Get a great "cuppa whatever you like". This looks to be one of my longer posts.
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There seems to be a bit of a mix up. There is a difference between deep litter bedding & deep litter method and they are on opposite ends of the scale as to what they are.
Deep litter bedding.
1 - one material used for bedding. Pine shavings or hemp or sand or horse stall pellets and there are others.
2 - bedding is kept dry.
3 - is usually done in a coop w/ a floor. The floor may be painted, may have vinyl or blackjack 57 as a protectant from moisture.
4 - on BYC, I've seen some folks that regularly clean the poops - at least from under the roosts. For some, they remove any/all poops throughout the coop - either daily, weekly, monthly & sometimes just 1 or 2x a year.
Deep litter method.
1 - more than one material used. All are natural & will compost. More than one material is different sizes. This allows both water flow & aeration.
IF only 1 material is used, it is recommended to be ramial wood mulch. Otherwise, best is a mixture of materials that are different sizes.
Leaves, limbs, pine cones, pine straw; large or small shavings; horse stall pellets; shred - bills (plastic removed), paper, card board; hay, straw & grass clippings (hay, straw & pine straw work better when chopped. Mowing over it while mowing the yard works well). Garden trimmings & scraps from kitchen work best out in the run.
2 - bedding is kept damp (ish). The top layer is dry but will absorb water (pine shavings are the least absorbive). Lower levels are/can be wet, but not running water or steady dripping when a handful squeezed. During summer, if dry, spraying a hose to dampen it works well. When it rains or snows through windows/vents it should absorb the rain water, remaining "spongey" but not flooded.
3 - usually done in a coop that is open to the ground. This allows for actual decomposing &/or "cold" composting.
It's more difficult to do in a floored coop, but can be done. Need to introduce a couple of shovel fulls of "live biota" - from under actual forest trees, the barn yard, an organic garden bed. Then follow as above.
4 - it can take 6-12 months for the bedding to fully start working as a composted base for gardens. If the coop becomes smelly, more material is needed.
In freezing temps, layering more material is needed under roost area, even if not smelly. Tossing some feed, scratch, treats onto newly added material (especially as materials/poop thaw) means the chickens will scratch & mix poops into the bedding, allowing it to "digest" poops.
When removing bedding, a "base" is left in the coop to innoculate incoming materials & allow cold composting to work. If its working right, it should need to be fully cleaned out & as stated above by Perkolator.
Here is a great explanation of DLM done by BeeKissed, here on BYC. Her Hoop coop is open to the ground. She does get snow & freezing temps.
I have had other articles, w/ pictures, from owners w/ coops that did DLM in winter states that can have extended freezing temps. I no longer have those links.
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This winter is our daughter's family's 1st w/ chickens in MT, 35 miles from Canadian border. She says the balancing act w/ DLM in freezing temps has been a learning experience. She also admits that their 4x8 (32' sq) CP hoop coop is too small for the 6 hens they have - w/ weather they receive...
And I like DLM as I'm using it to change the unforested areas of sand on our property to become viable soil & build garden beds. Our coops are open to the ground as well as "open air". During Hurricane Florence, I was able to remove mostly sand from some coops & replace w/ DLM that the chickens enjoyed. In 2022, I raised juvenile chicks in the raised garden beds between brooder & coop/run stages.
I have done quite a few posts on other threads about our DLM, but can post pics here if wanted.
