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My deep litter method experiment vs bare floor cleaning
I kept my chickens in a basic coop with just pine shavings for 2 years and was constantly scrubbing poop off the floor boards. Finally switched to the deep litter method last fall and it is not even close. The bedding breaks down and basically composts in place, no smell, and I only have to muck out the whole thing twice a year. The difference is the carbon to nitrogen ratio working right. With bare floors I was fighting ammonia buildup every 3 weeks and it cost me in time and stress. My birds are healthier too, no more respiratory issues. Anyone else find deep litter actually works better or do you still scrape down to bare wood?
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linda_clark29d ago
Oh wow yeah, the deep litter method is pretty much the only way I'll keep chickens now after dealing with bare floors for way too long. But let me ask you something that bugs me about this whole thing - how did you handle the initial turning process? When I first switched over, I had trouble getting the bedding to break down right because I think I started with too thin a layer. I ended up having to add more shavings than I planned and it took like two months before it really started working like it should. Did you have that problem where it just sits there wet and gross for a while before it starts composting? Because that almost made me give up on it completely.
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karent7529d ago
Oh man, I read somewhere that the deep litter method basically lets the chickens do the work for you! I guess it's like having a tiny compost pile in their coop. Sounds way better than playing scrub-a-dub-dub with poop boards every month.
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camerona793d ago
Oh yeah, the wet and gross phase is totally normal don't let it scare you off. You gotta go heavy on the shavings from the start like 6-8 inches minimum and just let it sit for a good month before the microbes really kick in. Once that first layer gets going, it's smooth sailing from there and your coop will actually smell like earth instead of ammonia.
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