Peat Moss for coop bedding?

[mamabigbird]

Have you tried using the shavings as a mulch? I put some in the compost pile, but use some directly on the surface of my veggie gardens to retain moisture and suppress weeds, and the slow breakdown actually is a positive in this case.

Of course, a lot of this depends on how much poop is in the bedding. I have a poop board (I compost this) and I spot clean poop from the rest of the coop a few times a week (also into the compost). Too much poop straight on your crops is of course a bad thing, but smaller quantities of poop (high in nitrogen) is very helpful mixed in with all of the pine shavings (high in carbon) and is awesome as a garden mulch.

I was always told that wood shavings deplete the nitrogen in the soil as they break down and therefore starve the plants that you mulch around.
I know chicken poop provides nitrogen so maybe they balance out. Interesting idea. I'll have to research that further.

 

[mamabigbird]

" No person is free of ignorance. If enlightenment is your ultimate goal then there is no need to feel shame over this."

You're right." NO PERSON" is free of ignorance. And I feel no "shame" for expressing my opinions either on my path to enlightenment.

 

[KnoxvilleChick]

That's basically what happens. Poop alone provides way too much nitrogen, hence the chemical "burn" you hear people talk about with fresh manure. But the nitrogen in the poop helps balance the excess carbon (which pulls nitrogen as it breaks down) from the wood chips.

Another option- up the nitrogen content of your spent litter for use in the compost pile. You can do this by letting more poop accumulate between cleanings. I use a poop board, cleaned weeklyish into the compost pile, combined with my version of the deep litter method. I start with about 3-4 inches of bedding, and add a little more about every other time I clean the poop board. I clean the whole coop about twice a year. In the fall/winter cleaning, I put everything straight into the garden beds. In the spring/summer cleaning, it goes into the compost with plenty of added kitchen waste to up the nitrogen content of the pile, and well mixed with other materials. It's about the only time I bother to turn my compost pile

 

[dominiques]

I have hay in my run. It's been very dry here. Yesterday it rained and I found out this morning that I have many tiny holes in the tarp covering our run. The hay is now pretty moist in several spots. Do I need to remove the hay or just put dry hay over it? Thanks.

 

[Erin~TheChickenLover]

I have hay in my run. It's been very dry here. Yesterday it rained and I found out this morning that I have many tiny holes in the tarp covering our run. The hay is now pretty moist in several spots. Do I need to remove the hay or just put dry hay over it? Thanks.

Get in there and fluff the hay up. I use a pitch fork to do this. You want the hay to be nice and loose so that it will dry well and not mold or mildew. It should dry well enough after a few days.

 

[dominiques]

Thanks!! Will do!

 

[mamabigbird]

An update on peat moss.
Well, I tried it out and it was really good at absorbing the moisture from the droppings. There was no smell because the poops dried up so quickly.
Granted, we have had very warm dry weather so the peat moss wasn't picking up moisture from the air.
I used the peat moss for about two weeks and have given it up because it is so dusty that every square inch of the coop was coated in the fine dusty powder.
The hens feed and water was always covered with it and even the eggs had a dusty coating.
I also found that it made the inside of the coop seem dark and dirty.
It was fun trying to remove the stuff as it just slipped right through the manure rake and finally I had to shovel it out.
The stuff is so light and fluffy that it was like shovelling downy feathers.
So I'm back to the pine shavings. I'm sort of glad that it didn't work out because of the environmental issue.

 

[PAjess]

Hello all! This is my first post. I felt compelled to join after reading the comments regarding peat moss bedding. There is a lot of confusion regarding peat moss. Sphagnum moss is the "dangerous" moss and it is different than sphagnum peat moss.

Sphagnum peat moss is sustainable. It is the most common type and Canada has roughly 25% of the world's peatlands (113 mil hectares) and only 0.02% are used for harvesting and other needs. Sphagnum peat moss accumulates at more than 60 times the rate it is harvested according to: http://www.peatmoss.com/blog/using-peat-moss/home-gardeners-why/home-gardeners-peat-moss-faq/

Peat moss can retain up to 20 times its weight in moisture and absorbs odors. With horses, it absorbs urine and becomes more alkaline. This reduces the fly population.

From my understanding, it will compost around 45 days compared to a year with shavings/straw. The bags of peat moss is free of weeds, seeds, chemicals and insects according to my research.

The peat moss bedding is fascinating. I am looking into bringing it to Pennsylvania and surrounding areas after seeing it grow in popularity in Florida and California with the horse industry. Sorry I didn't list all of my sources but they are easily found on the internet.

They just published an article on peat moss reducing microbial load in poultry litter: http://www.thepoultrysite.com/artic...bial-load-in-used-pine-shaving-poultry-litter

If anyone is close to western PA and is interested, let me know!

 

[PAjess]

Hello all. I wrote a response but I think it has to be reviewed before it can be published. I did want to add on that peat moss needs to be fluffed (ideally everyday) and if there is any heavily saturated areas then those will be picked out. It will compact down if not properly cared for. It is great for horses with respiratory issues. The fibers are larger and it may appear dusty but it is marketed to help with respiratory and allergy issues. There are some videos out there on how to clean (a horses') stall. I can't imagine it would be much different. If it is a little too dry, you can use a detergent/water mix to lightly spray it down. It is not the prettiest; but animals tend to love it. Horses tend to lie down more. Some people consider it like memory foam. Hope this answers some questions. Thanks!

 

[sproink]

Crud.
Storey's actually goes out of the way to recommend peat moss.
Spores and mites AND destroying the environment?
OMG
WHAT HAVE I DONE?
(FYI, It's a sincere outburst accompanied by a whack on the forehead)