Sand or deep litter for a warmer coop?

[nminusyplusm]

I imagine you have to might sometimes have to add moisture too keep it 'cooking'.

Yep, I add a significant amount of water every other day.

 

[yellowish_chickenfeet]

Should I put something like sand or litter down in the run? I was thinking that it would be fine with just the dirt. I know some people throw sand around to keep down the mud, but I thought this would discourage insects and plants from finding their way into the run for the chickens to peck at.

 

[aart]

litter down in the run

Good mix of litter will keep the stink down...no plants will grow in the run,
they'll eat them and/or scratch them up before they get a chance to grow at all.

 

[nminusyplusm]

Should I put something like sand or litter down in the run? I was thinking that it would be fine with just the dirt. I know some people throw sand around to keep down the mud, but I thought this would discourage insects and plants from finding their way into the run for the chickens to peck at.

Definitely use deep litter in your run. It is virtually no maintenence, healthy for your chickens providing them with food and entertainment and will keep it from getting muddy.

 

[yellowish_chickenfeet]

Definitely use deep litter in your run. It is virtually no maintenence, healthy for your chickens providing them with food and entertainment and will keep it from getting muddy.

What kind of litter would keep it the cleanest and least like a giant compost bin? I know it basically is one, but I just don't want it to be unpleasant to hang out with the chickens; we can't free-range them.

 

[nminusyplusm]

What kind of litter would keep it the cleanest and least like a giant compost bin? I know it basically is one, but I just don't want it to be unpleasant to hang out with the chickens; we can't free-range them.

You *want* it to be as much of a compost bin as possible. That's what makes it pleasant to hang out in!

Mine smells like a forest floor. The top layer is dry. My boots stay clean for the most part, especially if I've thrown down some BOSS before I go in. They scratch the fresh poop into the litter so I'm not stepping in it and it doesn't attract flies.

The best litter, IMO, is a mix of whatever organic matter you can get locally and as close to free as possible. For me that's straw, pine needles, fall leaves, garden waste, kitchen scraps, wood shavings, twigs, etc. I wish I could find aged wood chips nearby, but that doesn't happen much in the desert.

What do you have locally? Do you have trees on your property?

 

[yellowish_chickenfeet]

You *want* it to be as much of a compost bin as possible. That's what makes it pleasant to hang out in!

Mine smells like a forest floor. The top layer is dry. My boots stay clean for the most part, especially if I've thrown down some BOSS before I go in. They scratch the fresh poop into the litter so I'm not stepping in it and it doesn't attract flies.

The best litter, IMO, is a mix of whatever organic matter you can get locally and as close to free as possible. For me that's straw, pine needles, fall leaves, garden waste, kitchen scraps, wood shavings, twigs, etc. I wish I could find aged wood chips nearby, but that doesn't happen much in the desert.

What do you have locally? Do you have trees on your property?

That sounds a lot better than what I was thinking. The area where the coop and run will be is already covered in plenty of leaf litter, so much so that we were thinking of running the lawnmower over it to cut it all up!

 

[Chelseyb123]

Ive been using deep litter since I got my flock in August last year. So far I LOVE IT. In fall i used leaves an wood chips (dry fresh leaves are free and work great + I got lucky an got a small free chipper). With this method Ive found that there really is no smell in my coop an barely any flies. Its very easy an simple to maintain but you need to keep up on layering or you'll find more poop in the coop than layering of litter. Also if done right you'll find under all of the layers its still nice an dry all the way to your flooring. And you can turn it into compost which im still trying to figure out how to do once things start to melt in my backyard lol.

 

[nminusyplusm]

That sounds a lot better than what I was thinking. The area where the coop and run will be is already covered in plenty of leaf litter, so much so that we were thinking of running the lawnmower over it to cut it all up!

You're off to a great start and you don't need to use the lawnmower, the chickens will break it down for you!

 

[Deb T]

I wouldn't use any sand at all start with aged wood chips, grass clippings, garden waste, leaves, small twigs, kitchen waste, to a depth of at least 6-8 inches to start, and add more carbon materials if any ammonia smell is noticed. The green matter will come from the manure and the worms and good bugs will take care of the break down. You will not have to clean out nearly as often maybe once a year and will have the most beautiful black compost you have ever seen. As well you are providing the most healthy bedding possible for your flock in my opinion.

Thank you. I just saw a video on deep liter method. I already have the sand down but its just enough to cover the hardware cloth. I will start with the leaves in the yard mixed with klean coop/PDZ. They add from there