What did you do in the garden today?

[TJAnonymous]

I'm in the South and so far deep litter is working great! Maybe it's because I built a hoop coop and the structure is so open?

Its hard to say? We tried deep litter with our first coop and the previous homeowner of my current house was using deep litter in the goat house which was also shared with about 15 chickens. In both cases, the underlying litter would rot. Probably because of the high sustained humidity, combined with the intense heat that tends to stay above 90 from Memorial day to October. It didn't matter how good the ventilation was. I would even leave the main door to the coop completely open just to provide extra ventilation. The rotten poop & bedding would draw flies. Thousands of them. And in my first coop (but not the goat house), I even started to get moldy bedding that would get kicked up because of chickens digging in it, even if I put a thick 4 inch layer of new bedding on top. It only took me one season of that experience to say NOPE, NEVER AGAIN.

Now...here's one thing that may be a contributing factor. My first coop used plastic industrial pallets for the flooring. And the goat house is on subfloor laid over wooden pallets.

However, I kinda use deep litter in my duck coop which is also a hoop coop. In the summer, it is just a regular dirt floor/bare ground. No bedding at all. But in the winter, I do put down straw. Every week, I pile more straw on top. My hoop coop is vented along the top but also along one side where I have the tarp rolled up to provide extra ventilation during the summer since it gets so hot. I typically put it down for the winter.

Anyway, my point is that this method in my hoop coop doesn't stink, rot, or mold the way it did in the other 2 situations... But the differences -

1. It's on bare ground instead of flooring
2. I only do deep litter in the winter when it's not hot & humid.

 

[fuzzi]

Its hard to say? We tried deep litter with our first coop and the previous homeowner of my current house was using deep litter in the goat house which was also shared with about 15 chickens. In both cases, the underlying litter would rot. Probably because of the high sustained humidity, combined with the intense heat that tends to stay above 90 from Memorial day to October. It didn't matter how good the ventilation was. I would even leave the main door to the coop completely open just to provide extra ventilation. The rotten poop & bedding would draw flies. Thousands of them. And in my first coop (but not the goat house), I even started to get moldy bedding that would get kicked up because of chickens digging in it, even if I put a thick 4 inch layer of new bedding on top. It only took me one season of that experience to say NOPE, NEVER AGAIN.

Now...here's one thing that may be a contributing factor. My first coop used plastic industrial pallets for the flooring. And the goat house is on subfloor laid over wooden pallets.

However, I kinda use deep litter in my duck coop which is also a hoop coop. In the summer, it is just a regular dirt floor/bare ground. No bedding at all. But in the winter, I do put down straw. Every week, I pile more straw on top. My hoop coop is vented along the top but also along one side where I have the tarp rolled up to provide extra ventilation during the summer since it gets so hot. I typically put it down for the winter.

Anyway, my point is that this method in my hoop coop doesn't stink, rot, or mold the way it did in the other 2 situations... But the differences -

1. It's on bare ground instead of flooring
2. I only do deep litter in the winter when it's not hot & humid.

Mine is on bare ground. It's hot and humid here in spring, summer, and autumn...and the litter is constantly breaking down. I've been adding lawn mower clippings all summer long.

 

[TJAnonymous]

Mine is on bare ground. It's hot and humid here in spring, summer, and autumn...and the litter is constantly breaking down. I've been adding lawn mower clippings all summer long.

Here's the inside of my hoop coop from last winter. Thick straw on the ground for the ducks but the poop board for the 4-5 chickens that stay in this coop has sand in it.

That whole side under the poop boards is open during the summer for ventilation but I keep it covered during the winter. Still the coop is pretty well ventilated.

 

[fuzzi]

My hoop coop is open on all sides 2'-3' up from the ground, there are no solid walls. The back third has a tarp above and on the back side, but is also open on the ground level. The tan covering is shade cloth, which allows air and some moisture to pass through.

 

[fuzzi]

Today I watered my collards and lettuce, and looked over the carrots and turnips.

 

[gtaus]

We tried deep litter with our first coop

Enjoying the conversation but wonder if we are all using the same terminology. From what I understand, deep litter is a moist active composing system inside the coop. Deep bedding might use the same litter but it's dry as possible and does not promote active composting.

In both cases, the underlying litter would rot.

In an active deep litter composting system, I would expect the litter to decompose. Is that what you mean by rot?

And in my first coop (but not the goat house), I even started to get moldy bedding

What litter are you using that gets moldy? I had problems with moldy straw when I used it years ago but have not had any mold issues using wood chips, dried leaves, or my newest coop litter which is paper shreds.

Anyway, my point is that this method in my hoop coop doesn't stink, rot, or mold the way it did in the other 2 situations... But the differences -

1. It's on bare ground instead of flooring
2. I only do deep litter in the winter when it's not hot & humid.

I think there are some advantages to having the litter on bare ground. And I cannot help but to wonder if your winter in the southern states is more like our summers in the northern states. Location matters, no doubt in my mind.

Mine is on bare ground. It's hot and humid here in spring, summer, and autumn...and the litter is constantly breaking down. I've been adding lawn mower clippings all summer long.

Isn't that what you want in your deep litter system? Sounds like it is working perfectly to me.

Here's the inside of my hoop coop from last winter. Thick straw on the ground for the ducks but the poop board for the 4-5 chickens that stay in this coop has sand in it.

When I look at that, I'm thinking that is a dry deep bedding setup. I don't use straw. I use paper shreds for the past 2+ years. I don't use poop boards. I just let the poo drop into the paper shreds. There is very little to no composting going on in my dry deep bedding. The poo gets absorbed into the paper shreds litter and automagically disappears. When I clean out the coop, twice a year, most of that poo has worked its way down to the bottom. But my used paper shreds do not actively start composting until I dump them out into the chicken run where they are exposed to rain and weather.

I always find it interesting to read about what coop litter method works or does not work often times dependent on where you live.

 

[TJAnonymous]

My hoop coop is open on all sides 2'-3' up from the ground, there are no solid walls. The back third has a tarp above and on the back side, but is also open on the ground level. The tan covering is shade cloth, which allows air and some moisture to pass through.
View attachment 3662730

View attachment 3662731

Seeing your coop, I'd bet the deep litter works well because it's so open and well ventilated.

In the 2 cases from my experience I mentioned before, both buildings were built like a shed with 4 walls and solid flooring. Even though they both had generous amounts of ventilation, with the deep litter method, it CLEARLY wasn't enough.

I still use the goat house for my goats but chickens are not allowed to roost in there overnight. I have straw bedding in there all the time. It doesn't stink and doesn't have flies but goat berries aren't nearly as stinky/gooey as chicken poop. The only change from the stinky deep litter method from before is that the chickens roost in their own coop now.

 

[TJAnonymous]

Enjoying the conversation but wonder if we are all using the same terminology. From what I understand, deep litter is a moist active composing system inside the coop. Deep bedding might use the same litter but it's dry as possible and does not promote active composting.



In an active deep litter composting system, I would expect the litter to decompose. Is that what you mean by rot?



What litter are you using that gets moldy? I had problems with moldy straw when I used it years ago but have not had any mold issues using wood chips, dried leaves, or my newest coop litter which is paper shreds.



I think there are some advantages to having the litter on bare ground. And I cannot help but to wonder if your winter in the southern states is more like our summers in the northern states. Location matters, no doubt in my mind.



Isn't that what you want in your deep litter system? Sounds like it is working perfectly to me.



When I look at that, I'm thinking that is a dry deep bedding setup. I don't use straw. I use paper shreds for the past 2+ years. I don't use poop boards. I just let the poo drop into the paper shreds. There is very little to no composting going on in my dry deep bedding. The poo gets absorbed into the paper shreds litter and automagically disappears. When I clean out the coop, twice a year, most of that poo has worked its way down to the bottom. But my used paper shreds do not actively start composting until I dump them out into the chicken run where they are exposed to rain and weather.

I always find it interesting to read about what coop litter method works or does not work often times dependent on where you live.

My understanding with deep litter is that it does compost down in the coop... It's the heat from that composting process that makes it so useful in cold winters which is one of its primary benefits. With deep litter, you are still adding a thick layer of new bedding on top which is dry & clean. Once that starts to get yucky, you add another layer...

My issue was that the poop, dirty material at the bottom contains enough natural moisture that it would rot and promote mold & bacteria. I'm sure rot and compost are close to the same process but the difference to me is the moisture. For example, I haul shavings, manure, dried leaves, straw, etc to my outdoor compost pile for the garden. If I were to dig down 10 inches in that pile, you'd see material in various stages of decay but it wouldn't be slimy, moldy, stinky, and....well...rotten. It would smell earthy and might be moist but not slimy. In the deep litter in my first coop, if you dug down, it would look like material you pulled out of a swamp. It stinks, is black and moldy, and slimy. It was often crawling with maggots too because it attracts flies due to smell. Even if I put 4 inches of clean bedding on top, the chickens would inevitably kick up the nasty stuff. The materials I used for deep litter was straw and pine shavings...

Please note that the goat house did NOT have a problem with mold in the litter... Just stink and flies. The mold issue was just with my first coop. I still have this coop but don't use it now except for short term transitions and I don't use deep litter with it.

 

[fuzzi]

It drains beautifully also. When we had a tropical storm a few weeks ago the litter was quite saturated at first, but within a couple hours it was just damp. My feet made prints, but the chickens ran across the surface, not sinking in at all!

Notice below that my footprint disappeared before I threw some straw on top

Nice job, ladies and gents!

@gtaus yes, the litter is constantly disappearing, breaking down as expected, intended.

 

[TJAnonymous]

It drains beautifully also. When we had a tropical storm a few weeks ago the litter was quite saturated at first, but within a couple hours it was just damp. My feet made prints, but the chickens ran across the surface, not sinking in at all!
View attachment 3662737

Notice below that my footprint disappeared before I threw some straw on top
View attachment 3662738

Nice job, ladies and gents!
View attachment 3662739

@gtaus yes, the litter is constantly disappearing, breaking down as expected, intended.

With my hoop house, I gave it a bare earth floor because it absorbs moisture so well... Ducks have very wet poop. I also figured it would be cooler for them to lay on in the summer and the straw acts as an insulator in the winter. I don't have any issue with smell or flies in my coop.

I really think the other coops didn't work with that method because they had solid flooring underneath which prohibited moisture absorption and solid walls don't give near enough ventilation for that type of bedding method. Of course, this is no longer a problem with only the goats in there because their poop is so different from chicken manure.

In my coops dedicated to my chickens, I use sand litter and, other than the number it does on my lungs when I sift it clean, it works wonderfully. No flies, no smell, and in 3 yrs I've only had to add more sand to the poop boards once. So cost effective...