Partially covered run— best litter method

[Carolrich]

This sounds interesting and doable to me. It’s dry here the large majority of the year— if we did go with something like the pine bark, would you recommend hosing it down on occasion to help everything break down?

We live in a fairly rainy area in Kentucky. I do believe that the rain does help with the breaking down of the large pine bark nuggets. We have also used pine needles. I don't like straw or hay because it is slippery.

 

[snow5164]

The sand idea really intrigues me but I heard it is to be replaced once a year. That’s a lot of sand. What do you do with all that sand how do you get rid of it. And it would take enough sand where I would have to order a truckload. The closest place is still so far away it’s almost $100 delivery fee for a load of sand

I’ve had my sand in the coop for 5 years. Daycares spray sand with bleach and let it dry , that’s what I do and scoop random poop daily , it hardens by the water but we just put it in the run or break it up ...

I’ll never go back

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[ChickenMamaC]

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.

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So what would you start with?

 

[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]

I also add kitchen scraps (minus meat) for the chickens to eat and then work into the litter what they don't eat. If it is yard "waste" it goes in the run (cut grass, weeds, leaves, animal eaten veggies).

 

[Whitepinefarm]

I have 3 chickens. I already have a coop but want to extend the run. I am thinking of either a concrete base or an untreated wood base, either option covered in sand. How large does a run have to be to comfortably accommodate 3 laying hens?

 

[Whitepinefarm]

Sorry. Meant treated wood for the run.