Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
I plan to deep litter in the coop, but I think also doing deep litter in the run might be a bit much for me (and my back during cleaning).
Is it possible to do deep litter in coop and not run? What do I put in the run when the grass is gone?
This is wonderful, as was your article!! Thank you so much!Here is my article on Deep Bedding: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/using-deep-bedding-in-a-small-coop.76343/
In my opinion, this is much easier than trying to do a lot of daily maintenance, but it will be important to have good tools and a thoughtful design.
Poop boards can help stretch out the life of the bedding at the cost of more frequent maintenance.
As for the run you will almost certainly have to put something down in there after the green is gone -- unless you want to do very frequent raking/scooping to remove the poop from the dirt in order to prevent odor and flies.
As @U_Stormcrow has pointed out, a well-balanced Deep Litter system in the run is almost totally maintenance free -- just take out garden compost as needed and add more wood chips or whatever else you plan to use. (Coarse wood chips of the kind you get from a tree trimming service are usually considered the gold standard for run litter because they are absorbent, long-lasting, and do a great job of combating odor in the composting process).
With generous space in the coop and run the maintenance will be minimized.
Yes, very possible. Technically deep litter is turning your coop floor into a compost pile. Lots of different ways to do that. For stuff to compost the microbes have to have enough water to live and reproduce but you don't want it to get so wet it starts to stink.Is it possible to do deep litter in coop and not run?
My 12' x 32' main run is on a bit of a rise and I put that berm and swale on the uphill side. The run is also covered. When it sets in wet rain blows in from the side so it does get wet, but it's not too bad. It's high enough it drains some. That's mostly bare dirt but I toss some stuff in there that I don't want to go in my compost pile, mostly flowers like morning glories, marigolds, or zinnias because of the seeds and obnoxious weeds, again for the seeds. It's not that much and only at certain times of the year, the run is still mostly dirt.What do I put in the run when the grass is gone?
I suppose you don't garden? For gardeners, deep litter is far from wasteful - it can help use up waste from your yard and garden, and in return you can generate a lot of fantastic compost to feed back into the garden.The deep litter method has never really appealed to me, it seems like a lot of waste but that's just me. In the past I'd use a plastic sheet in the coop, let them poo on it and once it would build up a bit remove the whole sheet, roll it up and dump in in the bin.
I find things stay dryier and less dusty like this. No added waste either.
I just installed a poop board about two weeks ago. I thought it would be an improvement, and I was right. What I didn't realize was just how much bedding (pine shavings) I had been taking out with the poop before the poop board.Poop boards can help stretch out the life of the bedding at the cost of more frequent maintenance.
I just installed a poop board about two weeks ago. I thought it would be an improvement, and I was right. What I didn't realize was just how much bedding (pine shavings) I had been taking out with the poop before the poop board.
I use a cat little bucket and a cat litter scoop to gather the chicken poop. Nearly all the stuff I gather is right under the roost, on the poop board. Now, what I dump in the compost bin is almost all poop. Before, it was about 2/3 pine shavings.
I still scoop every day, but with the poop board, it could easily go several days. Which is reassuring for when I eventually go on vacation. I can't imagine thinking of a coop without one now.I'm not a fan of daily manure handling, but I know that it works for a lot of people.
I to am also not a fan of the “DeepLitter” method. I understand that it’s easier and cheaper to clean it out once or twice a year but it seems lazy to me and it seems that all the chickens will be doing is digging around in their own poop. I can’t see how it’s beneficial to them.The deep litter method has never really appealed to me, it seems like a lot of waste but that's just me. In the past I'd use a plastic sheet in the coop, let them poo on it and once it would build up a bit remove the whole sheet, roll it up and dump in in the bin.
I find things stay dryier and less dusty like this. No added waste either.
In the run, tbh I've never had to worry too much, usually the rain would just wash it out every once in a while. People like to use bark chips when it gets too wet and smelly ( something on my to get list atm).
I never had more than 4 chickens and they had a lot of space but I have noticed if you confine them more they make a lot more mess so maybe I will have to start a cleaning routine if i confine them more.