Poop board or deep litter?

[K0k0shka]

I use deep litter and no poop boards. I don't see myself scraping poop every day. The poop from my 3 hens just mixes with the litter, dries out, and crumbles to dust. No smell, no poop scraping.

Same here, except I do deep bedding, not deep litter (deep bedding is the dry method that doesn't compost in place, deep litter needs moisture and composts). No poop boards, no daily cleaning, poop mixes with the shavings and doesn't smell.

 

[KarynVA]

I am aware that BYC has strong differentiating ideas about deep litter vs. deep bedding; but it is my understanding that chicken poop is about 85% water. So there is going to be some amount of moisture with both methods, I would think.

 

[NatJ]

I am aware that BYC has strong differentiating ideas about deep litter vs. deep bedding; but it is my understanding that chicken poop is about 85% water. So there is going to be some amount of moisture with both methods, I would think.

I think the difference is in the keeper's intent: try to dry it all out as fast as possible, vs. try to keep it moist enough to decompose.

I cannot keep the two terms straight, but I don't want to confuse matters even further by coming up with a third term to mean "just pile it deep and don't worry about what to call it."

 

[K0k0shka]

I am aware that BYC has strong differentiating ideas about deep litter vs. deep bedding; but it is my understanding that chicken poop is about 85% water. So there is going to be some amount of moisture with both methods, I would think.

That would depend on the size of the coop vs. the number of chickens vs. the amount of bedding on the floor. My coop is 5x7, and I just cleaned it for the first time in 5 months. At first I had 11 chicks in there; when they were 10 weeks old, I culled down to 9; at 16 weeks I culled down to 6; and at 22 weeks I got rid of another one to bring it town to the final number, 5. I expect things to go even better now that I have less than half of the original number of chickens, but even when I had more, there was never any moisture in the bedding from the poop. The layer of shavings is about half a foot deep, and the ratio of poop to bedding is just such that the poop always stays dry. My intent isn't to compost it, I just want it not to smell and feel wet, and not to have to clean every day.

 

[aart]

I am aware that BYC has strong differentiating ideas about deep litter vs. deep bedding;

Much debate and mis and twisted understandings about the 2.

but it is my understanding that chicken poop is about 85% water.

Not unless they all have very juicy poops.

So there is going to be some amount of moisture with both methods, I would think.

More, sometimes added, moisture is needed for a truly composting deep litter.

I think the difference is in the keeper's intent: try to dry it all out as fast as possible, vs. try to keep it moist enough to decompose.

Exactly! See you do have it straight.

but I don't want to confuse matters even further by coming up with a third term to mean "just pile it deep and don't worry about what to call it."

 

[Ridgerunner]

it is my understanding that chicken poop is about 85% water. So there is going to be some amount of moisture with both methods, I would think.

Think of the litter as a diaper. It's job is to absorb moisture and keep things dry until it gets soaked. A good litter will absorb the moisture in the poop and keep things dry fast enough that microbes cannot grow or you keep them under control. The poop contains moisture and if the poop builds up too thick it will stay moist. If it is mixed in enough dry litter it will not cause a problem.

Microbes need a certain moisture level to grow. If it is too dry they cannot live and reproduce so the litter doesn't really compost. If it is too wet the the microbes that live and reproduce are the anaerobic type. The anaerobic microbes are the ones that cause it to stink and become slimy. Too much moisture can also promote diseases. Too much water keeps oxygen away.

The aerobic microbes need oxygen. These are the ones that do a good job turning litter into compost. They don't stink, you get a nice earthy smell. The compost stays friable, not slimy. It is good stuff. The ideal moisture level is where you take a sponge, soak it, then squeeze it as dry as you can.

To me some people get hung up on labels and technical definitions. In real life, things are not always that clear cut. If the litter is dry enough it is not going to stink or be a problem. Whether it is the dry method or the deep litter method doesn't affect the "not stink" issue. The amount of moisture only controls whether it composts in place. Sometimes the moisture is more in between the two methods, you get some compost action but maybe not a lot.

Some people worry about the right mix of greens (nitrogen) and browns (carbon). Bedding is browns, poop is greens. If you get the perfect combination and the moisture is right it can compost really fast. Mixing it helps too. If you get more browns than optimal, it still breaks down as long as the moisture is right, but it is slower. If you get too many greens it tends to hold moisture and go anaerobic. This is where you can run into problems.

@ThisoldNHhen You can do both. Whether it is the dry method or true composting deep litter or somewhere in between will depend on moisture content. Using a droppings board to keep things cleaner makes sense to me. Hopefully you have a compost pile to use that stuff in.

I use the dry method and droppings boards. My compost pile does well with that pure poop added to it. I add wood shavings as required but I can go thee or four years between shoveling the coop out. I could go longer but I put that stuff on my garden in the fall to get ready for spring planting. I should do it more often for the benefit of my garden but I can be lazy when I don't have to do hard work.

 

[One Lucky Momma]

We use deep bedding (8-10”) of wood shavings over a sealed wooden floor, under 11 birds who are usually in the coop only at night. In the 5 months since its inception, the only maintenance has been a good stir each morning and one addition of fresh shavings this week (added to the existing bedding).

There‘s never been an issue of ammonia or any kind of disagreeable smell, the birds seem happy and healthy, so I’m happy. When the poop drops into the shavings it kind of just disappears, especially after the morning stir is performed. That‘s preferable to me, versus coming in to face boards covered over in poop that I would then have to deal with.

I‘m curious to see what impact, if any, this will have on the winter temperature of the coop. I anticipate a wee bit of heat, though nothing like what might happen in a real composting situation.

An aside, regarding the deep litter method over a dirt floor, I believe that in addition to the moisture you’d expect, the earth is providing the inoculation of the bedding with the gazillions of microbes necessary to get the composting started.

And, proper ventilation is critical to keep a composting situation functioning optimally (and smelling sweet!).

 

[Jenwisp]

I have a poop board beneath the chicken roosts. Under the board, the ducks live. Their bedding i just keep adding pine shavings to. I'm trying to build up for winter warmth.