DLM/Bedding for raised house?

[JML72]

Hi - I have a raised house (about 2 feet off the ground) with an attached run. I am confused - does a deep litter method need to be on the ground to work properly? I mean - if you have a raised house with a raised wood floor - does a deep litter method really work - or do you just have a pile of pine shavings in there that needs cleaning out? I can think of problems with wet/decompsoing pine shavings (or whatever) on wood...

Trying to figure out what's best for the (hopefully) girls that will go in there, and what's easiest for me at the same time!

Thanks.

 

[chickenbythesea]

no you can use deep litter method with a raised coop (ours is 2-3 feet off the ground), we did it last year for the winter and it was wonderful. It helps to throw down some old vinyl flooring to protect the wood. Vinyl also makes it easy to clean out.

 

[JML72]

Thanks - I was thinking of sand until it gets cold, then throwing shavings in instead for a little extra warmth, etc. Think that would work without having to be out in New England winter weather every 2 weeks taking everything out?

 

[chickenbythesea]

do you mean to do deep litter on top of sand? I know sand is easy to clean but deep litter gets quite packed down over the winter months and I'm not sure how that would impact the sand. With deep litter you won't be taking it out every two weeks. Some people do the deep litter method but have a poop tray under the roosts to make clean up easy; this might also work.

 

[JML72]

No - I am going to do sand in the run - was going to put that in the house as well then take it out when it gets cooler. I'm probably making this way too hard on myself

Maybe I'll just use pine shavings (they're babies now anyway) in the house all this year through the winter, and see if I feel like being hard on myself in the spring.

 

[chickenbythesea]

that sounds like a better idea... don't make it hard keeping hens is pretty easy if you want it to be. Sand in the run sounds great. I would like to but our run is way to big and back in the woods so it would be too hard to get the sand into it. Have lots of fun

 

[Kisska]

I have a question please. My coop is also raised off the ground. Does the deep litter go inside the coop on the wooden floor or also on the ground under the coop? I have an opening without the door in the floor for the hens to go down under the coop.
In the winters what is the best way - to close the opening off completely or leave it open and close off the sides under the coop and put straw on the ground? I am so new at this and have researched this and have not found an answer yet.

 

[gale65]

Our coop is only a few inches off the ground so we just put the litter in the coop. I can't imagine any advantage to also putting litter underneath although it might keep it a little more insulated if it's completely full under there but you couldn't really do that with a pop-down door. Our litter doesn't get packed down over winter or any other time. It stays dry and fluffy and they kick it all over the place all the time. It's never the same depth throughout the coop. It's usually not as deep near the feeder since they scratch more there and deeper in the corners. It's always fluffy (which can be a pain when it's really windy and I have to open the door as the shavings fly all over which freaks me out).

 

[Kisska]

Thank you for the answer! It does make sense to just put shavings in the coop only! The space under my coop is big enough for them to stand under there and it's just grass. My concern was that the opening is in the floor of the coop and it doesn't have the door. In the winter should I leave the opening open for the chickens to go under it or will they not even want to go under there because of the cold?
I have 2 options - a) to completely close off the opening in the floor for the winter with a board or b) winterize around of the the bottom of the coop (I just have plastic chicken wire around it) where they can go down there and stand and make it a two story coop? Will the ground be too cold for them?
What should I do? I am new at this and haven't had a winter with my chickens yet.

 

[gale65]

Thank you for the answer! It does make sense to just put shavings in the coop only! The space under my coop is big enough for them to stand under there and it's just grass. My concern was that the opening is in the floor of the coop and it doesn't have the door. In the winter should I leave the opening open for the chickens to go under it or will they not even want to go under there because of the cold?
I have 2 options - a) to completely close off the opening in the floor for the winter with a board or b) winterize around of the the bottom of the coop (I just have plastic chicken wire around it) where they can go down there and stand and make it a two story coop? Will the ground be too cold for them?
What should I do? I am new at this and haven't had a winter with my chickens yet.

Where are you located? We live in north central Indiana and the chickens don't seem to mind the ground being cold in the winter. I'm guessing that the door in the floor isn't your only door for the chickens? If so I would just close it off but I'm lazy that way.