The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Leahs Mom]

OK..just so some are not confused..
..the poop is part of the deep litter..it is the gold part that makes it all work. If you are removing it you do not have deep litter. All those good microbes will take forever..like a few decades to get going.
If you do not deep litter this is a great idea..It will keep a pretty clean coop.

Yes. And...the litter done that way provides some very interesting health benefits. So...since we're talking about litter, and poop, etc....

thought I'd post this article. It's not the only one out there but it's one that's worth reading. I found it very interesting that having a bit of ammonia in the litter actually helps fight some things. We've been so conditioned to be afraid of ammonia that we don't use it to our advantage. (This is in a small amount! Not an overload!!!!)

My disclaimer is that I WOULD NOT USE LIME in the deep litter even though this article mentions it. There are types of lime that can burn and cause other health issues.



Anyway, here's the article:


Quote:

 

[Leahs Mom]

But....
In the winter is my SMALL hen shed, I'd like to remove SOME of the poop since that's where they spend a lot of their time pooping. So I was also interested to see various innovations to make that easier.

Even though I would remove SOME in the winter, I would still maintain a good, healthy built-up litter and would remove any poop catching devices for the warmer months.

 

[Scott H]

Yep, the hammock/tray is not for those who DL....they work great for raised coops, especially ones that you cannot walk into. These are more like chicken homes/cages, not true coops, IMHO.
I do not believe DL is healthier than clean nor do I believe DL is unhealthy. They are two different ways to raise chickens.
That being said, anyone want to buy buckets of nice clean chicken poo? :-D

 

[Leahs Mom]

And... Scott....your birds get to go outside. They run around, dig in the dirt, etc., and are exposed to the healthy bacteria in the environment.

That also makes a difference, as some birds never get to go outside. In that situation, a properly balanced deep or "built up" litter would be an added benefit to their health that they don't get from being able to be outdoors. Just the B vitamins that are produced as part of the deep litter would be well worth it for the confined birds.

 

[delisha]

My poop this winter is ridiculous. I swear it freezes as they expel it. They have it frozen to feathers. I was pulling it out but the poor birds had a few missing spots, so I quit.

 

[Leahs Mom]

My poop this winter is ridiculous. I swear it freezes as they expel it. They have it frozen to feathers. I was pulling it out but the poor birds had a few missing spots, so I quit.

I haven't had it on the bottoms, but it sure has been frozen very quickly after dropping. Then when it gets warm, it's too much in my small shed when it melts all at the same time. That's why I've been interested in seeing how folks are doing the poop catchers to decide if there is a better way to handle that in winter for me.

 

[lazy gardener]

My poop this winter is ridiculous.

My how the meaning changes when you can put it in context!

 

[Shan30]

Agreed, the great poop melt after long periods of freezing weather is nasty! I just explode half a bale of shavings on top and shake out the dust box all over the floor and refill it. The ash seems to really soak up a lot of moisture.

Other than those moments and the times when the humidity here gets out of control, I LOVE deep litter! I haven't cleaned out my coop since the end of summer

I am looking into switching feed brands right now (yes I feed bagged commercial feed, please don't hurt me!) I am starting sprouting for the birds/ fodder for the bunnies and might try fermenting when it's warmer. Anyways I have noticed that I can find GMO free feed for a few dollars a bag less than organic. I'm thinking I might just go with the GMO free.

Wondering what everyone's thoughts are on GMO free vs organic feed.

 

[Scott H]

I know some have too keep their chickens confined for various different reasons but I sense genuine chicken joy when the coop door opens....
We have lost our snow and they will sometimes run right by their feeder to commence to scratching barren earth. There is not much to find but they just like too look!
Maybe someday we'll lose one or all to predators but they will have had a good life just being chickens.

 

[chick rookie]

I had a chance to clean some of the DL out of pens and the layer coop last Friday, and spread it in runs. You would have thought I handed out brand new fantastic toys LOL - the chickens were so happy, digging and pecking and flinging and discovering. I wanted to add some fresh straw and it was getting deep, their delight at new stuff in the runs was a happy result. Maybe try that?

that's what I did today... they are having a blast... lol