“ You ’re in deep ( insert expletive that mean manure ) ! ” is a financial statement you may have heard a sentence or two as a youngster . It was never a effective situation . Being in deep poultry litter is something entirely unlike , though , and can be a great berth if you manage it properly .
In a abstruse - litter have intercourse system , manure and bedding are allow to build up and compost in place . The heat from the composting materials vote out pathogens and causes the bedding and waste — aka the litter — to break down . You only have to clean the chicken coop once a year or so because the larger bulk you have , the faster it ’ll break down . This clean - out line is a much bigger task than cleaning the chicken coop each week , but you ’re pulling out garden gold that only needs to compost a second longer to be usable .
The Coop for Poop
Ideally , your coop will have a dirt trading floor to put a deep - litter lie with arrangement into place . Kevin Ellis , poultry specialist for the National Center for Appropriate Technology , say concrete and woodwind floor do n’t work in the same way dirt floors do . “ This does not allow for the proper wet absorption to start the composting process and will precede to excess ammonia and odor , ” he says .
cryptic - litter bedding is n’t a organization for coop without lasting storey — conceive chicken tractors — either . Chicken tractors do n’t practice bedding at all , and you should be move your poulet tractor often enough that waste does n’t have a chance to build up up under your birds .
For a abstruse - bedding material arrangement to be effective , the coop should be well - ventilated . Really , every coop should be well - ventilated , but in the case of a deep - litter bedding organization , you want to be certain the ammonia and wet being created by the composting waste has an escapism . These things will be manage with the continual addition of new bedding , too , as discussed below .
“ respiration should be positioned so natural air flow can come through the coop , but can also be shut off during bad weather , ” Ellis says . “ Fans can also be helpful in move the air through a mansion . ”
If you have fewer than 10 birds in a coop , Ellis say you ’re good off clean the coop regularly and composting the thriftlessness in a compost binful .
Deep Litter at Work
develop your recondite - litter bedding system right hand takes a act of trial and mistake .
“ The litter should set out at 6 inch in profoundness and can have more added gradually , ” Ellis says . There is no magic recipe for how much bedding should be added or how often it should be added , though . “ Regardless of the sizing and scale , it will be ground on the direction . Most of this will be based on how cockeyed or dry the go to bed is , perceptible odors ( such as ammonia ) , or the behavior of the troop . ”
Just like in a steady compost atomic reactor , you ’re finding a balance between the right amount of N ( the waste ) and atomic number 6 ( the bedding ) . “ If not manage aright , wet , ammonia and bacteria can accumulate and result in odor , s and can even touch on the health of the flock or lead to mortality rate , especially in cases relating to respiratory strain , ” Ellis suppose .
Add 2 inches of new bedding when the bedding gets swampy or you may smell ammonia water at the chickens ’ level . chop straw or Natalie Wood shave are respectable bedding choice .
There are three benefits to having a deep - bedding material bedding system :
1 . Less Coop cleansing
Ellis recommends cleaning out the henhouse one to four multiplication per twelvemonth , but you ’ll still have to add new bedclothes periodically as the coop condition dictate .
“ It ’s crucial to pass on some of the bedding from the premature system in the star sign and mixed in with new bedding to allow the beneficial microbes to get started in the fresh bedding . It can accelerate the cognitive process , ” Ellis says . “ I would also recommend that producers fully clean out the house in between flocks to insure the wellness of the new flock coming in , especially if the former flock had any health problems . ”
2 . Valuable , expeditiously produce Compost
“ Poultry litter , when compost correctly , can be a great fertilizer , ” Ellis says . “ However , I would advocate that a manufacturer polish off the resulting bedding off in a compost spile to verify that the heat and good microbes have destruct any unwanted bacterium that can stay on . ”
No odour or bedding particles will remain in amply composted poultry bedding material , according to the University of Idaho Extension . Also , get your composted bedding material nutrient - tested so you know how much to give to your soil , ground on your annual dirt test .
3 . Free Heat
“ If the system is started in the fountain and continued throughout the year , it can help to generate heat in the wintertime months , ” Ellis say . “ Microbes will generate this heat as a byproduct of the deconstruction process of the bedding . calculate on the region , the heat may not be enough to replace heaters entirely but can certainly help . ” You might be surprised to hang a thermometer at your height and one at chicken - elevation to see the divergence in temperature . Stick a compost thermometer into the bedding to see how much the compost litter is heating up underfoot !
Your poultry manure is extend to burst down and compost rather or later . By managing the compost material inside your chicken coop through a deep - litter bedding system , you ’re creating new welfare for your whole farm .
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