Help! Springtime Stink in the Run

[aart]

I'm thinking that I'll probably end up doing deep litter in the new higher run in the end. My worry for doing it with the run at its current level is that the ground might be too wet underneath. I've read horror stories of "deep litter gone bad" because it was too wet underneath. Your earlier recommendation of wood chips would probably do the trick but a delivery of chips would still have to wait until the ground is firm. I'm going to watch the ground and see how bad it gets. If I think I can do deep litter right on top of the ground with the run at its current level then I might not have to raise it at all and will do deep litter on top of chips.

As an aside, I don't know where people are finding tree services willing to unload unwanted chips for free. Everyone I've called wants to charge me for the chips and delivery. Three yards was going to cost me $75 delivered!

I think you've got to find them trimming trees locally and stop by and say 'hey can you dump those chips at my place?'
Several folks in my area have had that done...some to excess, ya gotta tell them when enough is enough.

I have fairly sandy soil in my run, it can puddle in a hard rain or at snowmelt, but usually drains away within a day or so.
The stink when wet is atrocious for sure...I started adding some cut grass and leaves gathered with the mower late last summer and it made huge difference.
Definitely reduced the smell and gave the chooks something to scratch around in instead of the bare dirt.
I did go slow in adding material as I didn't want it to be too deep and go anaerobic and just kept an eye on it all.
A good balance of size, shape and content of materials to avoid compaction is a very good idea.

 

[RonP]

"deep litter", is just "cold composting"

Every location will differ, but the process remains the same.

Slight variations are necessary to achieve the same fantastic results.

Too much info already available with a quick search on cold composting to get into it, but when done properly, well worth the effort.





In these pictures you can see the results. The birds process the deep litter inside the run into fine compost sifted out through 1/2 hardware cloth fencing, where I gather and share with my master gardening friends.

I throw almost anything biodegradable into the run, the birds do all the processing, I collect the rewards, black gold to many...

In this next picture you will see last fall's gathering of this years future "black gold".
That finely shredded pile of leaves is about 30' x30'x3' high.



and last week, first day of spring

 

[TalkALittle]

Here's the edit with the link to Beekissed's video.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/70/deep-litter-method/1660

Just wanted to say thanks for the link and for taking the time to describe your deep litter. I appreciate all the helpful input.

 

[Mtn Laurel]

I have a similar situation where water run-off heads right to my run. We use sandbags in the spring around the one corner where the water loves to run in and that diverts it from going directly into the run.

I deep litter in the coop and run. Should I detect odor and excessive wetness in the run, I add more organic matter. Leaves, straw, wood chips, shredded paper, pine shavings, pine needles - whatever I can get my hands on. The addition of the dry matter negates the odor and eventually turns into beautiful compost that I then use in my garden.

 

[Blooie]

Just wanted to say thanks for the link and for taking the time to describe your deep litter. I appreciate all the helpful input.

Oh, you are so very welcome! I was beginning to panic for a few minutes there when I couldn't find Bee's video. I knew that seeing it makes the concept so much easier to grasp than reading so I really wanted to share that. Pictures help, but there's nothing like watching someone pick up a handful of the deep litter and showing what it should look like!

 

[TalkALittle]

Here's another update for anyone who might care.

Here's how things look in the run:
The birds continue to LOVE the side with the litter and just pass through the side with the sand to get to the side with the litter.
The side with the litter continues to smell nice. The litter is staying dry since it is raised off the ground up on pallets.
The additional boards I put around the base of the coop are not high enough to keep the birds from flinging the litter out through the welded wire fencing. I will have to add more or just give up trying to keep it neat looking around the outside of the run. Right now I rake it up daily and put it back in the run. Yes, it is an exercise in futility but I am compelled to do it.
The sand side is staying surprisingly dry. I honestly expected with all the snow melt that I would have standing water in the run. As it turns out, the run is dryer and more solid than the entire rest of my yard. It still stinks, but the sand was good for something at least.

Since the sand side seems to drain pretty well, I've decided that I will try the deep litter in the run without raising the elevation of the run. March and April are the wettest months, and while we still have plenty of spring rain ahead, I think the run drains well enough that I won't have the problem of excess water that I was worried about. If it turns out that I'm wrong, I can always clear all the litter out and raise the run later.

So, with that being the plan, I ordered up some wood chips. I had to pay for them as I couldn't find anyone looking to unload them for free. Not too bad though, only $50 for a truckload. They got delivered today and I must say, there is nothing like the smell of fresh wood chips, especially after a long winter. I hope to put them in the run tomorrow. I'll be putting in 6-8" of the chips to start and then I'll spread the existing litter (shavings, straw, hay, leaves) over the top of that. I don't want to go thicker until I can put another row of boards around the bottom to keep them from flinging it all out.

I'll update again at the end of April.

 

[PapaChaz]

absolutely awesome thread! Loved the video, Bee has that sweet southern accent for sure,

My coop and run haven't even been finished a month yet, matter of fact, before I enclosed the end of my run I backed a 6x12 utility trailer loaded with wood chips in and unloaded. I need about half that again in there, plus I intend on putting grass clippings from the yard in there now that grass cutting season is upon here in the sunny south. We've had a tremendous amount of rain, and I'm going to have to make some drainage adjustments to the yard, there has been quite a bit of 'contouring' done in this yard in the past, but heaven knows I can't for the life of me figure out if they were trying to drain the yard or make it a pond............

As for the wood chips, I flagged down a tree company truck and he dumped me a load right in the yard. I intend on having 1 or 2 more loads dumped. I need to get another load in pretty quickly to go with the load of horse manure (same trailer) that's to be unloaded in my garden spot and plowed in next week. That's the lowest spot in the yard, but by next years garden time, I intend on all my grass clippings, wood chips my leaves and all the neighbors leaves I can get going in that spot ant it won't stay the lowest spot in the yard any more.

Also, the cold composting I'll be doing in my chicken run will make excellent mulch in the flower beds and garden, though with three horses, the daughter and son in law will keep me furnished in all the free fertilizer I can use. Now to hit craigslist and find a good used and affordable dump trailer........ HA

 

[PapaChaz]

Here's another update for anyone who might care.

Here's how things look in the run:
The birds continue to LOVE the side with the litter and just pass through the side with the sand to get to the side with the litter.
The side with the litter continues to smell nice. The litter is staying dry since it is raised off the ground up on pallets.
The additional boards I put around the base of the coop are not high enough to keep the birds from flinging the litter out through the welded wire fencing. I will have to add more or just give up trying to keep it neat looking around the outside of the run. Right now I rake it up daily and put it back in the run. Yes, it is an exercise in futility but I am compelled to do it.
The sand side is staying surprisingly dry. I honestly expected with all the snow melt that I would have standing water in the run. As it turns out, the run is dryer and more solid than the entire rest of my yard. It still stinks, but the sand was good for something at least.

Since the sand side seems to drain pretty well, I've decided that I will try the deep litter in the run without raising the elevation of the run. March and April are the wettest months, and while we still have plenty of spring rain ahead, I think the run drains well enough that I won't have the problem of excess water that I was worried about. If it turns out that I'm wrong, I can always clear all the litter out and raise the run later.

So, with that being the plan, I ordered up some wood chips. I had to pay for them as I couldn't find anyone looking to unload them for free. Not too bad though, only $50 for a truckload. They got delivered today and I must say, there is nothing like the smell of fresh wood chips, especially after a long winter. I hope to put them in the run tomorrow. I'll be putting in 6-8" of the chips to start and then I'll spread the existing litter (shavings, straw, hay, leaves) over the top of that. I don't want to go thicker until I can put another row of boards around the bottom to keep them from flinging it all out.

I'll update again at the end of April.

something I didn't mention in my last long post, our county has 6 or 8 'convenience centers' where they have all the dumpsters and recycle bins for people who live in the county. They also allow people to bring up to 3" limbs, and when the pile is big enough they chip them. The chips are free to whomever wants to come load them. In times past I've hauled load after load out of there. Will be doing it again if I can't get the tree company to bring me more.

 

[TalkALittle]

something I didn't mention in my last long post, our county has 6 or 8 'convenience centers' where they have all the dumpsters and recycle bins for people who live in the county. They also allow people to bring up to 3" limbs, and when the pile is big enough they chip them. The chips are free to whomever wants to come load them. In times past I've hauled load after load out of there. Will be doing it again if I can't get the tree company to bring me more.

Our center only takes small stuff like leaves, clippings, and small brush--no tree limbs and no chipping. Even if they did, I'd have no way to get them home. We loaded our trailer with junk to take to the center last fall but never made it there. Now the full trailer is sunk in the mud and it'll be at least a month before the ground is firm enough to get it out.

 

[PapaChaz]

Our center only takes small stuff like leaves, clippings, and small brush--no tree limbs and no chipping. Even if they did, I'd have no way to get them home. We loaded our trailer with junk to take to the center last fall but never made it there. Now the full trailer is sunk in the mud and it'll be at least a month before the ground is firm enough to get it out.

my yard sounds like your yard.

I went to the son in law/daughters place this evening and we loaded my trailer with horse manure. I backed it as close as I could get to my garden spot, it's out there now buried to the axles. I had to unhook and leave it, because I needed my truck to hook to the lawnmower so my wife could pull me on the lawn mower out of the spot I got IT stuck in today while cutting the grass.

We just bought this place back in November, we didn't have a real wet winter. I knew the yard was contoured funny and has some low spots, but even the HIGH spots are soft and mushy right now and we haven't had any rain in a week, I still have water standing in a few spots. We obviously have a really high water table too.

I still have about half of the load of chips I got the tree company to dump. I plan to move about half of that into the chicken run, the other half into the garden spot. The next load of chips I hope to get the tree company to come in from the back side and get as close as they can to the garden spot to dump them, I'll push them into the garden spot with the blade on the tractor and then plow it all under. I may be a little later than I like this year gettting my garden in, but I do plan on putting every leaf and wood chip I can get ahold of that doesn't go into the chicken run, into the garden spot. My dad used to do this and he always had the richest blackest garden dirt of any I plowed for anyone anywhere