I have been doing deep litter in my dirt run for the past 2 1/2 years and, IMO, it's fantastic. I use anything organic I can get my hands on; straw, wood chips, leaves, mulched grass, even shredded newspaper [black and white portion only] when I have it. My run isn't covered so it's exposed to the rain and the sun. If we have a bad rain or I notice any odor, I simply add more organic matter and the problem is solved. The soil seems to eat it up and turns it into black loam. My chickens love it as bugs and worms come to the surface of the soil to eat on the organic matter that is found there, making for a quick chick-snack!
We made improvements on our run last weekend and we moved one wall. The fantastic composted dirt that had accumulated there in the past 2 1/2 years was unbelievable! Here's a pic of what we found:
The top was fairly fresh straw we had placed there after a heavy rain. Underneath that was about 2 inches of the most glorious compost I've ever seen! We shoveled part of it out and put it where our tomatoes will go next spring, then added more straw where we had removed compost.
I've been blowing, mulching, and raking leaves the last few days for the run and coop. The girls are having a wonderful time digging through it and I'll have a wonderful time with it next fall adding it to my garden!
We made improvements on our run last weekend and we moved one wall. The fantastic composted dirt that had accumulated there in the past 2 1/2 years was unbelievable! Here's a pic of what we found:
The top was fairly fresh straw we had placed there after a heavy rain. Underneath that was about 2 inches of the most glorious compost I've ever seen! We shoveled part of it out and put it where our tomatoes will go next spring, then added more straw where we had removed compost.
I've been blowing, mulching, and raking leaves the last few days for the run and coop. The girls are having a wonderful time digging through it and I'll have a wonderful time with it next fall adding it to my garden!
