Is hemp TOO absorbent?

[762]

We had water blow into our 12x12 coop about two weeks ago from a big storm. It was pretty wet inside but I turned over the bedding thoroughly to mix it up. Today I was doing some work in the coop and I discovered that the bottom layer of hemp was still soaked.

I would think that mixing up the bedding would even things out and that the moisture would be pulled to the top by the dryer bedding that is getting the air.

Has anyone else had this experience…hemp just holding moisture?

Coop is very well ventilated. I would say at least 50% of each wall is windows, and there are three vents at the top as well.

 

[rosemarythyme]

How thick is the bedding in the coop? If it's decently thick the bottom layer can't air out effectively. Might need to be removed, or stirred every couple of days thoroughly until it all dries out.

 

[762]

It’s like 4” deep in most places. We were trying deep litter with almost 12” but it didn’t work so we removed most of it. The chickens never dig around in the coop. I guess I’m order for it to work you can’t let them free range? Or keep them closed in for a few hours in the morning? I dunno. I always read not to keep feed in the coop because you’ll end up with mice…

 

[aart]

Does your coop have a solid floor or is it dirt?
Pics would help here.

 

[rosemarythyme]

It’s like 4” deep in most places. We were trying deep litter with almost 12” but it didn’t work so we removed most of it. The chickens never dig around in the coop. I guess I’m order for it to work you can’t let them free range? Or keep them closed in for a few hours in the morning? I dunno. I always read not to keep feed in the coop because you’ll end up with mice…

Deep litter doesn't work great in most coop setups as it needs moisture to compost properly (which is the opposite of what you want on a wood floor, and requires more air volume and ventilation to compensate for that) - likely works better in barns or more open air coops where the chickens are in and out more often and there's ample air flow.

My chickens do dig around in the coop quite a lot, looking for bugs or wayward pellets, though I don't do deep litter inside. I keep the dry feeder inside to ensure it stays dry, so a few pellets always end up on the floor and the birds go looking for them in the morning.

 

[762]

I’m out of town for the weekend so I’ll post some pics when I get back. The floor is wood but it is coated with two coats of rubber coat roofing sealant so it does not absorb water.

 

[762]

Hey sorry for the delay. I took a video of my coop. I had a mold problem. I’ve finished getting rid of mold with vinegar, priming everything with mold-killing primer and painting with 2 coats of barn paint with mildecide added.

Anyway, here is the video of the coop. I really would like to attempt to do deep litter. What would give me my best chances of being successful? Keeping the dry feeders inside? Throwing feed in the areas under their roost bars? Keeping them contained in the coop for first two hours of the morning?

 

[rosemarythyme]

I really would like to attempt to do deep litter. What would give me my best chances of being successful? Keeping the dry feeders inside? Throwing feed in the areas under their roost bars? Keeping them contained in the coop for first two hours of the morning?

What time do they normally come out in the morning, currently? While I have an auto door it's always been set to 7:45 AM (which can be as much as 2 hours after sunrise) so yes my chickens are locked in at the start of the day when it's cool and when predators are more likely to still be wandering around.

I wouldn't deliberately throw food around inside but just by having a dry pellet feeder inside I get some food on the ground every day, and they dig around in the bedding for it the next morning.

 

[762]

What time do they normally come out in the morning, currently? While I have an auto door it's always been set to 7:45 AM (which can be as much as 2 hours after sunrise) so yes my chickens are locked in at the start of the day when it's cool and when predators are more likely to still be wandering around.

I wouldn't deliberately throw food around inside but just by having a dry pellet feeder inside I get some food on the ground every day, and they dig around in the bedding for it the next morning.

They come out around 7:30…I have it set to open 30 min after sunrise. Never had a problem with predators in the morning as we are usually out and tossing around fermented grain for them. Lost several to hawks mid-day tho.

Anyway, the problem is they all roost in the same small area. So things get really saturated and we clean weekly because of that.

If I were to keep them in the coop for 2 hours after sunrise and kept a dry feeder in there, yes they will turn over the hemp around the feeder…but will they turn over the hemp under their roost bars? I was excited about the deep litter method but it’s been a bust.

 

[rosemarythyme]

but will they turn over the hemp under their roost bars?

"Maybe" - and I say that because while I do see evidence of my flock scratching around under the roosts, it's not consistent. Sometimes they do it for days, other times they don't touch it for weeks. Personally it drives me nuts when they do kick it around, I'd rather they not touch it as I sift poop out of the hemp each morning.