Should I use the deep litter method?

[Meri Maura]

Should I put pine shaving up to the concrete top?

 

[Meri Maura]

 

[TooCheep]

It's up to you.

Potential benefits of deep litter:

• Eliminates stink and greatly reduces mess from chicken poo.
• Eliminates the need to scoop poo on a regular basis.
• You can collect the litter periodically as a very good compost for gardening and other plants.
• Provides some entertainment for chickens as they can dig around in it looking for food bits and insects and may even dust bath in holes that they dig.

Potential downsides:

• Cost may be a factor if you aren't using free materials.

I collect and use fall leaves with some pine needles. If you have access to free pine shavings, then those are a good option as well.

 

[3KillerBs]

Is this a dry, covered area or a moist, open to the sky area?

I'm asking because Deep Bedding and Deep Litter are two different things, with the main difference being moisture level.

Deep Bedding: A dry, non-composting system where you keep adding bedding to the coop as it becomes soiled -- managing it by turning it as necessary (or getting the chickens to turn it for you) -- and clean it out only infrequently when the bedding has become both thoroughly soiled and piled up to the point of not being able to add more. Usually used above a floor in the coop but *can* be done in a covered run over dirt in a favorable climate.

Deep Litter: A moist (not wet, moist), system where the lower layers of material are actively composting while new, dry material is continually added to the top. *Can* be done on any floor surface but is most readily accomplished on a dirt floor because the dirt will seed the material with the beneficial composting organisms.

I'm a tremendous fan of both methods but when I wrote this article I tried to cover the cons as well as the pros: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/using-deep-bedding-in-a-small-coop.76343/

 

[Meri Maura]

It's in my coop, which is dirt floored and open air on 3 sides. I don't know what the people who built it were thinking, because it cold and very windy here. The side with a wall is on the south, and the cold front come from the north I plan on building a new coop in the future, but it could be a long time until then. I may try to string up some tarps

 

[igorsMistress]

I think the tarps are a good idea for winter, but don’t button it up too much, you still need airflow.

Deep litter would work great in there. You may need to give it some water from time to time if it dries out, which will help it compost and keep the dust down.

 

[3KillerBs]

It's in my coop, which is dirt floored and open air on 3 sides.

In that case it would probably end up a hybrid of Deep Bedding and Deep Litter -- which is fine, it just composts more slowly.

Build it up in thin layers as you go along. That tends to work better than dumping in a great mass of bedding/litter all at once.

I may try to string up some tarps

Do, but don't over-do it. Leave plenty of ventilation open.