deep litter retrofit?

[roo-many]

Hi! I am wondering if it is possible to retrofit a coop that is on stilts for a deep-litter setup? Would I need to cut out the floor and mound gravel underneath, then dirt? Am I out of luck? What we have...is not working

 

[J at Yoti Farms]

Is the floor bad? Not sure y you would take the floor out
More info please

 

[roo-many]

Floor is fine! I had read that people have gravel and dirt in deep litter coops. I do not think our coop-on-stilts can hold that much weight. How do we do deep litter and keep the floor? That would be great if it can be done

 

[J at Yoti Farms]

Deep litter with pine shavings 3 in deep would not be that heavy at all.
Pounds per sq ft would be lighter than an adult chicken

 

[LindaB220]

Deep litter with pine shavings 3 in deep would not be that heavy at all.
Pounds per sq ft would be lighter than an adult chicken

To both of you. I have deep litter in my dog kennel coop. On bare dirt. BUT all you need is to start adding pine shavings about 2 or 3 inches at first. It will kind of melt down so you keep adding more. Clean out when you feel the need. A lot of people only do it once a year. I don't know about your coop though. You might have to do it more often. When you do, don't take all the bottom. It has the good stuff in it and will keep going. Also, look into fermented feeds. A lot of threads on here. It makes the poop a lot easier to disintegrate. Better for their health, and saves a lot of money. Good luck

 

[roo-many]

Thank you!

I currently use pine shavings in there, but it doesn't compost. Just makes a poop-and-pine salad. Anything else I can add to get it going?

 

[Hoffy]

Thank you!

I currently use pine shavings in there, but it doesn't compost. Just makes a poop-and-pine salad. Anything else I can add to get it going?

Is it very dry? To compost, it needs moisture. If you have something other than a wooden floor, you can add some water and it will compost. A large coop with few birds will often have dry litter.

 

[roo-many]

Thank you! I guess it is kind of dry. I thought moisture was evil. Maybe I'll take a spray bottle in there.