The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Sally8]

Just wanted to comment....all winter I followed the Deep Litter Method in my coop. This spring I started hauling out 2/3 of the litter and just put it in a pile out back. I hauled another wagon load of nasty ground under the run and placed it next to the pile yesterday. I've never composted so I stirred it for the first time in several months. Earthworms everywhere. Sometimes you don't have to know what you are doing to have everything work right.

Cecilia has 5 chicks now and her family is complete!!!

I hate how iPads puts words in for you.

 

[Vigar49]

Thanks for the information!

 

[MumsyII]

Just wanted to comment....all winter I followed the Deep Litter Method in my coop. This spring I started hauling out 2/3 of the litter and just put it in a pile out back. I hauled another wagon load of nasty ground under the run and placed it next to the pile yesterday. I've never composted so I stirred it for the first time in several months. Earthworms everywhere. Sometimes you don't have to know what you are doing to have everything work right.

Cecilia has 5 chicks now and her family is complete!!!

I hate how iPads puts words in for you.

Deep Litter is the best thing I learned this past year for my birds that has benefited my pocket book, the flock, and my garden. I'll never go back to the constant cleaning and replacing method of poultry house litter. What a colossal waste of time and $ that was.

Yay! For Cecilia! At twenty two days, I just heard the first peep in the Genesis. No pips yet?!

 

[armorfirelady]

Just wanted to comment....all winter I followed the Deep Litter Method in my coop. This spring I started hauling out 2/3 of the litter and just put it in a pile out back. I hauled another wagon load of nasty ground under the run and placed it next to the pile yesterday. I've never composted so I stirred it for the first time in several months. Earthworms everywhere. Sometimes you don't have to know what you are doing to have everything work right.

Cecilia has 5 chicks now and her family is complete!!!

I hate how iPads puts words in for you.

Glad to hear Cecilia is doing so well with her chicks.
DL is a wonderful thing. When people doubt it I show them a picture of the earthworm I found at the end of December alive and well

My iPad does the same thing

 

[NanaLynn]

The pine shavings in the my coop seem so dry all the time and I have a lot of them in there and turn them a lot. After reading through here, I guess I should add some leaves, grass clippings, dirt and layer them in to help with the break down of my Deep Litter?

Does that sound like a good plan? I am new to chickens and even newer to Deep Litter, I was using sand, but my coop is big enough for 20 chickens, so it was a lot of sifting of poop, so I figured DL was the way to go. (Plus the easier, the better for me)

Thanks for all the Deep Litter advice.

Oh and congrats to everyone for all the new happenings in their lives, I've been trying to read and keep up, hard to do.

 

[armorfirelady]

The pine shavings in the my coop seem so dry all the time and I have a lot of them in there and turn them a lot. After reading through here, I guess I should add some leaves, grass clippings, dirt and layer them in to help with the break down of my Deep Litter? Does that sound like a good plan? I am new to chickens and even newer to Deep Litter, I was using sand, but my coop is big enough for 20 chickens, so it was a lot of sifting of poop, so I figured DL was the way to go. (Plus the easier, the better for me) Thanks for all the Deep Litter advice.

Oh and congrats to everyone for all the new happenings in their lives, I've been trying to read and keep up, hard to do.

If its free and green I use it. Grass clippings, leaves, weeds, etc. I've been known to take my neighbors bagged leaves for use over the winter I also add peat moss. Well the hens do I put it in their dust bath box ill throw grass plugs in there or some soil if I have it. Dumping potted plants soil in the coop keeps them well entertained in the winter. Some scratch or boss tossed in the coop during the winter gets the girls to turn the DL for me

 

[Sally8]

If its free and green I use it. Grass clippings, leaves, weeds, etc. I've been known to take my neighbors bagged leaves for use over the winter I also add peat moss. Well the hens do I put it in their dust bath box ill throw grass plugs in there or some soil if I have it. Dumping potted plants soil in the coop keeps them well entertained in the winter.

Some scratch or boss tossed in the coop during the winter gets the girls to turn the DL for me

X2

 

[delisha]

The pine shavings in the my coop seem so dry all the time and I have a lot of them in there and turn them a lot. After reading through here, I guess I should add some leaves, grass clippings, dirt and layer them in to help with the break down of my Deep Litter?

Does that sound like a good plan? I am new to chickens and even newer to Deep Litter, I was using sand, but my coop is big enough for 20 chickens, so it was a lot of sifting of poop, so I figured DL was the way to go. (Plus the easier, the better for me)

Thanks for all the Deep Litter advice.

Oh and congrats to everyone for all the new happenings in their lives, I've been trying to read and keep up, hard to do.

It sounds like a great plan. A bag of peat moss in late fall is a great add too. They love it and it will encourage good microbes to grow all winter. The chickens will love to dig threw it and have a great time bathing in it.

Quote: x2

 

[delisha]

Quote: go slkies go!!

 

[aoxa]

go slkies go!!

Wow they are late huh? Go silkies!