Deep litter

[sonoraman]

I have a solid plywood floor in the coop and use seasonally available deep litter...grass clippings in warm months, leaf litter in fall and winter. Arizona dry heat and lots of ventilation keeps the grass clippings from molding, and dry leaves work in the winter. Clean the coop out 2-3 times per year, and everything goes into the compost pile. My garden loves it.

 

[sourland]

Kept dry , deep litter is the way to go in my opinion. You have the perfect climate for doing so.

 

[ThatTeowonna]

Can you deep litter in the run? My chickens do not roost in the coop. The roost in the run. Every other day, I'm shoveling poop from the dirt run. I only have 6 chicks so it's not that bad. But it would be great if I could go the deep litter route where my hens actually roost. It has a roof, but the sides are the wire mesh.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Can you deep litter in the run? My chickens do not roost in the coop. The roost in the run. Every other day, I'm shoveling poop from the dirt run. I only have 6 chicks so it's not that bad. But it would be great if I could go the deep litter route where my hens actually roost. It has a roof, but the sides are the wire mesh.

Yes you can deep litter that but the poop load is going to be too much for the amount of floor space, so you still likely still need to clean out regardless of bedding used.

Why not convert the entire unit into a coop? I can't blame some of the chickens for sleeping outside, because that simply isn't large enough for 6.

So to turn it from 2 small "boxes" (tiny coop above tiny run) into 1 bigger "box" you'll want to remove as much of the inside coop wall as possible, plus the floor. Take out the old roosts too.

Nests might be able to stay as is, or may need to be relocated elsewhere or replaced - depends on the structure of the coop and how things inside stack up once done.

Run a new roost(s) lengthwise across the newly open space. Ideally you’d like 12” per bird but 10” can suffice in many cases.

Board up some of the external wire walls so that the roost area is protected from winds and rain. Do NOT fully cover up all the wire, you need ventilation and natural light, so at the very least a few inches under the roofline should remain open. If your climate allows for it, you can leave entire walls open with just the mesh, or make it convertible for the season by covering up open walls for winter, and then uncovering for summer.

 

[ThatTeowonna]

That is actually a great idea! The coop is very new. I haven’t even had it for 2 months but I like that idea. My chicks free range during the day; my back yard is fenced in so that would really solve my problems. Thank you so much for that vision. I knew I could count o you!