Topic of the Week - Coop Bedding and Waste Management; Deep Litter Method etc.

[pdxevergreen]

Love this!

 

[mirsy09]

The peat moss is GREAT! I bought some at the nursery and it comes in bales. It just soaks up the moisture. It was cheap also. $12/bale and worked very well. If the chickens walk in wet areas they can get a bacteria that kills them!

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

@mirsy09
I will have to get some. They don't seem to mind the mud and the wood shavings seem to get it off their feet. Then I end up with clumpy shavings. It has been two weird winters followed by soggy spring. I can't imagine this spring will be better.
Thanks for the tip.

 

[mirsy09]

I only use the peat moss in their run, but shavings in their coop and laying boxes. Seems fine. I agree this is a crazy winter! My barn area lawn I had to put 14 bags of compressed pine pellets to soak up the water that was laying on the surface. I've owned our farm for 28 years and never had this problem before. I was afraid to use these pine pellets in the hens' run as the dumb clucks might eat them like their organic pellets! This is global warming for all the denyers. We had record amounts of snow since they started recording weather here. I live NW Coast of Canada and we seldom even get show!

 

[Beekissed]

Quote:
My chicken coop/chickens don't smell bad, no matter the season or weather. A working deep litter digests all the manure and the fermented feed they eat removes most of the strong odor of chicken manure. Never see a fly, never smell ammonia.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

4 inches of pine shavings.

Cleaned out every two months. Mid summer will scoop out top layer and add shavings inbetween month.

Floor is bare plywood, never gets wet with that depth of shavings. No water or food put in coop.

Hay for nests, hay for run in winter if icey or too much snow.

Waste Management is to compost with house scraps and put in garden or use shavings direct from coop around fruit trees as mulch.

 

[iosRANDALL]

Thanks @Beekissed for your compliments on my coop It's a good working setup -for us AND the chickens.
On another note, I really like your Proverbs 12:10 quote. SO VERY TRUE.

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

I only use the peat moss in their run, but shavings in their coop and laying boxes. Seems fine. I agree this is a crazy winter! My barn area lawn I had to put 14 bags of compressed pine pellets to soak up the water that was laying on the surface. I've owned our farm for 28 years and never had this problem before. I was afraid to use these pine pellets in the hens' run as the dumb clucks might eat them like their organic pellets! This is global warming for all the denyers.  We had record amounts of snow since they started recording weather here. I live NW Coast of Canada and we seldom even get show!

Do the pellets break down once they've soaked up water? Or do you have to rake them up and remove them? I have problem areas in my lawn too. Would be nice to get those under control. Not have 2 mud splashed dogs all spring.

 

[mirsy09]

The pellets just breakdown to sawdust. I get the bags at the feed store as these are used for bedding in stalls horses. I just raked them smooth and when it warms up, i'll cover that area with topsoil and top seed it with quick start grass seed. Then we'll be back playing croquet on the lawn again!
I used it when my son built me a raised veggie bed to fill it up because it really expands when the pellets get wet. I had some big ruts in my lawn because my RV got stuck when I tried to pull out after loading it up for vacation this fall. I just got them at my feed store.

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

@mirsy09
Looks like peat moss and stall pellets are in my future! Thanks for the great info.