Author Topic: Deep litter for chickens (Read 4664 times)

Mathewr · « **on:** April 01, 2014, 04:23:34 pm »

Has anyone got experience of using a deep litter system for chickens in a coop with a wooden floor? I'm experimenting with it but keep getting amonia which tells me its not working right - there's plenty of info for deep litter in earth floors, which is all well and good, but I have a wooden floor and I'm stuck with it - so - any ideas on making it work?

Thanks
Mathew

clydesdaleclopper · « **Reply #1 on:** April 01, 2014, 04:42:22 pm »

You need the microbes from earth for deep litter systems to work properly as it is effectively a compost heap.

Fowlman · « **Reply #2 on:** April 02, 2014, 10:59:33 pm »

Used deep litter system in my layers shed for years and it has a wooden floor. I use woodchip for bedding but and this maybe the difference i dont feed pellets so all my birds droppings are dry to the all grain diet.

Ryder · « **Reply #3 on:** April 03, 2014, 09:23:46 am »

Quote from: Mathewr on April 01, 2014, 04:23:34 pm

Has anyone got experience of using a deep litter system for chickens in a coop with a wooden floor? I'm experimenting with it but keep getting amonia which tells me its not working right - there's plenty of info for deep litter in earth floors, which is all well and good, but I have a wooden floor and I'm stuck with it - so - any ideas on making it work?

Thanks
Mathew

You could probably make it work with a lot of experimenting, but it's just complicating the matter by having a wooden floor and the compost will probably take longer to form. What bedding are you using?

I had a wooden floor deep litter in my shed for about 6 months. I could always smell ammonia there, especially in the mornings, no matter how deep I made it and my ventilation is exceptional as one side of shed is almost half gone (the top half so the chickens do not get caught in draughts) with ventilation in 2 other sides also. I had tried card, straw and pine shavings for bedding and I also had a few spades of soil chucked into the bedding too, but it was always the same, compost not forming as quick as it should and ammonia smell apparent.

In the end I got a jigsaw and cut out the floor of the shed all around the edges to get back to earth floor. Ammonia smell is all but gone now, compost is forming nicely and general health of flock seems better. Like I said, it probably can be done with a wooden floor after a lot of experimenting, but it is more complicated for sure. I know you said your stuck with the wooden floor but seriously, if at all possible, cut out the wooden floor or don't use deep litter IMO, I failed trying to make it work.

fiestyredhead331 · « **Reply #4 on:** April 04, 2014, 12:02:32 am »

We use a deep litter system on bare ground but sprinkle with d-earth (dont ask me to spell the full thing...) if it starts to smell

Kitchen Cottage · « **Reply #5 on:** April 04, 2014, 08:54:49 am »

luckily a friend has a joinery shop so I get big bags of woodchip. I smell ammonia but replace every week. Its so easy to sweep up! At the moment I have 29 birds in a 7 x 7 shed who roam freely during the day.... I have a much bigger shed coming (its free

) so I'm hoping that disperses the smell....

Dreich Pete · « **Reply #6 on:** April 04, 2014, 11:12:40 am »

On the subject of woodchip, does it matter if the timber had been treated? Presumably the hens aren't tempted to eat it.

I have to use a layer on top of paving slabs for a few days because I can't get the proper run finished in time for my hens arriving.

fiestyredhead331 · « **Reply #7 on:** April 04, 2014, 09:29:12 pm »

When you see some of the things chicken eat, woodchip is the least of your worries

Mathewr · « **Reply #8 on:** April 20, 2014, 08:45:37 pm »

Quote from: Fowlman on April 02, 2014, 10:59:33 pm

Used deep litter system in my layers shed for years and it has a wooden floor. I use woodchip for bedding but and this maybe the difference i dont feed pellets so all my birds droppings are dry to the all grain diet.

Im experimenting!!! I've seeded the shavings (about 4 inches - I'll probably add more soon) with some compost I made + some compost making liquid (that I had for making leaf mould in bin bags!) which I added in solution with a few leitres of water sprinkled on with a watering can. The level of amonia has dropped dramatically, REALLY!. I'm keeping up the investigations and I'm keen to see what I end up with.

HesterF · « **Reply #9 on:** April 20, 2014, 09:07:04 pm »

Will it not eventually rot your wooden floor anyway?

Fowlman · « **Reply #10 on:** April 20, 2014, 10:15:06 pm »

Sounds interesting Mathewr.

Stereo · « **Reply #11 on:** April 21, 2014, 04:10:02 pm »

This is something I'm struggling with at the moment. Our breeding pen field is very steep and I'm considering either movable housing with no floor in a net. Or some kind of composting set up as an alternative to the weekly or more clean out. If our houses are propped up at one end to stay level, we create a wedge space underneath. I'm wondering whether I could in some way box that in and use this method on the ground? I can't really see my hens getting in there to turn it though as they seem to only go in to lay or roost.