My neighbor Mary was right about deep litter method

Ngl, I thought the deep litter method was just an excuse to be lazy about cleaning the coop. But Mary, who's been raising Rhode Island Reds for 15 years, kept telling me to give it a try. After 4 months of only adding new bedding instead of stripping everything out, my coop smells way better and the girls are scratching through it like crazy. Anyone else have a neighbor's advice that actually worked out after you doubted it?

3 comments

3 Comments

anna_hill18d ago

Wait did you notice any difference in how fast the bedding broke down once you stopped stripping it all out? Curious because I've heard people say the deep litter only works if you let it build up for at least 6 months before touching it. Your success is making me want to try it with my small flock.

jason11218d ago

Honestly I think the 6 month thing is a myth lol.

seth_carr18d ago

Goodness, I had the exact same experience with my neighbor Bob and his ridiculous compost pile setup. He kept insisting I layer my bedding with pine shavings in a certain way, and I figured it was just his way of being fussy. But after trying it with a few bags of stall dry, I realized the whole thing is more about managing the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio than just piling it up. Most people forget that the deep litter method is basically composting in place, so if your coop doesn't have good airflow underneath, it can actually trap moisture and cause issues. Bob's tip about drilling a few extra holes in the lowest part of the coop floor made all the difference for me. Just something to keep in mind if you try it - the litter itself is just one piece of the puzzle.