Deep litter method

[gsim]

I use deep litter method for my 8 x 16 coop. I always use grass clippings. Free, smell good, and my chooks love them. I add to it periodically all year long. Just take a couple of fresh garbage drums full inside the coop and dump out. The chooks do the rest.

In wintertime I will top it with hay every 2 months or so. I clean it all out once a year in springtime after I have some fresh grass clippings. Even tho they are green and have some moisture, I never have any mildew because I never add more than 2-3" at a time and my coop is very dry and very well ventilated.

I would recommend anyone who has chooks and who has a steady supply, to try grass clippings before buying something. Why add an expense? That money can always be put to better use for something needed.

Gerry

 

[spook]

Quote:
Pat, you opened my eyes thank heavens. Unfortunately my boys did get some frost bite after I moved them out of the main coop- not intending to make you feel bad, but it could have all been worse.

Something I found with the dog heated water dishes, they produce a lot of humidity (ok for my girls, not the boys) AND the fellas dip their wattles in it. So frost has gotten to the outer front of the wattles on one guy and a couple of tips on the other. None are show quality, BUT important to keep healthy.

I need to clean out the deep liter method, even tho I've used it through the years, and this being a odd hot cold hot cold weather making it difficult to keep humid free, and warm when cold.

DE- now, I do not know, or the pro's and con's we acknowledge, but reading an old timers account on DE was that if we use it, wear a face mask as when its breathed in, that it can cause detrimental complications if used with out a mask. Also same for your birds. (just something I read, like I said, Idk.)

 

[AlienChick]

I would never think to use grass clippings for the deep litter.

I always thought it would have the opposite effect.
(I'm reminded of the pile of rotting grass that STINKS to high heaven.)


Interesting. . .

 

[gsim]

It dries quickly inside of the coop, but makes for a nice smell for awhile after you dump it in. I barely spread it when topping it off (which I do all season long). I just let the chooks do all of that work as they root through each pile I dump in there.

I have never used anything else and have raised chickens for 2 yrs. I do add hay in wintertime to freshen up the coop. That is usually around Dec and again in Feb. I clean and change it out once a year in Apr or May. By then I am mowing and getting lots of clippings.

Gerry

 

[tdgill]

I think my chooks would just eat the clippings...

 

[gsim]

Mine root thru it all but mostly eat the clover they can find amongst all of it. Seems 98% of it remains as litter. I have certain wild greens that I pull for them daily all summer long. Easiest in springtime, but easy to do in summertime too once you know what they like and where it grows. Once my garden comes in tho, the wild greens take a back seat to garden leftovers. Once a day for them at that point whereas they get wild greens 3 to 4 times a day in spring and fall, and when snow has not accumulated, in wintertime too. And oh Yeah! They like the garden leftovers far better than the wild greens.

Try it. What do you have to lose?

Gerry

 

[tdstim]

Gsim : how do you store your clippings. I have a bunch of leaves but I think I have seen others say they were not absorbent enough.

 

[gsim]

I do not store them. I modify the way I mow so as to arrange for clippings to be lying in windrows to make raking them up easier. I usually get them the next day so they have a day to dry out somewhat. That way how deep I spread them in the coop is not an issue regarding mold. For times I am just top dressing, I will use up to two garbage drums at one time of fresh non-dried green clippings picked up the same day. I add all year, say once every 6 weeks or so, depending on weather that will allow me to collect them.

 

[Six2start]

so, i was looking at doing a coop that had wire for the floor so that the droppings could fall straight through and into a container on the ground or whatever
but in the iwnter i was thinking of layering newspaper on th bottom, a few layers thick, and now i think that on top of that i would sprinkle paper shreddings about an inch thick(how often?) or so
in addition to how often i should add the paper, will this work well enough to keep the chickens warm in the winter?(i live in Cheyenne, which is zone 4, regardless of what the USDA map may say)

 

[Beekissed]

I wouldn't construct a coop that had wire floors, especially in a cold area, as it would be extremely drafty. Layers of newspaper would just grow damp and chill the birds even further. Using just shredded paper can lead to moist bedding as well. I only use shredded paper adjunctive to the wood shavings as the shavings keep the shreds from clumping and harboring moisture that could mold.