The deep litter method works extremely well, especially in cold weather (I'm in MI, too!) because it provides a deep pack that helps keep them off the ground. But, I agree you wouldn't want it getting as wet as ducks splashing would lead to.
Here's how I do it in my coop. I clean out the coop in late March, leaving a few inches to "seed" the base with good microbes (I'm really composting as well as providing deep litter).
During summer, when they're rarely in the coop, I add 3-4 inches of litter every 6-8 weeks, as needed due to smell. Inbetween adding fresh litter I use a rake to turn under fresh manure where it accumulates under the roost (a 2 minute job every few weeks). I also throw in kitchen scraps such as fruit and vegetable peelings (no meat or dairy) and let the chickens do the turning under for me--they turn the litter as they scratch.
During winter, it's the same operation but a little more often since they're inside more (hence more manure accumulation), so I'm adding 3-4 inches every 4-6 weeks.
I'm committed to a no-cost bedding solution to reduce the cost of keeping chickens so I use my own yard materials for bedding. I rake up dry leaves in the fall and bag them in those huge, tough black garbage bags intended for construction sites. In the summer I collect my grass as I mow it, spread it on a tarp to dry for about 2 days, and then bag it. Seven bags will easily get me through the year for a 6x5 ft coop. You have to be sure the material is totally dry or it will mold in the bag and then be useless.
When I clean it out in the spring I have such a healthy compost pile going that I have found live earthworms living near the bottom! Visitors to my coop comment on how there is just no smell--no ammonia at all. But, I also have very good ventilation--the walls are open at the top where they meet the ceiling so air is constantly moving over their heads.
I love this method for several reasons. 1. No poop removal duty. This is the least labor-required method I've ever experienced. 2. Free--uses materials from my yard. 3. Compost--wonderful stuff for my garden. 4. Happy birds--if I'm late letting them out in the morning they keep occupied scratching in the litter for some food scrap that might've been missed. 5. Warmer in winter--they're about 18-24 inches off the ground by January/Feb when it gets really cold.
Good luck!
