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

[Kuntry Klucker]

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This may be a silly question, but why do yo want 14 inches by the time cold weather arrives? Just wondering.
I am still collecting info on DLM. Thanks.

Thick enough to be warm and also to absorb moisture better on humid days. If it is too thin and gets wet, it freezes solid in really cold weather

Ok, thanks.

 

[1muttsfan]

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I have an elevated coop and it does a good job of keeping the floor warmer, it often drops below 0 here in the winter and the litter seldom freezes if it is thick enough and you turn it regularly.

Another good way to turn the litter is to throw a few handfuls of scratch in, the chickens will busily toss everything over.

 

[Kuntry Klucker]

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I have an elevated coop and it does a good job of keeping the floor warmer, it often drops below 0 here in the winter and the litter seldom freezes if it is thick enough and you turn it regularly.

Another good way to turn the litter is to throw a few handfuls of scratch in, the chickens will busily toss everything over.

Oh Good. Hey since you have an elevated coop like mine can I ask you a question. What do you do to help the litter compost
without the dirt floor? Also, is there something you do to make sure that they are not just breathing in dried feces? I read that when
the poo dries it turns to dust and can be harmful for the chickens to breath in. Basically in doing this I want to make sure that I have
more than just a coop full of dirty litter. Thanks Again.

 

[AngelaClassAct]

Everybody that does this swears by the deep litter method. I personally cannot get over the fact that I am letting poop and waste decompose IN my chicken coop. I just cannot get past that whole idea. My coop isn't a composter.

In any event, if done correctly - you'll see from all the threads - that it is a great way to cut down how much time you spend cleaning out your coop. Every 6-8 (or so) weeks, I pull everything out and clean it all up. I regularly (weekly) remove the layer of poop under my roosts and tidy up any other areas that need it. I am going to build some poop ledges, so I'll just use sand and scoop it out - I think this will keep the floor much cleaner. I think then I'll spend less time cleaning the coop. I don't know what winter will bring with the coop clean-up, so that will be interesting!

 

[Uncle Marc]

Could I use kitty-liter in a poop shelf below the roosts and then just scoop it out? What about the kind that keeps down smells?

 

[toofarout]

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I wouldn't, I'm pretty sure they will eat it. I'm very new to this and have put traction sand and Sweet PDZ on my poop boards. The poop boards have linoleum on them and a raised edge to keep the sand/pdz on it. So far, I've been using a slotted scoop to remove the poops in the morning. Time will tell if this works out long term or not.

 

[jeepguy982001]

i haven't had chickens long but i use the deep litter method on a raised chicken coup and so far in 4 months i can't smell anything i just toss a piece of bread or 2 and they stir it up just fine.

 

[Kuntry Klucker]

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Good, I hope that it works well for me too. I am looking forward to less work.

 

[hensandchickscolorado]

I was shocked to see that this method actually works!

I have 3 chickens in a 5x6' coop, 2ft off the ground. I buy a giant bag of pine shavings from the pet store for $5. I have used three bags in 6 months. About a month ago (5 months in) I cleaned the coop out for the first time. I used a snow shovel and scooped everything out. It really wasn't dusty at all, and the wood floor was completely clean! It did fill 2 garbage bins, and I'm not sure what to do with it but...

My girls are getting bigger and so is their coop...so I might start to clean up under their roost once a week where it kind of looks a little gross. Other than that, the DLM is for me! I might clean it once this winter just because it isn't that hard to do.

 

[Kuntry Klucker]

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Wow! that is great. It is a bonus that the wood floor was dry. I a looking forward to starting this method of coop care.
I have been cleaning it monthly and am getting so warn out doing so. Gives me encouragment knowing that others with
elevated coops are having good success with the DLM. Thanks for your post.