The Deep Litter Method

       When looking into what type of bedding we wanted to use for the coop we found a simple yet effective technique called the Deep Litter Method. They suggest that pine shavings for bedding are the best to use. You would not want to purchase cedar shavings because those have led to respiration problems with chickens. They also recommend when using the Deep Litter Method you will want to mix the bedding with diatomaceous earth (DE). Make sure you purchase the food grade diatomaceous earth because if the hens consume it, it gets passed to their eggs which you eat, so you want to make sure it is safe for you as well. DE also is helpful in preventing mites, fleas and ticks in the coop and on the chickens. It is a natural bug repellent. We actually sprinkle some around the outside of our house to keep ants and spiders at bay. It works!  They also mention that if you mix some in the chickens feed it helps to keep their eggs clean while they lay. It is a very safe product all around.

 To build up your litter you first want to add about 4-6 inches of pine shavings to your coop floor. Then take some of the DE and sprinkle it over the top surface area of the pine shavings. Now you could mix it in yourself or let the chickens do it when the scratch while they are in there. Either way is fine. I prefer to mix it in myself. Pine shavings are good for soaking up any moisture and the DE helps to keep the bedding dry. It dries up the chickens droppings so the ammonia in the air is low which helps with the chickens health and keeps the smell of the coop fresh. After a while, the bedding will begin to break down. Essentially you are creating a compost inside the chicken coop. You will want to stir the bedding (I do it daily) with a yard rake or pitch fork. The chickens will mix it up when they are inside the coop, but free-range chickens tend to not mix it enough because they are not in there as often. You want to make sure it is not matted down otherwise the break down process will not work correctly. You will noticed if it needs to be rotated because it will look dusty in the coop and the bedding on top will be too dry as opposed to the bedding on the bottom. Each week or every other week you can add another inch or so of bedding to freshen it up and to begin to build the layers. Theoretically, you are supposed to only have to change their bedding in the coop once a year with the deep litter method. It is very safe and sanitary in both respects for the chickens. We will be changing ours every 6 months which is just a personal preference.

  Typically, you would want to change the bedding as the seasons change. We are doing ours during the fall and then will change it again in the spring. I read that in the summer you want to keep the bedding layers a little lighter than you would in the winter because it does add extra insulation. Which is great when it is freezing temperatures to help keep the hens warm but dreadful when its 90 and the chickens are trying to keep cool. So the bedding in our coop during the summer and into fall was light but we have began to beef it up a bit because winter is right around the corner.

 You will also notice that the scent in the coop will begin to smell earthy. That is the best way I can describe it which is normal. If it smells like ammonia that is not a good thing. I would suggest cleaning the coop out and trying again if that happens. The Deep Litter Method is not for everyone. If you prefer to change the bedding more frequently that is perfectly fine. We just found that this is a safe, sanitary, and even a highly-cost effective way to do it. Not to mention it saves a good amount of time too!