for those that use deep litter method...please advise me

[ozark hen]

I layer shavings as needed and only clean the coop out ..completely twice a year. We will shovel it out under the roosts if it gets bad in there but generally it is fine. I have had chickens in there for almost 5 years now and will dust with DE before putting down fresh shavings or whenever I think it is needed but other than dusting the cobwebs out, I do not bleach it at all. They are fine. But do what you feel comfortable doing as far as bleaching,etc. but they really will be fine.

 

[Peke's Poultry]

I have just started with chickens and been using the deep bed method - 3 months now and still great. I clean out under the roosts every week - I have the roosts set over a plywood base so most poops in the coop are there.

 

[aoxa]

I find it only smells in the morning, before they turn up their shavings from the night poops. Wow those night poops STINK!

I don't have poop trays. They turn up the shavings after they wake up, and it doesn't smell.

 

[frostbite]

Quote:
YRethink that "need to heat in the winter" bit. You might need to, but up here in Fairbanks Alaska, I won't be, except in March when I get my baby chicks, and then just till they feather out, or till the weather warms up, or till they act like they don't need it. See this thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=421122

 

[ozark hen]

Good for you Frostbite!! Most people seem to think they need to add heat. You keep them dry and out of drafts (that doesn't mean they can't have an open window) and they will be fine and very healthy.

 

[aliprowl]

Deep litter - YES, but I also have poop boards, which I love. Most of the poop goes on the boards (they are actually metal trays - drip pans from an auto supply store) and I clean them off every day, wiping the really icky poo spots with paper towels. A squirt of vinegar and a spot clean takes care of any particularly nasty spots. Some poop definitely goes down in the shavings, so in that sense I'm utilizing DL method - I add shavings, keep them deep and everything is dry, dry, dry. Moisture is the ENEMY. Once a year, not even twice, I clean out the entire coop - take out all the shavings, shop vac up every particle of dust, then spray all the wood with permetherin based (is that the word?) insecticide. Let it dry, then sprinkle sevan on the floor, flea/tick powder in the nest boxes, then shavings on top of everything. I even clean the windows - I hate dust. The rest of the year, I'm just spot cleaning and adding shavings to keep things fresh & clean. I also keep a little whisk broom out in the coop and sweep up any bits that are sitting around, to keep down the dust/particles. (Especially during molting, when those little silvery bits of feather are all over the roosts/pans.)
My coop is very clean, but it does have poop and chicken-y things in it - I think if you totally "sterilize" it, it isn't that great for the chickens. I'm more fanatical about clean water - if I won't drink it, then it's dirty.
Don't forget Stall Dri for any damp spots - works like a charm. I usually sprinkle some around on the floor during spring cleaning.
I think the girls (and the rooster) really appreciate a clean, dry home - they watch me like a hawk when I'm cleaning their house.

 

[viejo loco]

I don't post often, but thought I would put in my two cents worth.. And it may not even be worth that much.. I have used a type of deep litter method for my coop for the past two years.. It is 12' x 21', and open on one side.. I start out with about 4" of straw on a dirt floor, and add as needed.. I have no poop boards, but do have a number of roosts.. I find that I need to add under the roosts more often than the other areas.. I scatter bread around the floor, and the chickens stir the litter like crazy, some times throwing the litter as much as 18" high (the height of the top of my hanging feeder).. I occasionaly have to stir under the roosts, but that is not a real problem.. I clean the litter twice a year, unless there is a problem.. I use my leafblower.. It can be reversed and function as a vacuum.. It also shreds the material as it sucks it up.. This all goes directly into the compost heap.. Yes, I suck out the nest boxes also.. I use orchard grass in the nest boxes because it is cheap, and the girls seem to like it better than the straw..

I have seven hens and one rooster that are ancient, and one new peeper.. They stay healthy and happy with this method, though they hate the leafblower.. They get turned out into the yard while I clean..

Do I like the DLM.?.. You bet.!!!. By the time cold weather hits in this area, the litter will be about a foot deep, and they will snuggle down into the litter and stay warm enough to be confortable.. When the hot weather hits, they snuggle down in the litter and appear to be comfortable.. Seems like a win-win situation to me.. I would reccomend it to any one who asks, but they would have to understand that every situation is a little different, and they would need to make adjustments accordingly..... Will...

 

[gale65]

Today when I checked the water I noticed the shavings are all wet around it. I filled it up yesterday and it's not leaking but maybe they got some out somehow? I stirred it up a little and threw some scratch in there so they would stir it up more but should I take all the wet out? Will it be ok for a couple of days? I need dh to help me with this and he's really busy until it rains again. Should I take the water out of the coop until it gets to the point where we need to keep it from freezing?

 

[Beekissed]

I always place my water up on concrete blocks...it elevates it out of the chips and also, if any is slopped, it just mainly gets on the blocks and evaporates. If it gets into the shavings it will absorb and stay damp longer. This also keeps the water cleaner.

 

[gale65]

Quote:
It is on blocks. It's about 12" off the floor. I wonder if it did leak for a while but quit. Why would it leak and then not leak?

edited-I think it is about 12", not 16 like I first typed.