What to use in the run...

[monkcat]

Thanks. They were enjoying that patch of sunshine! They are so much bigger already! This was one of the middle kids in the pile. My lap chicken who is now very obviously a rooster! You can see the litter in the bottom has gotten all broken in and smaller. Hadn't been added to at all. Even when it rains, within an hour or two, the top is just as dry looking, but the underneath is moist/wet. Ignore the bare feet. Never could stand shoes for long.

 

[sophiaw00]

For the deep litter method, would wood chips then straw/hay/grass clippings work?

 

[16 paws]

Thanks. They were enjoying that patch of sunshine! They are so much bigger already! This was one of the middle kids in the pile. My lap chicken who is now very obviously a rooster! You can see the litter in the bottom has gotten all broken in and smaller. Hadn't been added to at all. Even when it rains, within an hour or two, the top is just as dry looking, but the underneath is moist/wet. Ignore the bare feet. Never could stand shoes for long.

That roosters face is adorable. Thanks for sharing, love the mulch and your roo! He looks like he is going to be a good boy!

I love roosters....
Marie

 

[monkcat]

For the deep litter method, would wood chips then straw/hay/grass clippings work?

I would think so. I wouldn't necessarily layer it lasagna style though. The wet stuff may be problematic if not done right or too much. If you can find the threads with beekissed in them on deep Litter. she has so much practical knowledge about it. She's been doing it did awhile and has a video in the thread that was the deciding factor for me.

I'm pretty newbish, but having great results so far.

I think I put a link in that takes you to the page her video is on. Really worth the time.

When I tell you my coop has so far been pretty maintenence free, that is no joke!

 

[biteme2134]

I've been doing great except the mud problems. Once the rainy season stops my sand dries out and the girls love it.

So I looked at my bag of pine shavings from tractor supply. It says they'll cover 8 cubic feet. So assuming that's true and my math is decent my 170 square foot coop could be covered with around 10 bags? That's at about 6 inches in depth. Would that be the way to go? Is that deep enough?

Then I don't have to haul all of it from the woods and I can add to the top slower

 

[chickymama90]

i am curious about wood shavings too. right now my 6 chickens are stomping around on a dirt floor covered in poo and mud. it's already starting to stink and they've only been in the coop for 2 weeks!

we've had lot of rain around here. I want to add shavings but i'm afraid they will get soggy and moldy...

 

[yellowchicks]

Here is the wood shaving bedding inside a covered run doing deep litter method on top of the 1/2" hardware cloth, which was placed on top of the dirt ground. Inside the coop is all pine shaving, no much cleaning needed due to the use of poop boards. When the pine shaving inside the coop needs changing every few months, I just throw the old pine shaving to the run and mix it up.



Here is doing deep litter method in an open-top run. I just throw in some Dogwood flower petals, some grass, leaves, pine needles, etc. on top of dirt. Our chickens come out to lounge in this larger run when we are home but not in the yard with them. The girls do the scratching and mixing. There is no smell, no cleaning needed. They also use it as a dust bath.