Visited a hobby farm in Iowa, now I'm switching to deep litter

Stopped by a small place outside Des Moines last weekend and their coop had zero smell, even with 30 birds packed in. They just layer straw and let it compost inside all season, no mucking out. Has anyone else tried this and does it really hold up through a wet winter?

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jake_walker3d ago

That deep litter thing works the same way as my compost pile. You just let nature do its job and stop fighting it. Same reason I stopped raking leaves in the fall and started mulching them with the mower. People overthink this stuff. They think you need fancy ventilation systems and weekly cleanouts when really you just need enough carbon and patience. The smell disappears once the bacteria get going and the pile starts working. Wet winters are actually fine if you keep adding dry stuff on top. The trick is never letting it get soggy in one spot.