Deep litter too damp?

[awkwardkale]

Hi there!

How do I know if I’m doing the deep litter method correctly? By deep litter, I mean the one where the bedding is actively compositing in the run. I’m concerned because it just seems kinda wet. I have straw for bedding. Im just concerned about whether or not I need to start over again? I don't want to endanger the ducks or expose them to respiratory issues.

I have four Pekin ducks. And boy do they poop a lot! When my mom and I started letting them outside for the first time, they were confined to the run with their food and water in the straw. They of course made a pretty big mess, although I ended up removing all the soaked bedding. Now they have a whole big area to run around in, so they’re only in the run for the night. The water stays out all day.

They’re still fairly young, so we have been leaving their water in the run over night for them. The waterer is in an empty litter box that catches most of the stuff they spill. My concern is that they poop a lot at night, and I don’t know if it’s because they have access to water overnight that’s causing them to go more? Because every morning when I let them out, the straw has been flattened down and throughly pooped on is that normal?

Every morning I’ve been going in with a pitch fork and breaking everything up and turning it over. Then I cover everything with fresh straw. It just seems damp and I’m concerned about mold growing. I used some DE the other day to dry it out, but then I read that it’s not good to use for deep litter so I haven’t added any more. It doesn’t smell awful, just like damp straw and poop, no ammonia from what I can tell. It doesn’t burn my nose. The straw on the bottom is definitely wet..

Here’s some info about the set up:

The floor of the run is a dirt floor, with hardware cloth on the bottom to keep things from digging into it. I poured some topsoil over the cloth before adding straw just to press it down.

I don’t think ventilation is an issue—one side of the house is hardware cloth, and the other sides that are mostly wood still have hardware cloth at the top. The only spot without ventilation is the duck house. It has a wooden floor, so we’re not doing the deep litter method in there. We might also put a vent in the house— our family friend who built it was really worried about them having a spot completely protected from the wind.

The climate I live in is hot and humid in the summer. I’m in the South. The coop itself is located under a bunch of trees, but it gets lots of sun in the afternoon and evening. I don’t know if it matters, but the coop is on a bit of a slope, so excess water does drain downhill to some extent.

I’ll attach some pictures too:
I fill the blue bin with water during the day, but then I empty it and use it as a tray for the other waterer when I bring it into the coop. The yellow stuff is nutritional yeast. Again, the ducks are only in this spot at night and in the morning before i let them out.

 

[aart]

By deep litter, I mean the one where the bedding is actively compositing in the run. I’m concerned because it just seems kinda wet. I have straw for bedding.

Is straw the only 'ingredient'?
A good compost 'pile' needs a variety of ingredients to balance decomp and moisture levels.

 

[awkwardkale]

Is straw the only 'ingredient'?
A good compost 'pile' needs a variety of ingredients to balance decomp and moisture levels.

Yes.

I do have some medium flake pine shavings on hand. There’s also plenty of dead leaves I could find around the yard. Should I add grass clippings next time the yard is mowed?

 

[aart]

I do have some medium flake pine shavings on hand. There’s also plenty of dead leaves I could find around the yard. Should I add grass clippings next time the yard is mowed?

Pine shavings would help dry the excess moisture, but can take a very long time to break down, not a great ingredient if garden soil is your goal.
Dry leaves would probably be better.
Grass clippings are a 'green' and may just add more moisture.

Sounds like maybe you need to study up on composting.
Learn about the balance of 'browns', 'greens', and moisture levels.

 

[3KillerBs]

I don't know where in the South you are, but here in central North Carolina we have had a really SOGGY winter and spring. You may need to address drainage issues on your land where the coop is -- installing diversion ditches, French drain, or other water-management features in your landscape.

The only spot without ventilation is the duck house. It has a wooden floor, so we’re not doing the deep litter method in there. We might also put a vent in the house— our family friend who built it was really worried about them having a spot completely protected from the wind.

You will need to fix that. Birds have very delicate respiratory systems and an abundance of fresh air is critical to their good health.

Repecka Illustrates Coop Ventilation

Yes.

I do have some medium flake pine shavings on hand. There’s also plenty of dead leaves I could find around the yard. Should I add grass clippings next time the yard is mowed?

IMO, a mix of materials is better than any one bedding used alone.

Straw used alone is particularly prone to packing, matting, and developing anaerobic pockets.

Wood shavings and, even moreso, wood chips, will take a long time to compost, but they are much superior to straw for absorbency and managing water.

 

[awkwardkale]

Pine shavings would help dry the excess moisture, but can take a very long time to break down, not a great ingredient if garden soil is your goal.
Dry leaves would probably be better.
Grass clippings are a 'green' and may just add more moisture.

Sounds like maybe you need to study up on composting.
Learn about the balance of 'browns', 'greens', and moisture levels.

Okay! Thank you, yes I wasn’t quite sure about the grass clippings. Garden soil is the goal. It’ll be used for my moms garden.

We have a lot of different trees in our yard, so plenty of leaves around! There’s definitely plenty of moisture in the bedding already. I’ve discovered duck poop is a lot wetter than chicken poop!

I’ll do some research on that! I think the steps I was looking at might’ve been for deep bedding, and not deep litter? The articles I read just said to keep adding one type of bedding on top of itself. I’ll look more into composting specifically and balancing all the different components.

Do you think I should start all the way over and clean everything out?

Thank you, I appreciate it so much! I want my ducks to be happy and for their bedding to be maintained properly. I’ve heard that deep litter is a great method, so I definitely want to give it a shot!

 

[3KillerBs]

I’ll do some research on that! I think the steps I was looking at might’ve been for deep bedding, and not deep litter? The articles I read just said to keep adding one type of bedding on top of itself. I’ll look more into composting specifically and balancing all the different components.

Using Deep Bedding in a Small Coop

 

[awkwardkale]

I don't know where in the South you are, but here in central North Carolina we have had a really SOGGY winter and spring. You may need to address drainage issues on your land where the coop is -- installing diversion ditches, French drain, or other water-management features in your landscape.



You will need to fix that. Birds have very delicate respiratory systems and an abundance of fresh air is critical to their good health.

Repecka Illustrates Coop Ventilation



IMO, a mix of materials is better than any one bedding used alone.

Straw used alone is particularly prone to packing, matting, and developing anaerobic pockets.

Wood shavings and, even moreso, wood chips, will take a long time to compost, but they are much superior to straw for absorbency and managing water.

Thanks so much for taking the time to respond. It means a lot!

I’m in east TN! From what I’ve seen, it rains a lot in the winter and late summer? It’s been fairly dry this spring. The humidity fluctuates— I think the most humid month is July. I think we get a lot of the rain from the tropical storms from Florida. I’m new to the area but I want to be prepared.

The area where the coop is hasn’t ever flooded, and there is already some kind of pipe in the yard that diverts water down hill? But I will absolutely look into that. The family friend that helped build the coop is also a plumber. The coop is wooden, so I want to protect that from rain as much as possible. It has a slanted roof and we’re reinforcing the door with metal posts, but I’ll look into the drains.

I’m originally from Colorado, so I’m not used to all this damp weather, the biggest thing we had to worry about with the chickens was keeping them hydrated and also frostbite. So definitely new challenges.

And thankfully, that friend is coming over asap to add ventilation to that interior area. We do not shut the ducks in there at night (like the inside part, the run is locked but they have a ramp to access the house) and that is well ventilated, so thankfully they haven’t spend much time in there at all.

I check their eyes and nostrils every morning and everyone seems happy and healthy. No signs of bubbles or snot.

I really appreciate the link you sent! I’ll research that throughly before adding ventilation to their little house.

I’ve definitely noticed that with the straw… The ducks also stamp it down with their flippers so it just becomes like.. a straw poop cake I’ve been breaking it up with a pitchfork every morning and turning it, but the same thing happens every night. There’s a magnolia tree out front— they have really big leaves. Maybe that would help add air pockets? I need to research how well they break down since they’re very thick. I’ll look into wood chips as well! There’s a local lumber company by me I could check out.

I’ll look into more bedding options for ducks in general as well, I’ve spent a lot of time researching but it feels like everyone has a different favorite bedding I’ve felt a bit overwhelmed with what to go with. ’ll probably have to experiment a bit, it sounds like, especially with the wetter climate and also ducks. I’m brand new to these little fellas and I’m realizing they’re a LOT different than chickens

 

[3KillerBs]

I’ve spent a lot of time researching but it feels like everyone has a different favorite bedding I’ve felt a bit overwhelmed with what to go with. ’ll probably have to experiment a bit,

Glad to have been of help.

The hardest part of this is that there are so many systems that *can* work and there is no overall best, just best for you in your specific situation.

I don't have ducks so I don't know what litter works best for them. Best check the duck section of the forums.

 

[awkwardkale]

Glad to have been of help.

The hardest part of this is that there are so many systems that *can* work and there is no overall best, just best for you in your specific situation.

I don't have ducks so I don't know what litter works best for them. Best check the duck section of the forums.

Yes! I seriously appreciate it. I think that’s what I’m struggling with too. So many options! Trying to figure out something low maintenance, but also beneficial to the ducks. I’ll check out the duck section