Don't think I'm doing deep litter method right. Advice?

[Soldier415]

Quick question.... Is your litter wet???? And how much ventilation does it have.. Overly wet litter will cause high ammonia. What kind of bedding are you using??? Is it absorbent. You are going to want to use a bedding that can absorb the moisture. I think of you can figure out the ventilation and moisture components you will be fine. But be safe cause strong ammonia can make the girls sick. Good luck!!! A starter is a good idea!!! Keep us updated.

I use pine shavings for the litter, and it is completely dry. I turn it every few days with a pitchfork and add scratch grains to it so the girls keep it stirred up very well

 

[lindalouly]

I use pine shavings for the litter, and it is completely dry. I turn it every few days with a pitchfork and add scratch grains to it so the girls keep it stirred up very well

I reread your original post.... That is odd that it would have a high ammonia smell.... Can you send a picture so we can see it

 

[MeepBeep]

I use pine shavings for the litter, and it is completely dry. I turn it every few days with a pitchfork and add scratch grains to it so the girls keep it stirred up very well

I reread your original post.... That is odd that it would have a high ammonia smell.... Can you send a picture so we can see it

High ammonia smell in deep litter generally means the carbon to nitrogen levels are out of line aka the litter does not have enough organic volume for the amount of poop, so increase litter volume by adding more depth of organic materials like leaves, lawn clippings, sawdust or pine shavings... If you can't easily add more depth or if you want to short cut, you can sprinkle the deep litter with some charcoal powder as a quick fix...

http://compost.css.cornell.edu/chemistry.html

 

[lazy gardener]

IMO, in order for it to compost, it needs to have enough moisture: kind of like a wrung out sponge. Too dry, and it won't cook properly.

 

[MeepBeep]

IMO, in order for it to compost, it needs to have enough moisture:  kind of like a wrung out sponge.  Too dry, and it won't cook properly.  

Yes, moisture is a balance as too much moisture will also release ammonia but it also needs some moisture to compost... The bird poop is mostly water so in general that will add enough moisture to the mix to keep things going unless you live in a very dry climate... The deep litter should be similar to potting soil fresh out of the bag, where you can grab a clump in you hand and and squeeze resulting in it sort of holding shape but still crumbles upon touch or movement... If you keep it too wet it will start to grow mold and fungus...

 

[Soldier415]

Uploading some pictures now. The ammonia smell isn't really strong.

But if the litter is not decomposing/composting all i'm doing is having a ton of dry litter piled up.

 

[lindalouly]

How long has it been up.... It can take a while for it to work... Heating up and cooking. I was struggling with my compost and I had to force myself to walk away to give it time to cook properly before messing with it.

 

[lindalouly]

I think adding a starter is probably the best idea so far for you.

 

[aart]

Uploading some pictures now. The ammonia smell isn't really strong.

But if the litter is not decomposing/composting all i'm doing is having a ton of dry litter piled up.

Adding some 'live' soil and also some other organics like twigs and leaves will help.
Pine shavings are usually kiln dried and pretty 'sterile' and they also have a huge capacity for absorbing moisture.

I keep my shavings dry in the coop and I use poop boards, then when I compost(outside the coop in a mesh'barrel') them I add about 10 gallons of water to 30 cubic feet of year long used shavings and it heats right up.

You might not be able to get enough mass and moisture to have 'composting deep litter' in your tractor cart coop.

ETA: (outside the coop in a mesh'barrel')

 

[Den in Penn]

OK lets not confuse a compost pile for a chicken coop. They serve two different purposes. A compost pile needs a higher moisture level to work well, a chicken coop needs a much lower moisture level or you will run into things like ammonia and frost bite. I don't think aart puts that water in her coop. When I think of deep litter I think of a dry mix. The chickens poops will break up in to a finer particle size and will become part of that mix. There will be much less "decomposition" going on in the dry coop as there would be in a wet pile. There is always some going on as the poop dries. That might account for that ammonia smell if your ventilation is not enough. I would not count on any heat from that dry litter to keep the temperature up. It is more the insulation value that will help with the temperature.