How often should the coop get cleaned?

[LynneP]

Ed62 and PuckPuck- because the coop stays warm enough with planks over concrete and by avoiding deep litter I keep the coop drier and free of ammonia...

I had the planks from my horse days and I don;t want them to rot. They're wide 2" hemlock harvested over 50 years ago.

 

[bills]

Quote:
Wouldn't the litter actually help as to moisture absorption? I would have though that the planks would eventually become saturated with the wetter droppings, not having any litter? Then the job would be to have to replace the planks themselves? Do you sprinkle lime on them to keep the odor down?

Deep litter shouldn't add to the moisture, or ammonia problem, but actually help prevent it, if cleaned daily.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
"If cleaned daily" is not part of what people are meaning by "the" deep litter method. When people on this forum say DLM, even though in reality it is FAR from one single thing, realistically they generally are referring to a constellation of management styles that all involve letting moisture and poo accumulate in the bedding so that some degree of decomposition goes on.

This DOES add to the moisture of the coop (unavoidably, because really dry litter won't compost as desired). Sometimes you can have that and be fine; sometimes you have to make other adjustments to accommodate; sometimes it just ain't gonna work for you. Depends on the individual situation.

I would have though that the planks would eventually become saturated with the wetter droppings, not having any litter? Then the job would be to have to replace the planks themselves?

Lynn doesn't mean not having ANY bedding

-- just not doing "the" DLM.

I have lightly-primed OSB over concrete in two of my pens. I do a version of deep litter management, not damp enough for composting but allowing the poo to accumulate as long as the result does not get too dusty (mostly needs to be cleaned out every year or so). After, I forget, 2 or 3 years I think, there has not been any noticeable deterioration of the OSB (at least not of the visible, top surface), not even where the waterers sit and occasionally spill. Actual planks would last a LOT better than OSB, too, of course.

There are just so many ways to manage bedding and sanitation. I loathe this phrase "the deep litter method" or the acronym DLM, because they can make things sound very misleading to newbies by mixing apples and oranges and rutabagas.

Pat​

 

[Ed62]

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts on DLM over concrete.

Ed

 

[boykin2010]

i spread dirt on the botttom of the coop then once a week i shovel all the poo out... it works very well most people think since i have chickens my house/property must smell like a zoo but you would never know i had chickens unless you hear them or see them...

 

[Beekissed]

Now....let me get this straight....YOU clean out the coop but your hubby doesn't want to try the DLM????

Simple...let HIM clean out the coop.

Seriously..there are many benefits to the deep litter method...if you truly use it correctly. If you have deep litter but you scoop out the poop, you are defeating the purpose. Deep litter is like a compost pile....you must add certain elements or you just have a deep layer of wood chips/shavings. The poop is the important part, aeration is important, knowing when to add dry, carbonaceous material is important....and smell is important. If it smells, your mix is off.

If done correctly, you have dry, warm bedding in which your birds can enjoy the winter, a place for good microbes to establish and break down the mix, a place for your birds to obtain added protein to their diet and you have an end product that can enrich your garden soil at the end of winter. Contrary to what anyone may say, you can use deep litter on any floor, not just a soil one. Having it on soil is great for added moisture control and microbial development, but you can still achieve a good effect on other surfaces.

At the end of winter you should have a teddy bear brown litter that is dry and fluffy but doesn't resemble the chips you placed in the fall...it looks more like dark saw dust. It's easy to remove with a broad shovel like a grain shovel or even to rake out, it has very little smell except an earthy, soil smell and it is easily spread on the garden.

Since using it, I've not had anymore issues with frostbit combs and the chickens really enjoy their coop time in the winter if the snow is deep. They have something to scratch about in and I take advantage of these times to get my litter turned by throwing in some BOSS or cracked corn for them to find. It also generates enough heat that my coop feels cozy warm all winter.

A link with some handy info on the benefits of deep litter:

http://farmfolly.com/2010/02/deep-litter-and-chicken-coops/

 

[yomama]

Quote:
Great advice! A dropping board cleaned daily, can really stretch out the times between a complete floor litter replacement. My hens are outside all day, so the main pooping in the coop goes on after they are on the roost. Spread some litter on the dropping board as well for easy clean up, and moisture absorption.

I love using a drop board under the roost. My group freeranges during the day too, so most, if not all the poo, is on the board. Takes me about 30 seconds to scrape it into a bucket (I just use a flat edge cat litter scooper). I also use the litter scooper to pick up any poo that may have not made it onto the board. I have a duck that shares the coop with them, and she is very good about leaving quite a pile for me in the morning.

I throw the droppings into my compost pile after that. I do this every morning. Very easy.I have a deep layer of pine shavings in my coop too. Not so much the "deep litter method", but it does help absorb any of the more liquid poo I may have missed. I just stir it up every now and then. I also use a little Stall Dry(sp?)in the shavings and I also put a little on the board every other day.

 

[Knock Kneed Hen]

I have a poop board sprinkled with pine shavings, concrete floor covered in linoleum with 4 inches of shavings on top, and a covered run. Here's what I do.

Every three days I scrape the poop board. The pine shavings keep poo from sticking a lot. I then use a dust pan to pick shavings from the floor, usually right in front
of the pop door where it's dirtiest, and throw it up on the poop board. I move shavings around. About every third time I add a little more fresh shavings on the floor.

I rake the run every three days as well. It doesn't even take 5 minutes and my coop is relatively clean all the time.

 

[Yay Chicks!]

I have four birds in a small raised coop. Daily I use a garden trowel to scoop the poop from the poop board and any big wet ones that fell to the floor. Then I sprinkle some DE around, add some shavings to the poop board, stir up the floor shavings and add some as needed. The roost is higher than the nesting boxes so no one sleeps in there and they stay clean. The last time I cleaned everything out was early September. It's a little stinky in the morning before I scoop, but then, no smell at all. I don't plan on doing a deep clean until spring.

I add some leaves to the covered run every once in a while and rake it up a bit. The girls seem to just keep turning it all under themselves. They are good little composters.

 

[dondon]

yes i use the latex gloves and poo pick every day without fail,most of it gets put in the composter