How do you all afford the Deep Litter Method? Questions about Winter?

[herefordlovinglady]

i have 10 x 12 coop, dirt floor, put out 2 bags in December, and two more bags out in June. My hens free range throughout the day and only roost at night in the coop. I move the existing shavings around once or twice a month. Oh and I used DE for the initial first two bags. and then in June put a little more DE. My coop is dry and it has not smelled at all. But like I said my hens free range and only roost in the coop. My problem is the dust from the DE. When I turn the shavings it is so dusty. I have to assume it is DE and not other dust.

 

[Beekissed]

My coop is about 6 X 12 and two bags start me out nicely. I also utilize paper shreds from my office. If you realize that those few bags of shavings will do you through the winter, $13-$20 is not a bad investment....think about it.

You won't need your heat lamp, hence no electric usage. You will have some great fertilizer for the garden that you won't have to buy. You will have the added benefit of better health for your chickens.

My deep litter keeps my coop toasty warm and keeps it smelling wonderful!

 

[herefordlovinglady]

Quote:
Paper shreds from the office == haven't thought of that. Man I have 4 huge bags sitting at the office now. I use them in my flower beds, but have not thought about using them in my coop

thank you

 

[sunflowerenvy]

no one use hay for bedding in their coop for the winter monthes

 

[Lorije1]

I toss a mix of oak leaves (free) and straw ($6 a bale) in for litter. Every so often I throw some scratch on the floor and the chickens stir / fluff for me. Springtime I will have lovely compost!

 

[BarkerChickens]

10 bags for an 8' x 11'?!?!?! We buy the 10 cu. ft. bags. The wood chips are compressed in the bag. We have an 8' x 12' coop and it takes 4 bags max to fill the coop. I think we pay $10 for the pine wood chips. We mix the chips up every so often (they only poop near the roosts...the rest of the time they are outside to poop). We change the coop out about every 4-5 months and add new chips as needed. However, we are in a dry climate, so mixing up the chips around the coop is enough to keep it dry. As for winter, we do get snow, but it is minimal and not all winter, so our chickens go outside each day. Our coop is a little dirtier in the winter (mud, etc), but nothing too extreme (maybe change the litter after 3-4 months instead).

 

[Moabite]

Check with your local cabinet shop or any finish carpenters. Wood shavings from their plainers become a nuisance to them and will give them away for free.

 

[Beekissed]

Quote:
Hay and straw tend to form a "cap" on the bedding and hold moisture in the litter. They are hard to turn and fluff after awhile and the moisture makes the bedding cold for the chooks.

I used hay and straw the first time I tried it and had to clean it out before the winter was through....it wasn't until I tried the pine bedding that I realized the potential of the deep litter method. I'll never go back to raking it out every other day or any other kind of bedding. I start with the pine and then incorporate some of the paper shreds as it deepens.

I let the chickens turn the mix by throwing BOSS or cracked corn into the bedding...they do a much better job than I ever could on fluffing the bedding.

 

[spartacus_63]

My coop is 10'x10' and I never use more than one bag of chips at a time. I have augmented with sawdust also. I use straw which you can get for about $4/bale around here and I empty my paper shredder clippings in the coop too. I clean the liter out twice a year and the cost is worth what I get in compost. If you don't have other stuff available, I would use two bags of shavings.

 

[BlackBart]

I get my savings/sawdust free from a local saw mill. Mostly fir, alder, birch a bit of cedar.
I just have to go there and shovel it into garbage cans.
Maybe there is one near you?

One guy brings me three HUGE bags of fir shavings/sawdust, the price is 4 dozen eggs.