Stinky girls!!

[aart]

What do you mean by dry organic materials?

Any dry plant matter...straw, hay, dried grass clippings, dry garden refuse.
Gotta watch the mix so stuff doesn't pack into a wet anaerobic mass...that's where the wood chippings come in, help keep things from packing.

This works for odors, and might loosen the soil underneath, but I wouldn't use it as garden soil because of the wood.

My runs have semi-deep litter(cold composting), never clean anything out, just add smaller dry materials on occasion, add larger wood chippings as needed.
Aged ramial wood chippings are best IMO.

 

[Murdy]

Any dry plant matter...straw, hay, dried grass clippings, dry garden refuse.
Gotta watch the mix so stuff doesn't pack into a wet anaerobic mass...that's where the wood chippings come in, help keep things from packing.

This works for odors, and might loosen the soil underneath, but I wouldn't use it as garden soil because of the wood.

My runs have semi-deep litter(cold composting), never clean anything out, just add smaller dry materials on occasion, add larger wood chippings as needed.
Aged ramial wood chippings are best IMO.

Awesome... I like this! Thank you.

 

[drinkoj]

@Murdy How long did you let the run deep litter start to decompose/breakdown before you choose to till the ground?

Although I didn't have a smell, I noticed that it took a week or two for everything to start breaking down and a composting effect to start to eliminate a fly problem I was having in the beginning.

I add a bale of pine shavings/leaves/grass clippings every 2 to 3 weeks just to keep things fresh, so that might be the trick too.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Not sure why you're doing deep litter in the coop but not doing it in the run? Is it actually deep litter in the coop or is this a misunderstanding of terms (what aart and DobieLover described is deep litter)? What's in the coop right now?

How is the existing drainage in the run? No type/amount of litter will make up for poor drainage. If drainage is not an issue (and you're not prioritizing making compost) the ideal base material should be chunky, aged wood chips (not shavings) to provide drainage and aeration. Add into that other organic matter such as dried leaves, dried grass, garden trimmings, etc. As the materials break down and compost, they'll eat up the poop and odors.

 

[3KillerBs]

Deep Litter is a form of cold composting, which requires moisture and benefits from direct contact with the ground to inoculate the mixture of "brown" materials with the "green" manure with the good bacteria, good fungi, and good bugs -- though you *can* seed the mix with these things by adding some started compost either from your pile or raked out from under a pile of old leaves, pine straw, or whatever is quietly decomposing in some odd corner of your property.

The litter and the poop, in the presence of moisture and these composting organisms, react to create compost -- perfectly clean and odor-free when you have the balance right.

Deep Bedding is dry material, which works by drying out the poop. But instead of pooper scoopering it or cleaning it out regularly you just stir it around to break up any mats or crusts (the chickens will do the work for you if you throw a handful of scratch in a couple times a week), and add additional material when it seems to need it. Deep Bedding doesn't compost until you take it out of the coop and build a pile, watering in the layers as you work.

It's odor-free as long as it remains dry.

 

[blackdog043]

Wood chips(not shavings) and yard/garden waste. I haven't cleaned my run out in over 3 years, I just add to it. No odor or fly problems!

 

[Murdy]

@Murdy How long did you let the run deep litter start to decompose/breakdown before you choose to till the ground?

Although I didn't have a smell, I noticed that it took a week or two for everything to start breaking down and a composting effect to start to eliminate a fly problem I was having in the beginning.

I add a bale of pine shavings/leaves/grass clippings every 2 to 3 weeks just to keep things fresh, so that might be the trick too.

Well.... The original girls are 12 weeks.... So they've been in the coop since about 3 weeks, and then they started to venture out at about 5 weeks.... So, long story short, about 5 weeks before I came to the realization that something needed to change.

 

[Murdy]

Not sure why you're doing deep litter in the coop but not doing it in the run? Is it actually deep litter in the coop or is this a misunderstanding of terms (what aart and DobieLover described is deep litter)? What's in the coop right now?

How is the existing drainage in the run? No type/amount of litter will make up for poor drainage. If drainage is not an issue (and you're not prioritizing making compost) the ideal base material should be chunky, aged wood chips (not shavings) to provide drainage and aeration. Add into that other organic matter such as dried leaves, dried grass, garden trimmings, etc. As the materials break down and compost, they'll eat up the poop and odors.

Ummmm.... Is ignorance a valid excuse? Hahaha! I didn't realize that the deep litter method is also valid for the run.
In the coop right now is a base of about 4" of wood shavings. The girls have been doing a really good job of turning it (that's where they have chose to dust bathe), but I give It a good turn every 2 weeks or so, and then add a thin layer of new shavings, as well as some treats, and some feed.

I've got more than enough other compost on the go.... I just figured that this would be another bonus. I added in the peat, sand and soil today. That should significantly improve the drainage as the tilling didn't not help. The girls will now be able to dig around in there, so that will help a lot.
If this doesn't work, I'll switch up to the Mulch as you've suggested.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[Murdy]

Deep Litter is a form of cold composting, which requires moisture and benefits from direct contact with the ground to inoculate the mixture of "brown" materials with the "green" manure with the good bacteria, good fungi, and good bugs -- though you *can* seed the mix with these things by adding some started compost either from your pile or raked out from under a pile of old leaves, pine straw, or whatever is quietly decomposing in some odd corner of your property.

The litter and the poop, in the presence of moisture and these composting organisms, react to create compost -- perfectly clean and odor-free when you have the balance right.

Deep Bedding is dry material, which works by drying out the poop. But instead of pooper scoopering it or cleaning it out regularly you just stir it around to break up any mats or crusts (the chickens will do the work for you if you throw a handful of scratch in a couple times a week), and add additional material when it seems to need it. Deep Bedding doesn't compost until you take it out of the coop and build a pile, watering in the layers as you work.

It's odor-free as long as it remains dry.

Interesting. I was under the impression that the deep bedding (which is seemingly what I'm doing) does compost. That's disappointing.

 

[Murdy]

Wood chips(not shavings) and yard/garden waste. I haven't cleaned my run out in over 3 years, I just add to it. No odor or fly problems!

View attachment 2279725

Hahaha! Even with the little birth that I've added, I'm already bonking my head. I certainly won't last 3 years of adding stuff!

This is good info though for sure.... Thank you!