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

[Beekissed]

You could just keep the shavings raked from around from that area. That is another thing I do to keep shavings from getting wet...though I have a pretty large coop and this may be impossible for smaller coops. I keep a rake in the corner of the coop and, when I feed, I'll just rake the shavings that have been displaced by the hens right back where they belong~away from the feeder and waterer.

 

[JerseyFresh]

Another vote for the DL method, and the not over-thinking things too much method in general.

I've read all the posts in this thread and I think the OP (and maybe someone else) might have been suggesting DL for the run as well. Pine shavings in a run will turn into a stinky mess after the first rain. I use dried leaves and the occasional bag of mowed grass. Drainage is important for your run and some people like sand. DL is only intended for the enclosed coop and should not be exposed to rain. The only time my coop really stank was when it got wet.

Chickens really are the easiest animals to keep. Give them enough space (inside and out), ventilation, food/water, clean the coop out twice a year, and collect the eggs. What's not to love?
I'm not bashing the people who treat thier chickens as members of thier families. It's a ton of work and that's totally up to them, and they're certainly not making the world a worse place

Personally, I like to keep things simple and I see my chickens as intersting farm animals that give me eggs. I try and give them the environment that lets them be the best chickens they can be, and frankly it isn't all that complicated.

Good luck with it all. Most of this stuff gets worked out over time and I've managed to avoid some of the harder lessons from the good people here on BYC. I'm sure you will too.

Alan.

 

[gale65]

Quote:
I think I'll get a small rake today-like a kids size. I have a big one but it's very unwieldy inside the coop. It's 5 x 10 and goes from 5 to 6 feet tall so a small one should be perfect. I did take the waterer out and put it on some blocks in the run instead. They ran to it like I put some new cool toy in there.

 

[triplepurpose]

Quote:
I do not see why you could not still do the deep litter method. Just make sure the area under the window gets shoveled out or just keep the shaving back away from the window were it leaks.

If it helps, my coop and henhouse are full of leaks. It doens't stop me! I just give it a good stir after a heavy rain if it gets cakey... I'm sure you can make it work.

 

[tmiller42]

I've been using DL method for about a year and a half. When I first built the coop, I hadn't heard of it and needed to make some modifications in order to hold enough litter inside. It's still not ideal and I can't make the litter as deep as I'd like, but I can generally keep about 4" in place without having too much get kicked out the door or into the nest boxes. I periodically have to push litter back out of the nest boxes as they get filled up with the chickens scratching. I have 14 birds in a coop about 4' X 12' where they only go to spend the night and to lay. I keep the feeder in there, but not the waterer. I use only hardwood chips for bedding and add extra chips only when needed (probably once every couple months but it varies a lot). MOST of the time, all I have to do is toss in a few handfulls of scratch, and the chickens will stir everything up quite nicely. I judge when it needs to be cleaned out more by look than anything else. When there's more dried poop than shavings, it's time to dump it into the garden or compost bin.

I move the coop twice a year (Spring & Fall) to opposite sides of the yard. This helps with shelter from the wind in Winter and from the sun in Summer, but it also provides a convenient time to clean things out. If I was able to keep the bedding deeper, it probably wouldn't need more than once a year or even less. I understand that, if the bedding is deep enough, it'll compost itself and you'll almost NEVER need to clean it out - just keep adding. When I do clean, I just rake the bulk of it out the side door and refill to about 4" with fresh shavings (big bags from Tractor Supply for $5).

I also never clean the coop with bleach. Joel Salatin actually did some experimentation with his baby chick areas in the book "Pastured Poultry Profits" and found that the pens he did NOT use bleach on had much lower mortality rates. The theory is (as was previously described in this thread) that the "good" bacteria are able to build up and stay in balance and actually improve the chicken's own immune systems as long as things stay dry and otherwise healthy. I've been wanting to start using DE for additional protection in the coop, but I can report that I've never had any illness in my flock since starting the method / routine described above.

 

[Kuntry Klucker]

I have been using the DLM for about a month now, I have to say that I love it. The chickens even seem to really like it too.
They like to scratch and lay in the bedding. I am so surprised that the coop does not smell at all. I just added my new
layer of shavings yesterday, the girls turned them under for me and this morning it looks great. No smell at all.
They seem to be really happy with how things are going. I like the fact that I have less work to do and can
enjoy them more.

I do have shavings in the pen area. I have read that it is best to use sand or something else. I am going to have to clean
them out and add sand at some point. Going into winter I am not sure how easy it will be to get sand, might have to wait
till spring to get a good amount of it for them.

Thanks again to all of you for helping me understand this method. I am so glad that I can enjoy my chickens more now
and not have to work so hard. I was way over doing it before. I cannot believe that I even worked that hard thinking that I
was doing the right thing. I will have to say that I probably had the cleanest chickens in the county.

thanks again everyone

 

[Beekissed]

Quote:
I ditto this statement X 10!

 

[JerseyFresh]

Quote:
Relax and enjoy your chickens, I think you've earned it

 

[groverlvchx]

This is an excellent chain of posts - I've learned a lot.
My daughter and I started with 8 day olds back in June... just getting ready to lay now.
From the beginning we planned on the deep litter method, so I built our coop accordingly.

For our 20 birds - we have an 8x8 wood framed, insulated coop. The floor and bottom two feet of the walls are finished with pressure-treated plywood. I couldn't be bothered with linoleum etc.

Then we layered in spruce-fine-fir saw shavings (not sawdust) from a pallet plant down the road. ($10 for a 4'x'4'x5' bag)
The next boxes are about 30" off the floor, so the birds have the entire floor except for space taken by the waterer and feeder.
The bedding is now about 6" deep, no smells, no mess - clean & dry - it's fantastic!

I thought of putting 8" boards at the doors, but haven't got around to it - we just kick any litter out of the way as we walk in - and some falls into the coop - not the end of the world.

The only issue we're having is dust - from the feed perhaps? We need to heat in the winter, and dust buildup will be a fire hazard.
Will start misting the coop every now and then to see if that helps.

Have a great week!

About heating your coop, I suggest you type "Think it's too cold for your chickens? Think again" in the BYC search and read that thread. It has saved my chickens' lives. I lost three before I stopped heating. When I took away the heat (which was in late fall and it was getting below freezing but not below zero yet) after a few weeks they were healthier and they haven't shown any sign of stress except laying fewer eggs. When I was heating, I would hear them coughing and wheezing. Now I don't hear that at all. My coop is not insulated, well ventilated, and I use DLM. I started with about a foot of litter, but lost half of it when I took out the heat lamps and realized it was all damp on top. No wonder my poor birds were struggling. There is so much great info on the thread--please consider reading it before you add heat. I'm so glad I did. I'm from MN and there are posters on that thread from Canada and Wisconsin and MN who don't heat.

 

[BLT79]

I am by no means an expert but I"ve used deep litter (or tractors) with my chickens for the past five years and love it! You are wearing yourself out; I need a nap after reading what all you do. I never take out all of the litter when I clean it out and it goes into my compost pit to sit and cook till time to go in the garden. I use leaves from fall as litter ....if I run out I use a very thin layer of straw. AND very important: I put down lime (pellets) especially under the roost. I never let it start smelling like amonia because the human nose can only detect amonia at 25ppm and lung damage in chickens happens at considerably less than this. My coop is well ventilated and it looks as though yours is too. Not sure how other folks feel about bleach but the only thing I use it for is the RARE case of algae in a waterer. Bleach kills the much needed organisms for the deep litter compost to work. I don't use anything but diatomaceous earth for parasites for the same reason and because I think its better for my chickens and my family. I hope this helps. Don't work so hard ....enjoy your chickens more

The DE you use for parasites, is that just topical bugs? I was told to give some sort of antibiotic once a year for parasites. Also, about how often do you add in the fresh layer of pine shaving? and can I use small paper shreddings from a shredder or should I hand shred newspaper? Don't want them to ingest small paper from shredder. I really like the sound of this deep litter method! Less work, less money by the sounds of it!