My brother-in-law from Spokane said he only cleans his coop once a year

We were talking last week and he said his deep litter method is so good he just adds fresh shavings on top and lets it compost all winter. He claims his flock of 12 is healthier than ever and he hasn't seen mites in two years. It made me question my whole weekly clean-out routine that takes me an hour every Saturday. Has anyone else switched to a deep litter system and seen real results, or is he just getting lucky?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_richard25d agoTop Commenter

Ever think you were working too hard? I did weekly clean outs too until my neighbor showed me his deep litter setup.

phoenixgonzalez13d ago

I get why deep litter works for some, but it's not for everyone. My setup needs to stay super clean for bird health reasons, so weekly mucking out is just part of the deal. I saw what jakep24 said about the heat and compost, and that's a cool bonus, but I'd worry about moisture and bugs building up. A clean coop every week gives me peace of mind, even if it's more work.

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jakep2425d ago

That deep litter thing is a total game changer. My setup is similar, just tossing straw and wood chips over the droppings. The real trick is keeping it dry, so good ventilation is key. It actually starts making its own heat in the winter, which is awesome. The compost you get at the end is like black gold for the garden.