Why Do You Use Deep Bedding/Why Do You NOT Use Deep Bedding?

[aart]

I've read that nitrogen helps the pine shavings break down faster, so I'm hoping the poop that's mixed in with them will help with that.

Right, but if the poop doesn't do the trick before you plant, then any nitrogen in the soil would go to breaking down the wood rather than feeding the plants.

 

[TJAnonymous]

You have a great point! I should add we don't have a "garden" that gets planted yearly. Ours goes around trees, bushes and flowers. We are not working in the dirt. Any dispersement is done with a rake or chickens. And it is not touching any of the fruit or edible parts. We don't add it to the strawberry patch nor the asparagus because that is more of a garden that we are in for picking and weeding.

I would not add it as fresh manure to any plants you are going to eat such as strawberries, etc... That's a good way to get e coli. If you are putting it around trees, shrubs, or flowers, it is up to whether the plant can tolerate the heat of the fresh nitrogen. But root vegetables, greens, and fruit...big no no. Kinda like playing russian roulette with your garden. I would compost it for at least 4-8 months depending on where you live.

 

[Chickensandhorsesforlife]

I'm putting together an article on using Deep Bedding in a small coop and wanted to make sure I had as complete a list of pros and cons as possible.

I know why I DO use this method and I can think of some reasons others might not want to use it, but I'd like to hear the voices of community experience in order to create a useful article.

Deep Bedding being defined as: 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.

I clean my coop when it is dirty, but when I re-bed, i do it really deep so the older ladies can get off of the bar without a hard crash landing

 

[3KillerBs]

One con of deep bedding I ran into - my man door and the pop door were not designed for it

That's one I will need to add to my list. It is important to have the right design to reduce frustration.

I use a couple of bricks around the feeder for my shorter birds.

I do this too.

When I was set up as a brooder and needed a brick because the Brahmas were 2 weeks older and thus considerably taller than the others I just took the brick out, added more bedding, then put it back.

Can DB be used as compost readilly? I assume it needs to go into a compost pile or bin to be broken down until it cools off to decrease the level of Nitrogen to prevent damage to plants.

Also, since it came up already, can DLM bedding go straight onto plants?

When I clean the coop I create a compost pile, watering in the layers. Shavings do not break down as readily as some other materials, but they do break down in time, especially when managed for hot compost.

Some people dump the coop bedding into the run and let it age and compost there.

If I were harvesting compost from Deep Litter I'd probably either put it on the ground a season ahead or pile it to finish since there will always be fresh manure mixed in.

I would compost it for at least 4-8 months depending on where you live.

Climate and time of year matters a great deal.

I live in a hot, wet climate where organic material breaks down FAST. I can probably get the composting action in a couple summer months that would take a person in a cold, dry climate a year.

 

[BReeder!]

Right, but if the poop doesn't do the trick before you plant, then any nitrogen in the soil would go to breaking down the wood rather than feeding the plants.

Some things I have read refer to studies showing that this isn't too much of an issue if you are top dressing/mulching just. Mixing carbon rich compost or mulch down into the soil where the plants roots would be trying to access nitrogen is where you might run into problems like you are describing.

 

[aart]

Some things I have read refer to studies showing that this isn't too much of an issue if you are top dressing/mulching just.

Yep, but the post I quoted talked about burying it.

 

[TJAnonymous]

Climate and time of year matters a great deal.

I live in a hot, wet climate where organic material breaks down FAST. I can probably get the composting action in a couple summer months that would take a person in a cold, dry climate a year.

Ditto. Living in the South gives us that luxury...

 

[Liz Birdlover]

The weather here has been unusual, extremely rainy. Lately, below freezing then up to 40 with more rain, then cold again with snow...so yeah, very, very wet. The entire yard is like a wet sponge that freezes then melts but never dries out. Some sections of my property are flooding but then drain within within few days. So...due to the wetness, my flock has been indoors mostly...can't exactly enjoy a dustbath when it's a mudhole. That being said, you know that means more poop indoors. So while I do sprinkle the Stall Dry PDZ and fluff down several inches of wood flakes, it only really stays decent for about a week or 2, despite my scooping poop clumps (poop macaroons Lol) daily & cleaning under perches then fluffing & adding more chips.

It's funny how my breeds vary. I have 10 sections right now. The Wyandottes & Buffs stay the nicest longest. The EEs are a little messier. The Barred Rocks, RIRs and Marans are super messy...they also lay the biggest eggs and poop the biggest poops! LOL

I do like DLM for insulation, as the coops are noticeably warmer when it's below freezing. My coops are insulated & then with the DLM & the chickens' body heat, so inside the coops when down in the teens outside, waterers have not frozen! DLM also gives a nice cushy landing, even though perches are not high, a few hens decided to make private perches on impossibility small window sills. Also, my RIR Roo is a jumpy boy, quite the airborne goofball. So they do well landing on some DLM cushion. I am glad when building the coops, I used 3 coats of floor paint, then 2 coats of polyurethane on that, so when I clean floors, I have no problems getting them clean, using a plastic type large dustpan & I bought a child's plastic snow shovel that works well, too. The Stall Dry PDZ along with wood chips really makes a nice difference, there is NEVER an odor, even when the Maran's chips are really poopy, obviously fluffed to the max, and needing a trip to the compost heap.

I haven't had chickens long, just since 2015, so I am still learning and improving coop design. I will be revising perches with poop "section" under them to keep those chips more contained and not so easily mixed with the rest of the floor chips, it'll make my brief cleaning in the mornings easier. I will be doing something about the window sill perching, too. I also want to install vent fans with louvers for outgoing ventilation. I have barn fans bringing fresh air in, but more ventilation will help expel dusty air or humid air out when I can't open windows due to weather.

I don't know how I could pile chips up higher and higher, the highest is about 5-6 inches under perches, then 3 inches the rest of the floor, because when the chickens are kicking and fluffing them, they can end up in the feeder and waterer, even though I have them elevated. So I clean more often than most I guess. It's ok, I love my birds, they can't get out and about as much this year as it been so darn sopping wet. It is what it is. It has kept greens growing well in their pens at least. I have a wonderful compost area in back of a pole barn, it is about a 50x50 area, I have sections, new poop & chips, older poop & chips, very old poop & chips & totally rich soil, ready to use composted poop & chips. It is chicken & pigeon manure, so my veggies do well! If we ever get some dry days this spring I will be out there with the tiller.

Sorry to write a book here,

 

[3KillerBs]

because when the chickens are kicking and fluffing them, they can end up in the feeder and waterer, even though I have them elevated.

When I had my food and water in the coop instead of in the run I had the feeder hanging on a chain and the waterer up on blocks/bricks so that I could adjust the height as the level of the bedding increased.

 

[chkncrazy]

Its a No Brainer. I USED TO USE HAY, many moons ago and it would get soggy and poop laden in a day... it didn't do.anything with hygiene or keep the coop dry...in the summer the girls love to.sratch and find fly larvae lol... mines a raised 9×10ft coop so when I clean I leave the back door and front door open as well as my custom pop out like hatch windows and it dries.fast. I might spread some diatomaceous earth if I have it on hand before using the shavings. I clean in the spring after a long winter of adding new shavings and they compost like magic. ALSO shavings is a MUST in the nest boxes especially on those rainy days or is you have an out law that likes to sleep in one lol lol!