Why and How Deep Litter System Works in a Chicken Coop

I made a video about Why and How the Deep Litter System Works in a Chicken Coop.

Thank you!!

Thanks for the video.  Yeah, I'm sold on the whole deep litter method.  When I first watched Paul/Back to Eden, and light bulb went off in my head.

I might be doing it all wrong, but I've had great results so far.  

I've had my in ground concrete swimming pool filled with free wood chips for about 8-10 years now.  It collects rain water (only 8" of rain per year here), towards the deep end.  The wood chips are about three to four feet high in the deep end, and 2' to 3' are constantly submerged in the water.  I find that digging down about a foot is the sweet spot for life, particularly worms.  Oddly the anaerobic water smells sweet, and my chickens regularly drink it if I dig a hole deep enough.  I will sometimes bury guts/carcasses into the pool, most of my yard waste, scraps, anything organic basically goes into the pool.  I used to raise meat rabbits in there along with the chickens, but it was more hassle than it was worth for me so I stopped doing that.

Every couple of years or so, the water level gets too high, so I put a bilge in the deep end, and pump out thousands of gallons of the dark brown compost tea around the yard.  

I used a large wooden frame with 1/2" hardware cloth to sift the compost to use in my raised beds/pots/anywhere I can use it.  It smells sweet, and it seems to grow things.

Happy looking chickens ❤️.
My question: how did the chickens and rabbits get along? And what was the hassle that made you quit?

I am thinking of getting rabbits and was wondering if they could shatr the chicken run.

Cool video! Deep litter method is the best.

Great video! Thanks for sharing. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I encourage anyone to try this.

In my work I have found that an Inoculated Deep Litter System (IDLS). Is far more effective.

No flies, no smell, no manure. The bedding always stay fully composted at all times so is always available for immediate use. The bedding is warm enough to brood chicks without a hen or heating devises.

Once I started using the inoculated deep litter system, I never had another chicken disease including mites. When I eventually sold the farm, the coop hadn't been cleaned out in 7 years at all ever. It housed an average of 50 chickens, 12 sheep, two pigs and for a while a rabbit.

Thanks again for sharing your video, it was great!. I'm headed over to YouTube now to subscribe.

Sher Miller wrote:...the coop hadn't been cleaned out in 7 years at all ever.
Thanks again for sharing your video, it was great!. I'm headed over to YouTube now to subscribe.

Superb example of how to care for your flock!

...and thanks for the kind words.

LP

Kaarina Kreus wrote:Happy looking chickens ❤️.
My question: how did the chickens and rabbits get along? And what was the hassle that made you quit?

I am thinking of getting rabbits and was wondering if they could shatr the chicken run.

I had no problems introducing the rabbits into the established flock, other than the occasional hen pecking a rabbit if it got too close in the beginning.  After a while it was just one big happy family all running around together.  

I made tunnels out of old roofing tin bent into a "you" shape, and flipped over.  Lol YOU = but just the last letter, the silly rules sometimes........

The main reason I got rid of them is because of all of the extra labor/food they took.   I was feeding my dogs most of the meat, which they loved, but I wasn't really eating much of them myself.  I watched a few videos on yt before trying it and other people seemed to have good results.

Good luck!