a factor, then do what you're doing and then just let nature take care of it.

I have a hand-held rototiller/garden cultivator that is supposed to dig 6-inches deep and 6-inches wide (haven't used it yet). I think it was about $99.00. I'm gonna till my whole run then start adding material on top. I'm not gonna bother trying to remove all the sand, which is only about an inch deep. I'm not trying to grow a crop in there and maybe the turned-under sand and hard soil will help aerate.--BB

Bobby Basham
Tucson, Arizona

 

[Molpet]

I have a hand-held rototiller/garden cultivator that is supposed to dig 6-inches deep and 6-inches wide (haven't used it yet). I think it was about $99.00. I'm gonna till my whole run then start adding material on top. I'm not gonna bother trying to remove all the sand, which is only about an inch deep. I'm not trying to grow a crop in there and maybe the turned-under sand and hard soil will help aerate.--BB

Bobby Basham
Tucson, Arizona

let me know how it works.. I was looking at one like that and the reviews said it worked good in loose soil ... not good in compacted soil.

 

[Bobby Basham]

Looks like you are planning a getaway. You might end up moving in haha. The love seat sounds cool. Definitely need a shade over the swing and the music to boot. Have a good day.

I would love to put an end-table stereo out there, since I have a pair of them, but the elements would destroy the finish. Maybe I could build a nice lined, decorative and weather-proof box to put over it. Nice slide out turntable with AM/FM radio and AUX jacks for external CD/MP3 etc. editions. --BB




Anybody have any Magnavox Consoles they'd like to get rid of?
I know some of them are HUGE and take up a lot of space. I restore
them, keep some, give some away to co-workers and friends.

 

[Beekissed]

I poured another bucket of water in the DL under the roosts, this time on the right side. I checked the DL on the left side where I had poured the water the day before yesterday and it was noticeably warmer under there. I think I need to be more diligent in adding water in that mass this season, as the leakiness of my coop took care of all of that last year.

Guess that's what I get for tweaking the coop too well.

If I'm still here next season I'm going to devise a system of rain guttering that will funnel some rain into that area for me using runoff from the dog house roof. No need to carry water when it's all around that coop, just needs a way to get inside and into the DL.

I opened that back window next to the roosts up by a foot today to allow any humidity rising from that added moisture to go up and out better.

 

[Bobby Basham]

I poured another bucket of water in the DL under the roosts, this time on the right side. I checked the DL on the left side where I had poured the water the day before yesterday and it was noticeably warmer under there. I think I need to be more diligent in adding water in that mass this season, as the leakiness of my coop took care of all of that last year.

Guess that's what I get for tweaking the coop too well.

If I'm still here next season I'm going to devise a system of rain guttering that will funnel some rain into that area for me using runoff from the dog house roof. No need to carry water when it's all around that coop, just needs a way to get inside and into the DL.

I opened that back window next to the roosts up by a foot today to allow any humidity rising from that added moisture to go up and out better.

Beekissed, bless your heart.

I've got so many ideas about adding gutters, re-routing water, rain barrels, storage tanks, underground (maybe an inch deep) water and electrical to the run....already have a 12 x 20 tarp to cover the main area during the summer. I like the idea of taking advantage of our natural resource...rain.

Time to get pen and paper out again (I love planning) and no telling what I may come up with. God Bless you in your endeavors and educating us on good poultry husbandry. --BB

Bobby Basham
Tucson, Arizona