Getting mixed up...deep litter

[chickery-do]

I also use de.i will stir up my pine shavings daily.i sprinkle de inside the coop and nest boxes.i also sprinkle de outside in the run to my girls are about 13 weeks old.i do the de sprinkle about 1 time a week.i have had my girls in coop since mid-april.so far so good.it is now 1st week in june.

I've always used to use it, but reading a posting country girl 76 or 4 gave me it said not to use it cuz you kill the bugs. So now I'm lost! I considered it but now I'm lost.

 

[KerenR]

PLEASE HELP! I AM THOROUGHLY CONFUSED!

Can someone please answer these questions for me:

1. Do you use the pine shavings underneath the coop where the walls are just wire?

2. Do you use the pine shavings and DE in the nesting boxes?

3. Do you use the pine shavings and DE in the UNcovered run?

4. I currently have wood chips in my uncovered run. Should I add DE to this?

THANK YOU SOOO MUCH TO ANYONE WHO CAN HELP ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS!

 

[gryeyes]

PLEASE HELP! I AM THOROUGHLY CONFUSED! Can someone please answer these questions for me: 1. Do you use the pine shavings underneath the coop where the walls are just wire? Everybody's coop is different; for example, I have no wire walls at all in my coop. Basically, the "hen house" part of your coop versus the "chicken yard" run. "Coop" for me is the hen (and rooster) house. The only thing underneath my coop is dirt, so the shavings are inside the coop directly on top of the dirt floor. In any case, most "deep litter" methods are utilized in the hen house part of the coop, where the chickens roost at night, depositing most of the fecal matter on the floor beneath their roosts. 2. Do you use the pine shavings and DE in the nesting boxes? I do. 3. Do you use the pine shavings and DE in the UNcovered run? No. 4. I currently have wood chips in my uncovered run. Should I add DE to this? Nah. especially not when it rains, as DE is de-activated - so to speak - when it is wet. THANK YOU SOOO MUCH TO ANYONE WHO CAN HELP ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS!

 

[KerenR]

Thanks gryeyes! That was very helpful!

 

[YRuthie]

is DE the same as stall fresh or Stall Sweet that you use for horses stalls? I've only had my chickens for 5 months so I'm a little green. I've been adding shavings to their coop and then trying to clean it out every two weeks I was feeling guilty for not doing it more often. I feel better now lol

 

[PandorasKitten]

is DE the same as stall fresh or Stall Sweet that you use for horses stalls? I've only had my chickens for 5 months so I'm a little green. I've been adding shavings to their coop and then trying to clean it out every two weeks I was feeling guilty for not doing it more often. I feel better now lol

Yes. Diatomaceous earth, or DE, "is a naturally occurring, soft, siliceous sedimentary rock that is easily crumbled into a fine white to off-white powder." It sucks the moisture out of anything. Stall Fresh and Stall Sweet are man made combinations of materials.

 

[haasle]

I'm in New England (AKA: Massalaska) and I'm having a rough time with my coop. I have sand on the poop board, but since it's been so frigid, the poop is literally frozen solid and stuck to the bottom of the board...I can't even scrape it off! Also, I have sand in the run as well, but since the temperature dropped so much, I wound up putting hay down just for insulation! That being said, it appears that I'm now switching to the deep litter method. It seems like they are pooping a TON - do I just continue to throw more hay/pine shavings over the poop and not scoop it? Is that how the deep litter method works? During the summer they didn't poop that much in the run, so it was easy to maintain and it stayed relatively clean...but I don't want to be out in the freezing cold every day scooping poop nor do I want my chickens to have nasty dirty living quarters! Please advise!

 

[RUNuts]

Yes.
Just keep adding new material to the top. When the compost is made, muck it out and add to the garden.
When the coop get yucky, I add more wood chips. When I start a new compost pile, the coop gets cleaned and all the yuck turns into black gold for the garden. In theory, you only clean it out when it gets too deep. In reality, clean it when you need the garden material. Smells a lot better if you add enough material to absorb the poop.

 

[sweetater22]

I too was confused about Deep Litter until I read a post by Beekissed about a year ago. She said to match the forest floor as closely as you can. I believe Deep Litter needs to be at least 8 inches deep to work best, deeper is better. I use wood chips, small sticks, leaves, garden waste , kitchen waste yard clippings, small amount of straw from nest boxes. I do not use DE which will kill the good and bad bugs, the good bugs and earthworms are needed to make the Deep Litter work . My coop is 8x8 and my run is 8x24 all on the same level, deep litter is in both areas, the run is not covered the coop is. Even after a lot of rain the run will dry quickly the water is wicked down to the lower layers where it is needed to breakdown the deep litter and manure. If a ammonia smell is noticed add more brown matter wood chips, leaves, etc. You will be amazed by how the manure disappears and the lower layers of the Deep Litter turn into black rich soil. The best part is all the materials are free and natural, just like the forest floor.

 

[Hivoltage]

Where is the post that describes how to start this DL system? I'm all for it!