I'm sure most of this has already been said, but maybe this can help someone else who is just getting started with chickens. I have three chickens about 8 weeks old. I have a 4x4 coop and a 4x8 run. I have about 3-4 inches of pine shavings I got from TSC in the coop. I have kept a good mix of DE in the litter and the run.
It has worked well with one exception. The chickens titled their waterer one day and all of the water ran into the litter in the coop. This caused a big mess and a very bad smell. It also attracted a couple roaches. I cleaned up the wet litter and the smell went away along with the roaches. My advice is to not keep a waterer in the coop but to keep in the run where water spills are not as big a problem.
I have neighbors just within feet on all sides of my property, so smell is a concern. With the DLM, there has been no smell whatsoever.
The maintenance has been minimal. I just mix up the litter once or twice a week and put more DE into the litter once every 7 to 10 days. Thank you to all who provided information on this maintenance method - it has worked well for me.
It has worked well with one exception. The chickens titled their waterer one day and all of the water ran into the litter in the coop. This caused a big mess and a very bad smell. It also attracted a couple roaches. I cleaned up the wet litter and the smell went away along with the roaches. My advice is to not keep a waterer in the coop but to keep in the run where water spills are not as big a problem.
I have neighbors just within feet on all sides of my property, so smell is a concern. With the DLM, there has been no smell whatsoever.
The maintenance has been minimal. I just mix up the litter once or twice a week and put more DE into the litter once every 7 to 10 days. Thank you to all who provided information on this maintenance method - it has worked well for me.
