Partially covered run— best litter method

[ChickenMamaC]

i thought I’d try deep litter in the run, but after huge thunderstorms rolled through yesterday afternoon, the pine shavings were SOAKED on the unroofed portion of the run and damp from blowing rain on the covered portion.

We have sunny, dry weather the majority of the year but we do have some monsoon activity in July and sometimes snow in the winter. Should I continue with deep litter knowing during those times it may not work as well?

Also, in my coop, there’s no good way to add a poop board or hammock, so I’m thinking of switching to sand and PDZ, which I can just scoop daily. Are there any significant drawbacks to this?

Thanks for always helping this chicken newbie out with suggestions!

 

[lazy gardener]

I have DL in coop and run. My run is mostly NOT covered. We've been having record wet weather. Yes, the DL is sopping wet now. But, no matter what was in the run at this time, be it grass, sand, or DL, it would be soaked unless my entire run was covered and any breezes would be prevented from blowing through the run.

Wet happens. A good DL has a variety of materials. Naturally, the finer materials will sift down to the bottom of the matrix, while the looser materials will stay at the top. Just like in a forest floor. Shortly after a rain storm, if you go into the forest, you will find that the loose material laying at the top is actually quite dry. But, if you dig down a bit, you will find that the underlying material is damp, like a sponge.

That's what DL does. It grabs and holds that moisture to prevent either extreme: too wet or too dry.

A bare soil run, in a sudden monsoon deluge will turn into a mud pit, with rivers of fecal laden water running off to contaminate the surrounding ground. While a little nutrition is a good thing, too much N and P (uncomposted manure) is an environmental pollutant.

I am convinced that bare soil is NOT a healthy state. God designed things differently. If you observe the world around us, you will rarely see naked soil unless man has made it so. After a wild fire, weeds quickly spring up to cover and protect the soil. In a forest, the litter is constantly being renewed by the tree canopy and the understory plants. The tilling practices of the grain belt have given rise to erosion of FEET (not inches) of top soil, as that area marches towards desertification.

The following paragraph may seem like a totally unrelated topic, BUT... it is one more example pertaining to the benefit of keeping the soil covered.

I have been doing deep mulch in my gardening practices for the past 40 years. Even without use of cold frames or other climate enhancement, my garden grows produce earlier and later in the season (by at least a month on the front end, and at least 2 - 4 weeks on the back end of the season.) My soil is loose and friable while the soil of my neighbors is still frozen, or so wet and compacted that they can't work the soil.

 

[snow5164]

Do you mean deep litter in the run? You said coop....

I’m not a fan but many will tell you the benefits of deep litter I got mould in mine and switched coop and run to sand . I love it!! Drys fast , cleans easy with car litter scoop , hens nails are nice , the dust bathe in it , no smell , soft on feet no branches stuck in my shoes .... you’re going to get many opinions but at the end of the day you’ll be the one scooping the poop !! Good luck and remember to have fun

 

[blackdog043]

Pine shavings alone is not deep litter and will become a soggy mess. A good mixture of different material and sizes is what you need for it to work. My run is covered and it does get wet from some run off, but is never soggy. I've helped people(in person) with open muddy/stinky runs get a good DL going and they can't believe how well it works. Top pic is just after adding yard waste and bottom pic is what it normally looks like, with everything mixed in.

 

[blackdog043]

Start with untreated mulch, pine bark nuggets or tree trimming mulch as a base. Then as you get it, add some straw, leaves, small twigs/branches broken up and yard waste(old flowers, weeds, ect...). I have pine cones and corn stalks in mine also. A good mix of bigger and smaller items. Bigger stuff helps the water drain down into the ground. After a while you will have to add more stuff as it will all break down to a nice rich soil, just keep a balanced variety. If you have to use more of anything, use one of these, untreated mulch, pine bark nuggets or tree trimming mulch. They will not compact down as much, like leaves or straw. Oh, you can also add your pine shavings when you clean your coop out, as long as it's not going to be mostly them.

 

[Kellycbf]

My guess is that you need a greater variety of material for your litter. Think about what the forest floor looks like and imitate that. There are leaves and plants and fallen tree branches and bark. There are all different types of organic material. I need to add more leaves to mine, but I keep forgetting. Thanks for the reminder.

 

[rosemarythyme]

i thought I’d try deep litter in the run, but after huge thunderstorms rolled through yesterday afternoon, the pine shavings were SOAKED on the unroofed portion of the run and damp from blowing rain on the covered portion.

We have sunny, dry weather the majority of the year but we do have some monsoon activity in July and sometimes snow in the winter. Should I continue with deep litter knowing during those times it may not work as well?

Actually deep litter works pretty amazing in heavy rain, provided that there's sufficient drainage under it so that water doesn't stand. It's not that it doesn't get wet, but the litter itself shouldn't hold on to too much moisture and should start drying off faster than bare soil.

What else do you have other than shavings? That's not really deep litter, that's more deep bedding. For it to really work you need a mix of materials in different sizes, to allow for drainage and to allow poop to mix in as well. I personally find wood shavings to be less ideal for deep litter because it does tend to hold on to wetness without providing the same benefit as chunky wood chips would.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

My run in Maryland was ~800 sq ft and only a quarter of it was covered. If you are doing deep litter, you WANT it to get wet occasionally - that supports the breakdown of the material, just like in a compost bin. Make sure you don't have just one type of substrate. I would use pine shavings in the coops and clean those out directly into the run 2-3 times a year. In summer, grass clippings went on there, preferably after sitting out for a couple days but I did put them in fresh on occasion. In Fall, leaves, pine cones and pine needles went into the mix, and in winter I would add a bale of hay about every six weeks or more often if the ground was starting wet since it wouldn't dry out as fast in winter. In 4 years I never had to scoop out my run and no, it was not a stinky fly infested mess. If anything, it'll be the perfect garden for the new owners of they're so inclined.

 

[cmom]

I have shaving in my coops every once in a great while the rain will come from a certain direction and get the shaving wet by the door but they dry out fast with the ventilation. If I see rain coming I usually close the screens on the doors of the coops. There also is usually plenty of sand in with the shavings because the birds track it in.

 

[rosemarythyme]

How large does a run have to be to comfortably accommodate 3 laying hens?

Minimum would be 30 sq ft. but more is always better for a run. Even for just three I'd do at least 10x10. Depending on what materials you're using you might want to size it by the material size, i.e. wood is usually in 8' lengths so 8x8 for a frame is more efficient than trying to cut it down to something like 5x6, plus the birds will appreciate the extra room.