Learn about the Chicken Coop Deep Litter Method of “cleaning” that we use in the winter. Save this post to Pinterest so you can always find it and let me know if you have any questions in the comments!
When we signed on the dotted line to buy the farm, I immediately knew I needed chickens. In fact, property where I couldn’t have chickens was kind of a deal breaker for us. We were waffling on buying two lots in a neighborhood back in Illinois so I could expend my garden. The hold up? I couldn’t have chickens there per the association rules. When we found this home, I immediately started researching the chickens I desperately wanted.
However, I knew having farm animals in the middle of Michigan winters with lake effect snow was not going to be for the faint of heart. When I dove into the details of animal keeping in the winter, I stumbled upon the chicken coop Deep Litter Method and I never looked back.
The images below show what our chicken coop can look like in the snow. There isn’t a lot of snow on the ground int he first image but the temperatures were about 15 degrees. The second picture is the next day and the snow is at about 15 inches with drifts. The path to the coop always needs to be shoveled.
What is the Chicken Coop Deep Litter Method?
The Deep Litter Method is the process of letting the chicken droppings build up in the coop and layering in pine shavings or straw to let it begin the composting process while still in the coop. The carbon based materials in the pine shavings provide the carbon and absorbs the nitrogen in the chicken droppings. The process is free of odor and provides rich material to add to our compost pile, which we use on our flower fields in the spring. The chickens participate in this process by digging through the piles of shaving and droppings and turning it.
What are the benefits to the Chicken Coop Deep Litter Method?
Besides the enriching compost you get from using deep litter – which is usually the main reason people use this process – there are several other benefits.
The chicken coop Deep Litter Method helps to keep chickens warm. Through the composting process, the coop is heated. The pine shavings also help to insulate the coop.
Some people say deep litter can help to keep your flock healthier. The idea is by not removing waste, beneficial microbes will make their home in the litter. They will breakdown the droppings and consume the unhealthy bacteria. The microbes can help prevent mite and lice in your coop.
Do you use the chicken coop Deep Litter all year?
There are people that use this process year-round. However, Kevin and I use the chicken coop Deep Litter Method in the winter only. In the spring, summer and fall, I personally prefer the coop to be cleaned on a regular basis to prevent flies, maggots and other bugs. In the spring and summer we use sand in the coop and that sand works like kitty litter. We can easily scoop out the droppings on a regular basis. Technically, if you are using the deep litter method correctly, that shouldn’t be a problem in the warmer months. However, since the Deep Litter Method also heats the coop and insulates it, I don’t want it adding to the 100 degree, humid days while are chickens are stuck in there laying or sleeping overnight.
What does it look like?
The image below is a dirty winter chicken coop for us. You can see the build up of chicken droppings under the roost bar. This is after about three weeks or so of mild temperatures going into a cold snap. All these images in this post were taken with my cell phone because it was too cold outside for my camera. Sorry about the lower quality.
The photo below that is what a “clean” chicken coop looks like after we go in and add the pine for the Deep Litter Method.
A note on the roost bars themselves: These always have a build up of droppings or staining on them. I detail the process I use to keep them debris free below. These are removed from the coop in the spring and scrubbed. Not washed, per say. It is not good to introduce excess moisture to the coop. In the winter, excess water can cause frostbite. In the summer water can lead to more humid conditions and cause rot/bug issues. So our roost bars are dry cleaned. Maybe at some point we will limewash them.
Does it smell bad?
If done properly, the coop does not smell. If you have ever composted, it should also not smell if done properly. Now this means having the appropriate number of chickens for your coop. Over crowding can make it smell and make your chickens sick – even if you are not using the Deep Litter Method.
Also, balancing your carbon and nitrogen is vital to the process. Technically speaking, you want 30 parts carbon (or pine shavings in this case) to 1 part nitrogen (chicken droppings). This creates the best environment for the microbes. However, I will tell you I don’t typically measure with anything other than my eyeballs. Since we only do this in the winter, I worry about this a little less than someone working through this process in the summer. When winter is over – usually in late March or April – we shovel the entire coop out, pulled out the roost bars to be better cleaned and then replace the bedding with new sand.
Are there any negatives to the chicken coop deep litter method?
If not properly executed, the deep litter method can make your chickens sick. That is the biggest concern when using the Deep Litter Method. Again, because we use this only in the winter, there is less risk of that for us because the chicken droppings will freeze or be close to freezing before being insulated with another layer of pine to heat up.
Also, if the bottom of your coop is wood, you do not want to use the chicken coop Deep Litter Method. Why? Over time the wood will also start to breakdown. The bottom of my coop is wood but it has a layer of vinyl over the top of it. I did this mainly for cleaning purposes but it also helps to make the Deep Litter Method work for us. Many people who use this method simply use it in the coop on the dirt ground.
What do you need to make the Deep Litter Method work
- Nitrogen – Chicken droppings. Letting the droppings build up should give you a sufficient supply.
- Carbon – Pine shavings. Pine shavings are what most people use for this method. Each time we “clean” the coop, we add 1-2 bags of pine shavings. Some people like straw but straw can break down faster and can sometimes introduce other unhelpful things to the coop.
- Proper Coop ventilation – This is important in all seasons because chicken poop has ammonia in it. This is not good for your lungs or for chicken lungs. I have ventilation on the East and West apex of the roof and over the roost bars. With Deep Litter method this is especially important because the build up of the droppings accumulates more ammonia.
- Aeration – The chickens will generally do this naturally for you. However, if there is a spot in the coop they don’t spend time in, you will need to aerate it with a rake.
Beyond the basics
- A face mask and gloves – When cleaning the coop in all seasons, please wear a face mask. As I mentioned the ammonia in the droppings is not good for you to breath in and chickens are dusty. There are dust particles everywhere and you don’t want any of it getting into your lungs. I always wear gloves to keep my hands cleaner and I generally like to cover my head too. Spiders enjoy making the rafters a home in the warmer months and while I don’t mind them, I don’t want them in my hair.
- Paint scraper – I use this to scrape off any droppings stuck to the roost bar. I use this in all seasons.
- First Saturday Lime – I use this all year round and I use a little of it in the Deep Cleaning Method. I use it to help cut down on bugs and any ammonia smell. There are some people who think any use of lime does not allow the microbes to break down the droppings, but I have not had that experience. Mine breaks down just fine and this helps when the days start to heat up but we haven’t gotten to spring cleaning in the coop yet. (The spring clean is when everything gets shoveled out.) You can find First Saturday Lime {HERE}. It is great for your coop and great for your garden. It is better than DE for you and the chickens.
What does the Deep Litter Method “cleaning” process look like?
For us, we start this process once our weather turns cold. Not chilly but cold. So nights have to be getting down to about 32 degrees. This happens sometimes in November. We go in, scrape off the roost bars and add a bit of lime to the roost bars and over some of the droppings. Then we add in a bag or two of pine shavings to start us off. About two – three weeks later, we repeat the process. The time between allows for the build up of droppings and may change based on the weather if the chickens spend more time in the coop. My chickens hate snow so weeks when we have a lot of snow, they refuse to come out.
You need to be aware of the amount of shaving you are using because it is recommended that they do not go over 12 inch. At most we get to about 8 each year in the corners or other places where there is build up. The area under the roost bars always has the most because that is where they spend most of their time in the coop and where they poop.
Also, the whole process takes between 5 – 10 minutes. As far as farm chores go, this is one of the easiest.
Other random things
We do provide water for our chickens in the coop. It is in a heated waterer which you can find {HERE}. this is the only water I will ever put into the coop. Some people do not like adding it in here but our chickens will not go out to eat or drink when there is snow and it is important to keep them hydrated in the winter. The waterers sit on top of concrete footers. We have used them for the last 4 winters.
We use radiant heat in the chicken coop in the winter. The heaters are those black panels hanging on the walls. They are safer than heat lamps, which I won’t use with Deep Litter Method. These are the original heaters we bought our first winter in 2019 and we have not had to buy new ones yet. You can find my exact heaters {HERE}. A chicken’s body temperature is between 105 – 107 degrees. Some people believe they do not need extra heat in the winter and if you lose power it can be very bad for them because they are used to the heat. However, when we fall below 25 degrees, I swear my chickens hate everything and just look cold. They will chose to snuggle up next to these in groups. There are plenty of spaces these do not reach so if they are hot they have other places to go.
More posts about farm life
If you enjoy learning about farm life and chickens, you may like these posts too.
- Chicken Coop Tour {HERE}
- Lessons from Hatching Chicks {HERE}
- Breeds for our first baby chicks {HERE}
- PVC Chicken Feeders {HERE}
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Thank you so much for following along today, friends! Please let me know if you have any questions about the chicken coop Deep Litter Method in the comments below. Have a good day!
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