Storing Oak Leaf Litter for use a as Bedding Supplement

[cayugaducklady]

Our property is encircled by a mature mixed oak forest.

I'd like to use the leaves as supplement bedding / boredom buster this winter.

Would love to hear how experienced leaf litter users store their leaves for use later.

Before we got ducks we used the leaves as mulch in raised beds or mulch at the forest edge/border.

 

[TLWR]

I piled them up in a open bin by the duck house.
The snakes decided they also liked the pile, so I changed my mind about that so I didn't reach in to grab bedding and find myself a snake...

 

[cayugaducklady]

Yikes, i hadn't thought of snakes. I've two working terriers that would take care of that for me if i *have* to.

Maybe i'll just pile them under one of the fir trees that never gets snow drifts or snowfall under it.

Thanks for the tip.

 

[OldTownKhakis]

I use mulched maple leaves as a base for the night run, and mixed with straw for Winter day beds etc. Sometimes I use the mulching lawn mower the break them down first, sometimes I just use the mulching leaf vacuum. If you have a mower with a bag attachment that is probably ideal.

I found using them as duck litter was also a great way to get them to compost. Otherwise I need to make countless trips to the town dump to get rid of them, or they sit for years in the compost bin without really breaking down on their own.
I store them in brown paper leaf bags under the porch where they get good air flow, and are mostly out of the weather.

Key thing is to harvest them as dry possible. I had some damp leaves last winter that froze solid and were impossible to break up without bringing into the basement to defrost. I'm not keen to find out what was overwintering in them, so just moved the frozen ones to use as wind breaks until they defrosted naturally. If I'm lucky I'll have enough to keep going till this years leaves drop.

 

[cayugaducklady]

Thanks for sharing your experiences.

I definitely don't want to bring them inside to thaw.

Do you shovel your run when snow covers a layer of mulch leaves? Or just add another layer of leaves on top of the new snow?