Okay, I've read articles about it and I think it's a good idea. Briefly, you put down 6 - 12" of litter, eg. straw or leaves, dump your kitchen compostables in it (no potato peels or coffee grounds), all INSIDE the coop and run. The chickens scratch through and your compost is half done; you finish it off in the compost bin. The litter filters the urine like a composting toilet does.
Relative problem is, my chicken coop is elevated. The floor the chickens would come into contact with is like hardware cloth, and underneath that is a shallow metal tray you slide out to clean. If I put 6 - 12" of anything in there, there really wouldn't be much room for the chickens, would there? Or do they not need much height? To say nothing of that tray being impossible to slide out. What to do?
Do I keep the coop (see pictures in the "barnevelder pullets" thread) clean in the traditional way and just do the litter outside in the pen? Do I fill the tray with wood shavings or newspaper or whatever or keep it as pristine as one can reasonably keep a tray full of chicken droppings? Do I clean it into the compost bin, or onto the litter in the run?
This has been a real learning experience, and I don't even have the chickens yet! (Getting rescued bantams tomorrow.) WHEN I have my farm, I'll build a coop with a dirt floor.
deep litter chicken coop method
How far was it again from chicken fence to yard fence? 10ft? I think you have either too much or too little room to do that. If you but those landscape timbers (say 2) running front to back about 10 feet from one side of your yard and set the coop in the middle you'd have an area small enough to do that way. Should be able to clean coop onto your compost and incorporate it with very little muss-n-fuss.
I just throw it in. (hay) I dont measure. They crush it down in no time at all. It looks funny at first because it takes up so much room. hehehe They have fun playing in it though. It gives them something to do. When it gets all broken down I throw more on top of it. How is everything coming along??
Every now and then, even if I don't think I need any in the coop, but the girls "look" bored, I throw a few flakes of straw in.. it keeps them busy all day.. scratching.. complaining the whole time while they rearrange the straw to the way they like it. AND, once a week, I keep them locked in their coop and throw a bit of scratch down so they "sweep" the floor, stiring things up and making sure any solid stuff makes it to the bottom all broken up.
Okay, I have a really stupid question. Where do you get straw? Feed stores, etc., around here don't seem to know. Is it a northern thing? I haven't asked around a lot.
We get ours from a farm but they sell it at the feed stores too. If you can't get it there some landscape and garden centers carry it
It's just the second cutting after the grain gets taken off. Used for bedding or decoration instead of feed. You might also ask some nice neighborly farmer...
So it IS a product of hay? Or byproduct, I guess.
HMMMMM being in Texas I would think they would have a lot of straw hay. It is like them bales you get at Halloween and Thanksgiving time to decorate.
Okay, I'll give it a few more shots.
Yes thats the ones they have at the garden centers here
I would check a few feed stores.. If they don't have straw & hay, the certianly know which farmers do.
I misjudged my winter purchase this year and just had to go buy more.. I really thought I would have to spend double right now.. just like heating fuel, the price goes up in the deep winter.. but many people must have been prepared, my farmer said I was the first to come in for seconds.. and gave me my straw and hay at fall prices.. his barn is still full.. WOW..