Why Do You, or Don't You, Use Deep Litter in Your Run (and/or Coop)?

[3KillerBs]

I have deep litter in a huge coop with a dirt floor.

I do this because I want the compost and I do not want to clean it often. I have only emptied out the compost once in 4 years, I plan to again this fall. I planned to last fall but it did not happen.

Talk about ease of cleaning! Once every few years if you feel like it -- the busy chicken-keeper's dream.

I live in a dry climate, this week I intend to flood the coop so it all gets good and wet. It will dry out fast enough. I do this once every summer otherwise I do not think it would ever compost.

How interesting! Being in a wet climate I didn't think about that -- though I do dump waterers into the run during dry spells to give the chickens a moist, cool place to dig into when it's seriously hot.

I wonder how many other dry climate people need to water their run this way to make it work?

I use deep litter in my run because:
1) It allows for drainage and keeps mud suppressed which is essential as my run is unroofed and we get a lot of rain.
2) It's economical (aka free) - everything that goes into my litter is sourced from my yard, wood chips from our branches, dried leaves from our trees, dried grass from our lawn, etc.

Great reasons. I've been looking up mud suppression to learn about it since I don't get mud in my extremely well-drained, sandy soil.

My litter of choice, pine straw, is free for the raking on my property.

I dig some up when I need compost for the garden - buying garden soil is expensive!

Do you do anything to make sure that what you're taking out is mature compost and not too hot with fresh manure for your plants?

 

[3KillerBs]

I personally started with the Deep Litter because I'm lazy.

Regular cleaning is absolute NOT my favorite chore and I figure that I have enough work to keep a house with a busy family reasonably clean without adding daily or even weekly chicken cleaning to the chore list.

One big task planned for good weather on a day off that I can do and see accomplished and over suits my personality better than a niggly, little, annoying chore that has to be done over and over and over and over so that you never actually see it FINISHED.

Additionally, I'm a gardener and want the compost (I'm considering a rotating pen system, or, at least, putting grow-outs into fallow garden areas).

Finally, though I didn't intend to set it up that way, after a year or so of having my in-town flock in their Deep Litter run I read about how chickens are creatures of the forest floor and that we can, as backyard chicken keepers, give our birds a habitat that resembles their natural forest floor -- at least to the extent that our climate permits -- by using Deep Litter with all the yard waste, garden weeds, etc. that our property generates.

I have not cleaned my run in a little over a year -- other than to rake up things like roast bones they've finished with and the paper plates that got buried before I could pick them up (I give the chickens their scraps on paper plates since I don't like using my dishes in the chicken run or washing chicken-run dishes in my kitchen sink (DH is setting me up an outdoor sink)).

There is no odor and no more flies than anywhere else in the yard.

 

[CluckerFamily]

Selfishly, deep liter saves time.
Bonus: the chickens enjoy scratching in it, finding bugs, dust batheing, and sun batheing.

 

[Vacman]

Been using the deep litter system for about two years now. Used to empty the coop every couple of months, Haven't emptied it in over 1-1/2 years now. No smell or flies. Every so often, add more straw and throw in some scratch grain. The chickens will scratch the bedding into a powder if I don't add more straw. So far, it's the best solution I've found to maintaining the coop.

 

[Boise-girls]

wonder how many other dry climate people need to water their run this way to make it work

I spray it with the hose about once a week right now to encourage composting and bugs for the girls. (Not that I actually ever see any bugs.) The litter stays pretty dry, even with the added water, but it keeps the soil underneath from drying out completely. We get about 11 inches of precipitation annually, with dry, hot summers.

The pen is covered for shade, or it would be even drier. I'll probably keep at least half of it covered year around, since we get some rain and snow in other seasons. (I've just had them since mid-May, so learning as I go.)

 

[3KillerBs]

I spray it with the hose about once a week right now to encourage composting and bugs for the girls. (Not that I actually ever see any bugs.) The litter stays pretty dry, even with the added water, but it keeps the soil underneath from drying out completely. We get about 11 inches of precipitation annually, with dry, hot summers.

The pen is covered for shade, or it would be even drier. I'll probably keep at least half of it covered year around, since we get some rain and snow in other seasons. (I've just had them since mid-May, so learning as I go.)

That's great to know.

I NEED input from people in various climates. Cold-weather chicken keepers brought up some great points for the Deep Bedding thread that I'd have never considered with only hot-climate experience.

 

[3KillerBs]

Speaking of the above point,

Where I live the ground never really freezes -- only the top inch or two in a severe year and then only for a week, maybe, because our cold snaps almost never persist more than a few days.

I would guess that Deep Litter is moot in an un-covered run that's got snow in it, but how does Deep Litter do on a covered run in a cold-climate? Does it freeze? Does it insulate the ground against freezing? ???

 

[MysteryChicken]

I'm thinking of writing a companion piece to my Deep Bedding article on the other half of the system, Deep Litter, so I thought I'd start collecting information the same way, by asking you all what you do or don't like about it.

I'm using the same definitions as before:

Deep Bedding: A dry, non-composting system where you keep adding bedding to the coop as it becomes soiled -- managing it by turning it as necessary (or getting the chickens to turn it for you) -- and clean it out only infrequently when the bedding has become both thoroughly soiled and piled up to the point of not being able to add more. Usually used above a floor in the coop but *can* be done in a covered run over dirt in a favorable climate.

Deep Litter: A moist (not wet, moist), system where the lower layers of material are actively composting while new, dry material is continually added to the top. *Can* be done on any floor surface but is most readily accomplished on a dirt floor because the dirt will seed the material with the beneficial composting organisms.

Please share your experiences, successes, failures, and anecdotes so I can write an informative and well-balanced article.

I use the decomposing/deep litter run method.

I use the non composting henhouse floor method. I mainly use straw as bedding.

I could use the deep litter method in the mixed flock coop, since they have a dirt floor, but nothing really decomposes right, & we don't have enough ventilation in that coop to help the process. The floor gets all lumpy, & bumpy, & most spots become hard like dry clay. It's a pain in the butt to clean out, & even the floor.

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

I wonder how many other dry climate people need to water their run

I am talking about in the coop. Dirt floors, concrete footings so the walls stay dry.

 

[3KillerBs]

I am talking about in the coop. Dirt floors, concrete footings so the walls stay dry

Ah. I thought you were referring to the run.

I have read that its always necessary to water an indoor Deep Litter system and thought that you were saying that you also had to water your run due to your climate. My mistake.

Thanks for clearing that up.