Need advice on litter for a covered run on concrete (PNW)

[RW1984]

If it doesn't smell, then you probably do not need to replace the shavings.
With a horse's stall or a cat's litter box, they are peeing in there too, so the material soaks up the pee and eventually needs to be changed.
But chickens don't pee; they just poop. And you've already said you're scooping out a lot of that.

In general, with chicken bedding, if you can't see anything wrong, and you can't smell anything wrong, then nothing is wrong.

You have started out with shavings, you could continue with shavings. Or you could gradually add other materials (hay, straw, dead leaves, vegetable peelings, etc) If you do that, it will eventually be more of a compost pile or a deep litter system. There are plenty of in-between styles, and just about all of them work for someone!

If you add other things and do not like the result, it's really not a big problem: clean it all out, compost it, and start over with what you liked.

I am interested in reading and learning

If it doesn't smell, then you probably do not need to replace the shavings.
With a horse's stall or a cat's litter box, they are peeing in there too, so the material soaks up the pee and eventually needs to be changed.
But chickens don't pee; they just poop. And you've already said you're scooping out a lot of that.

In general, with chicken bedding, if you can't see anything wrong, and you can't smell anything wrong, then nothing is wrong.

You have started out with shavings, you could continue with shavings. Or you could gradually add other materials (hay, straw, dead leaves, vegetable peelings, etc) If you do that, it will eventually be more of a compost pile or a deep litter system. There are plenty of in-between styles, and just about all of them work for someone!

If you add other things and do not like the result, it's really not a big problem: clean it all out, compost it, and start over with what you liked.

I would very much like to read and learn about this method though. I’m interested in learning a way to provide a long term litter/bedding they can use without having to clean it every few weeks to a month. Also without having to pay for it all the time. I’d like it to be more self reliant and long term.
Do you have any great references or could you message me with some ways to do this efficiently for the birds and my wallet?

Rob

 

[NatJ]

I’m interested in learning a way to provide a long term litter/bedding they can use without having to clean it every few weeks to a month. Also without having to pay for it all the time. I’d like it to be more self reliant and long term.
Do you have any great references or could you message me with some ways to do this efficiently for the birds and my wallet?

I'm sure there are articles somewhere, but I have never bothered to follow any specific method.

You don't want it too wet, or it will stink.
If it stays completely dry, it can work fine, but it will not decompose.
If it is dry on top and slightly damp underneath, it will slowly decompose in the lower parts and not smell. The chickens will dig through it looking for bugs and things. As it decomposes, there will be less and less of it (but you keep adding material, so that's not a problem.)

For what material to use:
Wood chips are often a good starting point. You can sometimes get a truckload of them for free, because companies that cut down trees need to dump it somewhere. I think there are websites where you can get on a list, and a truckload will be dumped for you the next time a crew works in your area.

Overall, a mix of materials works best. So keep your eyes open and use what is available.
--dead leaves in the fall (not just from your own yard. You could ask neighbors, or just take leaves that are put out in bags as trash. My family once volunteered to rake leaves on a big church lawn, and they were pleased when we hauled away the leaves at the end )
--hay or straw
--weeds from the garden or lawn
--plants from the garden
--grass clippings
--vegetable peelings, corn husks, watermelon rinds, banana peels, etc
--shredded paper (junk mail, newspaper, etc)
--coffee grounds, and coffee filters too
(Lots of other things work too. These are just examples.)

Some things make a matted mess if you use very much (shredded paper does this.) So you can add some, but make sure there is plenty of other material too.

Some things make a wet mess if you add a big pile at once (carrot peels, grass clippings), but you can sprinkle a thin layer any time. It will either dry in the sun, or get mixed in by the chickens. And then you can add more the next day.

Some things are harmful if the chickens eat them in certain forms (long grass can tangle in a chicken's crop, but if you let it sit in the sun for a few days it becomes hay. Chickens won't eat enough hay at a time to cause crop trouble.)

Poisonous things should not be put in there (weeds that were sprayed with any chemicals, leaves from rhubarb plants or tomato plants).

Many things that "should not be fed" to chickens are actually fine. I'm thinking of stuff like citrus peels. They just won't eat enough to hurt themselves, but will mix it in and it will eventually rot. The more different materials there are, the less picky you have to be: chickens with lots of choices will usually avoid anything that doesn't taste "good."

In general, if it came from a plant and is dry, you can put in lots of it.
If it came from a plant and is wet, you can put in a little at a time.

Dead leaves are usually available in large quantities in the fall--it is fine to put them in several feet thick, and the chickens will mix/compact/compost them over the next few months.

If it does start to stink, it is probably too wet. So add some more dry material, then check how much rain is getting in, and whether water is standing in puddles instead of flowing nicely away.

 

[RW1984]

I'm sure there are articles somewhere, but I have never bothered to follow any specific method.

You don't want it too wet, or it will stink.
If it stays completely dry, it can work fine, but it will not decompose.
If it is dry on top and slightly damp underneath, it will slowly decompose in the lower parts and not smell. The chickens will dig through it looking for bugs and things. As it decomposes, there will be less and less of it (but you keep adding material, so that's not a problem.)

For what material to use:
Wood chips are often a good starting point. You can sometimes get a truckload of them for free, because companies that cut down trees need to dump it somewhere. I think there are websites where you can get on a list, and a truckload will be dumped for you the next time a crew works in your area.

Overall, a mix of materials works best. So keep your eyes open and use what is available.
--dead leaves in the fall (not just from your own yard. You could ask neighbors, or just take leaves that are put out in bags as trash. My family once volunteered to rake leaves on a big church lawn, and they were pleased when we hauled away the leaves at the end )
--hay or straw
--weeds from the garden or lawn
--plants from the garden
--grass clippings
--vegetable peelings, corn husks, watermelon rinds, banana peels, etc
--shredded paper (junk mail, newspaper, etc)
--coffee grounds, and coffee filters too
(Lots of other things work too. These are just examples.)

Some things make a matted mess if you use very much (shredded paper does this.) So you can add some, but make sure there is plenty of other material too.

Some things make a wet mess if you add a big pile at once (carrot peels, grass clippings), but you can sprinkle a thin layer any time. It will either dry in the sun, or get mixed in by the chickens. And then you can add more the next day.

Some things are harmful if the chickens eat them in certain forms (long grass can tangle in a chicken's crop, but if you let it sit in the sun for a few days it becomes hay. Chickens won't eat enough hay at a time to cause crop trouble.)

Poisonous things should not be put in there (weeds that were sprayed with any chemicals, leaves from rhubarb plants or tomato plants).

Many things that "should not be fed" to chickens are actually fine. I'm thinking of stuff like citrus peels. They just won't eat enough to hurt themselves, but will mix it in and it will eventually rot. The more different materials there are, the less picky you have to be: chickens with lots of choices will usually avoid anything that doesn't taste "good."

In general, if it came from a plant and is dry, you can put in lots of it.
If it came from a plant and is wet, you can put in a little at a time.

Dead leaves are usually available in large quantities in the fall--it is fine to put them in several feet thick, and the chickens will mix/compact/compost them over the next few months.

If it does start to stink, it is probably too wet. So add some more dry material, then check how much rain is getting in, and whether water is standing in puddles instead of flowing nicely away.

What about doing that inside a coop and not in the run? Or both?
Thoughts?

 

[NatJ]

What about doing that inside a coop and not in the run? Or both?
Thoughts?

Good point. Similar, but a few differences.

Coop is less likely to be wet than the run, but also more likely to smell like ammonia (from the chicken poop. If they do half their pooping while they sleep at night, but the coop is smaller than the run, it gets a higher concentration of poop.)

Damp stuff decomposing on top of a wood floor is not a good idea! But if you keep it nice and dry, it will not be decomposing and getting smaller. So it will keep getting deeper as you add more, and at some point you will need to take some out. I suggest taking out from under the roost--you get a larger share of the manure out that way.

What you take out of the coop can then be put in the run, or into a compost pile.
Any new materials that are wet, I suggest you put in the run (because of wanting to keep the coop dry.)
Any new materials that are dry, you can put in the coop or run, depending on which place seems to need them more.

 

[3KillerBs]

I'm sure there are articles somewhere, but I have never bothered to follow any specific method.

...

A very nice explanation.