What type of bedding?

[Huskeriowa]

Good information. What would happen if you started off the deep litter method with vinyl floor covered with 2 inches of dirt topped with two inches of shavings? Would the deep litter method work then?

 

[elmo]

Quote:
I don't live in a cold climate, but from what I've read, sand isn't recommended for cold. Shavings provide better insulation from cold, and in bitter weather you can add a bunch more shavings so that the chickens can nestle down into them to stay warm. Can't do that with sand.

You can't do the deep litter method with sand, either.

Sand will work fine in a run for places that get serious winter, though.

 

[Pagan Prince]

Shavings for both nestbox and floor litter. The shed is raised off the ground. I clean it out weekly. The floor has a plastic sheet ontop of it and then 2"-3" of litter.

I pick up the sheet with all the mess and compost it. It makes it easy to clean under it and mite dust etc... I only have 15 chooks so it's that easy for me.

The bedding is a shelf for roosting on and the air around it

 

[Breshcandra]

I have a small coop but want to be able to compost the dirty stuff

 

[cajunhillbilly]

Sand for a small coop, or shavings. your preference. Sand in a small coop does have its benefits. Like i think elmosaid you can use a reptile scoop to clean the poop out.
I have a large coop that I will be putting shavings in except for under the roosts. Under the roosts i will be making a raised sand box for easy cleaning. just because the more sand you have the heavier it gets.
JMHO

Good Luck !

 

[chickensbythesea]

I use shavings because of my deep seated hatred for sand. Not just in the coop, anywhere besides the beach (where I still dislike it, but it's at least SUPPOSED to be there)

I'm usually sitting down, kneeling, crawling, and doing all sorts of crazy things in the coop, and getting sand in my shoes and clothing, and then in my house, would get old REALLY quickly for me. I have to wage a serious war against sand from June-September (beach season), that's enough for me. I also find that kneeling and crawling on shavings is easier on my knees.

Also, and more rationally, I can feed the dirty shavings to my composting worms, whom I can then harvest and feed to the chickens.
I also like the smell of fresh shavings, and the aesthetics, so I throw a thin layer down nearly every day after I mix the bedding. I like to hang out with my flock, and pine shavings make scooping up poop a lot less of a chore for me, and more of a zen relaxation thing.

 

[95yj]

One of my favorites is using sand as a bottom layer and then throwing shavings/hay/shredded paper on top. The sand gets dirty really quick, but protects the floor better than anything else, shavings will keep the birds clean. I like shavings but they can be kind of expensive, but so is straw/hayaround here. In the winter i put a layer of sand in most of my coops and then use a thick layer of hay for better insulation. I have done DLM on a raised wood floor, it just obviously won't work as well because theres no soil underneath, so you just have to shovel it out alot more often. I've also been using shredded paper because i can make/get it cheap, when managed correctly it works exactly like pine shavings and will compost too. One problem i'v had with hay/straw is that its harder for both me and the chickens to stir it up as compared to shavings, it just gets matted down with the top being filthy and the bottom being untouched. straw is also wikid easy to clean, if you use a pitch fork to pull it out it pretty much just comes out in one big piece, shavings a usually have to use a snow shovel. I would not recomend using sand exclusively, i feel its harder to clean and not as sanitary, but thats just my opinion. But i do really like using it as a bottom layer. Shredded paper is also another option thats frequently overlooked, it actually works pretty well. But pine shavings are definitely the best, without a doubt.

 

[Redley]

Quote:
Why doesn't deep litter work on a concrete floor?
I've got (2) 6' x 4' side by side runs on top of a concrete floor.
I live in the chilly cold winters of Colorado, I was thinking of doing the deep litter method in both the coop and under the roosts. I could do deep litter on coop floor and sand in trays under the roosts. I have a TON of pine needles. Anyone know how those would work by themselves or combined with the pine shaving deep litter?

Captain Carrot, could you share your experience of the deep litter and concrete floor?

thanks!

 

[cochicks]

We have a raised coop and use the DLM. We've been using it for about 6 months, and it going great! We use pine shavings, and that works great for insulation in our cold climate.