I do this instead…

[@rcl8793]

Just FYI for anyone; this doesn't work well in humid, rainy areas.

[@bumbygrl]

Also I think a yearly washing is a good idea too, I can't imagine letting a coop go two years without a hosing and washing

[@kimberlyearly8918]

@@bumbygrlMaybe she does give it a good wash when she cleans it out.

[@bumbygrl]

@@kimberlyearly8918 she said she cleans it once every year or two.... I would hope she gives it a good wash if she's only washing it every 2 years ...that's gross to wash any animals area bi annually

[@kimberlyearly8918]

@@bumbygrl Yea, I wouldn’t wait that long. Our coop has kind of like a rubber/vinyl flooring over the wood so I can actually spray the whole thing out with a hose. And no waste gets on the wood that way.

[@cindyspiess9963]

yea , i wouldn't think so . I was thinking that when she was doing it.

[@robynearl]

I do this im the winter here is Missouri. It worked very well. Summer is a no on deep litter though. Its too humid here. Lovely chickens!

[@joedirtrulz8]

Same here in SEMO

[@Beautiful_Farm]

Deep litter method is amazing. The compost is full of beneficial microbial life and predator mites like the velvet mite, which devour harmful mites that can infest chickens. Deep litter when properly done as. Shown n this video, creates a universe of life that keeps chickens clean and healthy. I like how the pen has a roof that lets light in, keeping the run dry but still bright. Great video! Thank you for sharing.

[@gryphonennis1002]

I do the same. Live in northern Maine, so the deep bedding throws off a little heat as it composts and that helps in the dead of winter.

[@RandyBatchelor-dp4ol]

Sorry if I may say terrible advice..i come from 5 generation farmers...every year or 2 cleaning is suicide, and inviting disease like dengue and airborn respiratory lung diseases,not only to the chickens, also to other animals usually through boots or shoes walking in your chicken pen picking up the contamination and walking around the farm spreading it from your boots or shoes to the grass...then grass eating animals eat the grass...and get sick eventually you having to pay big bucks to a veterinarian to try and save your horse, cow etc..we cleaned and sanitized our coops every 2 weeks...horse stalls every 2 days max...pig pens on boards require daily rinse.wash and sanitized with bleach or pine oil every 2 to 4 days or more is better. And it's nice to see you love your Feathered Friends ❤.

[@OO_sunflower_OO]

Thanks for saying where you’re coming from and how you do it. Defiantly will trust that more than the average influencer lol

[@eloise3280]

@@RandyBatchelor-dp4ol Thanks for keeping it real...and clean...plenty of pathogens and parasites around and it is not worth the health complications!

[@petitemaam]

I do deep litter method. I have backyard chickens though. Not a farm. I haven't had an issue yet. I clean ever 6-7 months though. Do for a cleaning this weekend :)

[@pamsloan84]

If you don't have alot of animals and you can keep it dry, it works fine. I've never had an issue with disease. I do add some diatomaceous earth now and then especially when I change bedding.

[@NateK-MN]

Your old farming ideas are actually much more modern and derived from medical sanitary practices rather than biological and chemical processes. Deep bedding can work well in many different situations.

[@markbenacquisto4211]

If you have lots of pine needles this is great way to compost them, as the needles need lots of nitrogen to decompose

[@kated3165]

Plus it probably gets full of bugs which the chicken then enjoy eating!

[@holisticheritagehomestead]

Great video! Deep bedding and deep litter methods are great! We do this in our chicken coop. Another benefit is, it produces heat, which is nice for the chickens when it is cold. Our coop pile gets super hot in the winter. It steams. I usually clean it out in the summer. The chickens turn it into great composting material. New subscriber here! Be well. - Colin

[@joannelee7791]

Your chickens look happy.😃

[@Victoria-jy4kc]

And here I thought I was the o ly 1 that knows how to save time, my back and make my own soil the easy way. For a half a century I've done this! Also, if you plan on putting compost in an area on you property, just build the compost right on that spot!. Im an old granny of 77 years old.

[@Emiliapocalypse]

Great tip!! Honestly it makes so much sense to put something right where you need it, it’s time and labor saving. I like to throw my upstairs waste bin trash out from my upstairs window into my driveway where it lands right next to my outside waste bin. it might seem silly But it saves me so many steps to do that rather than have it make several stops before it gets downstairs, to my kitchen and outside and over to the bins.

[@puppetville-bethobrien4139]

Hi you probably don't want to hear from me but man I was born to hear from you. And would love to learn all you would be willing to teach this gardener in zone 8b of 2.5 yrs. I've Somehow felt Born to Live the old (smarter) ways . However I was Also Born in a place That made me feel That I was living with my left shoe on my right foot my entire life. I just didn't fit in outside my 1-acre Long Island yard in the 1980s. That's whereI grew up as a kid . I spent my life trying to find a place like the 1970s Hamlet I grew up in. Finally finding it only now to farm garden and grow into the homestead of my dreams.

[@justlookin2]

I love the deep litter method. But I can't do it anymore because of surgeries on my shoulders. I now just clean up every couple of months. I compost it for the garden.

[@brendabadih8855]

Hmmm. In sw Missouri it was sometimes very wet, sometimes very dry. My chickens free ranged every day all year so spent the daytime out of the pen. Still the pens got pretty thick w chitty hay bottoms. Every spring and every fall all pens, dirt bottoms, were raked clear. The matted 6 months of hay dressings rolled up like a carpet. About 20 big 20gal size planters worth. Also cleaned the concrete bottom of chicken house, roost bottom. Another 10 tubs. All tubs taken to monster lenth compost beds 3' deep built out of trees that fell in the 10 acres of woods. Did cut down a few but plenty to gather from the ground. I rotated my compost collection and never had too much. Also harvested lake grass, horse manure, pond sediment during occasional dry spells, leaves that collected against fence lines, rotted fallen trees. I built the best soil l ever saw in my life. It was beautiful. I called the chicken cleaning days, black booger work. Worth every minute. Probably had 100 chickens at the end of every summer. Sold some, ate the roosters. Whipped the eggs and froze for winter. Couldn't even tell they'd been frozen. Had a big garden, fed them pumpkins thru the winter. The seeds are good for cleaning out parasites. I recommend keeping the chicken pen cleaned regularly. Along w the egg nests. Esp if there are ducks in the pens. Country type that l am, l enjoyed the work. And it smelled so fresh. Love me, love my chickens. 🐔

[@Dhannibal01]

My hoop coop is sealed with 1/2" hardware cloth, no access to coop larger than that 1/2" except thru the raised automatic chicken door, 36: off the ground, the main door is kept closed unless I need access, have a hanging feeder and 5 gallon bucket cup waterer inside, have water and food outside as well, use hay bedding and occasionally add more hay, I can sweep everything out the door when it starts to smell, the old bedding is spread all over the chicken yard. I only have 6 birds now, just started laying this week.

[@SummerRainMalloy]

Oh my gosh look at those happy hens ❤❤❤

[@johnshankster2464]

Brilliant idea! Dead hay hasn’t the nitrogen to decay the mulch, but the chicken manure does.

[@MBScratcher]

I do this too and use the compost for the garden

[@Psalm2710_]

I use this method in an open air "birdhouse" that I have in my backyard. It's a 10x20 area with 6 chickens (city limit), very small henhouse and I clean it out maybe 2x a year. It never stinks, and my chickens are very healthy and it can sometimes rain for weeks, still never stinks. I think you just have to give it a try and see, maybe some areas won't work, but then again, you may be able to work it and see, add more layers of bedding, stir it up, etc. I also frequently throw their chicken feed, and kitchen scraps (veggies and meat) directly onto the bedding bc that keeps them scratching it up. But I know 1 thing, chicken coups with bare ground smell like death the second it rains, I watched a friend's farm while they were on vacation and it barely rained and It was the most wretched smell I've ever smelled. 😩

[@elzbietadobrowolska9200]

This is old polish metod of keeping animals. Cleaned once a year, in autumn. The manure was kept in the 'animals house' to prevent loosing nitrogen. 😊

[@bpxdurangoinc7013]

I love this method

[@ServanoffAllah1997]

I love Farming something you get a peace of mind.

[@XVivaG]

That has got to smell lovely ..

[@farmer1ab]

Not any worse than any other chicken coop

[@kimberlyearly8918]

It doesn’t smell if you keep adding new stuff. We do this and it doesn’t smell at all.

[@FebbieG]

It unironically does smell lovely. I do someone similar with my compost pile. When I have kitchen scraps or something goes bad in the refrigerator, I put it all in my pile, and cover it with carbonaceous material, usually old leaves. Wood chips or dry grass clippings work well too. The carbonaceous material keeps the smell in the pile while it decomposes into rich compost.

[@kimberlyearly8918]

I use the deep litter method but use chopped straw we get from tractor supply. We put it in the coop but not in the run because the run is huge. We have put goat bedding in the run though and they compost that for us.

[@MyAlbertC]

@kimberlyearly8918 I'm sure you have lots of 🪰 flies and the order is really bad 👃🤧🤮

[@kimberlyearly8918]

@@MyAlbertC Not a single fly and not a single bad smell. I thought it sounded gross at first but started doing it last winter to give them more insulation on the floor and just kept doing it. I spot clean every single day. It’s not like I just leave tons of poo. I just don’t get it all. I add more chopped straw and stir it up really good. People assume something they don’t know anything about is always bad.

[@MyAlbertC]

@kimberlyearly8918 " you just don't get it all " ? Wow, you should look at your chickens feet. 🤮 don't just do half the job. Help them be clean and avoid any bacteria the eyes 👀 can not see. The way WE take care of our pets says a lot about the individual. Cleanliness Helps the chicken health as their life span. You pick up after your dog 🐕 don't you. 🫣

[@kimberlyearly8918]

@@MyAlbertC No, YOU just don’t get it! My chickens are perfectly healthy so just bugger off and stop trying to sound like you know what you’re talking about when you don’t! The diatomaceous earth keeps them healthy with no mites or anything. Do you think they get down and rub their eyes on the floor lol? Again, mine are perfectly healthy. I guess you couldn’t comprehend my previous comment. Do you even have chickens? If you do, you do you and stop trying to tell someone else how they should do it. I have 33 chickens and all are healthy and happy! Have a great day!

[@kimberlyearly8918]

@@MyAlbertC I responded back to your ridiculous comment but for some reason it’s not showing. KZbin must not have liked how I was responding lol.

[@erikaadisa9654]

That’s cool because I was using straw from Rural King cost me 12 a bundle too much. But I’m going to consider using leaves and grass clippings

[@jeremyhula931]

Great video. Put naked biochar in their little sand bowl 2 - 3 times a week. Also sprinkle it all over they're coop & bedding. This will make the compost better & the smell better.

[@GlitzyGeez]

I do the same here in Georgia using leaves in the Fall. Great video. I subscribed 😊

[@jensissons5709]

add bio char or charcoal to keep it sweet and absorb nutrients. I do the same but also add lawn mowings.

[@SpiritedAngel-s7k]

I do this in the cold of winter...Seems to keep the girls warmer with a thicker base...🤔

[@Belisarius536]

It looks nice and cozy

[@felishiadarling]

Deep bedding is great. No smell and easy.

[@wreckergirl9810]

I do this too and it does work

[@maryblushes7189]

Some folks just pick the coop up and move to a fresh spot!

[@Not_Laci]

Can you hook me up with someone who can move a concrete building 😂❤

[@bettinaripperger4159]

@@Not_Lacithey are called chicken tractors. Would be silly to make one out of concrete.. but hey what ever floats your goat 🐐

[@kolapyellow7631]

I can try this when I have chickens.

[@ThePieman1972]

chickens are awesome compost helpers

[@carolgreen1822]

Great information! Thanks for sharing. ❤

[@bonnieparker6939]

Mice issues? I used a clean sand and had multiple mice nests under the sand. I think they would love tunneling in straw or hay. It's warmer than sand.

[@mommabecky83]

I tried this and my chickens threw all the straw out 😂. They just scratched it right through the fence

[@unicornlover7115]

We tried to do this in our hen house but its too humid and wet in Florida for this to work for us. We ended up finding a lot of mushrooms growing on and around the hen house mushroom spores are really bad for chickens. We use woodchips/multch in the chicken run and pine shavings in the hen house. Luckily my chickens tend to poop in one area so when it gets really poopy i just rake that bedding out into my wheelbarrow and put as much as would fit into my compost bin. Its good to keep the bedding clean because if not you are basically inviting mites and other pests into the hen house. I only have to clean it every 6 weeks or so. Also once a month i go into the chicken run with a 5 gallon bucket of apple cider vinegar water and dip an old broom in it and begin to scrub all the poopy surfaces like the ramp and tops of their feeders that they like to stand on (and poop) we never have to clean the actual run. Whenever it seems like its getting flies i rake the woodchips around so i guess that counts as a deep litter method but i couldnt do that in the hen house itself. Whenever we cut the grass i throw all the clippings inside the run to add greens to the woodchips so they compost down on their own.

[@kenyonbissett3512]

Plus the chickens are happy to pick out any seeds and weeds from the hay, bugs from leaves. Entertains them and they are less likely to pick at each other.

[@davidheiens3099]

In winter it makes extra heat from microbes

[@sarahkirbach5040]

Good, this is what we do and I thought I was doing it wrong. 😃

[@StevenOwen-h4d]

Beautiful

[@MrUgobright]

It seems like a good idea, but if you leave it uncleaned, it will pack so compact that it becomes intensely laborious to get it out after a while. If you must do this, clean it at least once a month

[@PatrickDenehy-f4k]

Throw a little ash around or lime too.

[@Sunflower139]

Good Info for future. Thank you

[@vikinghawk3358]

I would do deep but only to Aubrey 4 months worth. Not a chance I would clean it only once a year or 2 years . Wouldn’t that be fun cleaning it out ? You would have to get a ladder to get up to the floor or parachute in from the top .

[@britneyellingson7743]

Do you get mites though?

[@meandmyindianhusband6482]

I’ve had to start doing this here in Colorado because apparently it keeps the chickens extra warm in the coop during winter.

[@Bezeemum]

I cleaned my chicken coop frequently… not everyday but twice a year is unbelievable

[@anthonywheat1]

Which is why you should switch to a deep liter method

[@miraxus6264]

That compost/ ground will be absolutely loaded with nitrate! Be great for collecting saltpeter! Use it for home made powder

[@BrRrii-bg9en]

And i clean my coops every Friday 😮 im scared of having flies or smells

[@karencoleman9966]

No flies if well covered and the chickens will eat rhe maggots... it just mustn't be wet...that's what causes the problems...

[@AnarchAnjel]

Do you put diatomacous on it or spray anything for mites?

[@canisXpolaris]

Wonderful idea for those who use a chicken tractor and plan to start a new garden!

[@gipsykevisi1610]

Are you able to show us your chicken coop setup ?! Thanks

[@markrzechula9390]

Shred junk mail and unwanted mail for bedding too

[@SilverCreekHomestead]

It works well with pine straw too!

[@Hetherweaversmagic]

What about parasites

[@BoneItis639]

Daitamaceous Earth (probably spelled it wrong) But that stuff is great. Food grade version you can apply tiny bit to feed, spread a lil sound the hay. Just don't breathe in the dust; make sure your chickens aren't in the area for a sec

[@Laura-ps3tb]

Ive read that this method could harbor bacteria in the coop.

[@billiejomcghee1281]

Coco fiber mixed with coffee is my go to

[@chuckmayes2294]

Use lime over it and never change it out...

[@ChloeJ1999]

Could this work for ducks, too, even though theyre messier? We didn't enjoy having chickens but loved having ducks, but they're SOOO much more messy 😂

[@christophermorrow4439]

And when it composts down it's a gold mine of fertilizer for the garden

[@mrinalbala4334]

Your farm is very nice ma'am can you tell me if you need people to work in your farm👍🌹🙏 Side panels History Saved

[@BrowneOakFarm]

Love this! We are doing the same method!! 🐓🐔

[@PatrickDenehy-f4k]

If you don't freerange them , you could grow your own meat source for them. Like worms , crickets, etc

[@ShineWithShiza]

With all these work do you take out the time for yourself? Because keeping chickens is a lot of work .

[@tamaliaalisjahbana9354]

Can this also be done for sheep?

[@TheBeaker59]

This is fine but really chickens do better on dirt, well for us in our climate, I have 2 large fenced areas and the coops are mobile in late winter the chickens and coops are moved from one area to the next where they will stay for a year, the old area is then dug over treated heavily with lime then the bedding hay from the calf pens, early spring our vegetable garden is then planted right there.

[@eloise3280]

Clever!! Is the poop compost safe to plant food in?

[@karencoleman9966]

If its composted properly (broken down and smelling good)

[@FebbieG]

Yes.

[@T_P_W_ThachoZenjuan]

I love this method. I occasionally had to spray everything with bug spray for mite control but otherwise very happy with the results.

[@MorrisandApril]

Do you add Lyme and maybe Diatomaceous Earth?

[@edro3838]

Great compost for the garden if you’re raising sweet corn especially. Chicken manure is loaded with nitrogen…and sweet corn loves nitrogen 👍

[@alinalbelieber]

we do this with our sheep, deep cleaning every 6 months

[@cindyspiess9963]

I'm sure the chickens love the deep bedding to scratch around in , but doesn't it get amonia smell ? Also what is the floor , dirt ?

[@Riverbank290]

I put hay in my nesting boxes. Wouldnt they get confused?

[@ForestToFarm]

I have Loblolly pines. I can get lots of pine needles. Do you suggest using pine needles? Plenty of leaves and others as well but why not use those pines needles too? Terry

[@machatte3522]

Wonderful 👍

[@helenakragelj]

Excelent❤😊

[@NaomiLouellis]

AWESOME !*

[@brandirose579]

I want to do this, but sprinkle diatomaceous earth and herbs!

[@DFL_iBAIP]

We never did that with our chickens we just let them run around on dirt

[@MACTEPHOUSE]

Мне не помогает, могу отсутствовать 2-3 недели, все превращается в пласт

[@Aljupage]

How do you usually deworm the chikens?

[@michelledax4083]

Diatomaceous earth.

[@skpfishinfo8989]

It is good ideas 😊

[@MsAmandawood]

How do you keep the hay out of the feeders and waterers,?

[@grimble4564]

You can also lay down some wire mesh, layer on some cardboard that's been colonized with wine cap mycelium, lay down some more wire mesh, and cover with your usual bedding. It's a little extra work but you end up saving on bedding while still getting the same effect and plus your chickens can eat the mushrooms as snack when they fruit.

[@bellazul2]

How do you deal with lices or other parasites?

[@michelledax4083]

Diatomaceous earth.

[@robertochoa9180]

Do they lay eggs all over with that method?

[@MaryHernandez-lq8kq]

What about mites?

[@lorae7]

Does it get wet and soggy in the rain/winter? I tried this last year and seemed like the coop was a wet mess

[@susiecase2395]

Where are the perches?

[@MyAlbertC]

What do you do about mites or help the chicken from getting any disease.😮

[@kimberlyearly8918]

You can sprinkle diatomaceous earth every now and then. That’s what we do.

[@MyAlbertC]

@@kimberlyearly8918 that bad chemicals and not healthy and the eggs. Think natural Missy, organic 😅😂🤣

[@kimberlyearly8918]

@@MyAlbertC It is not missy lol! It’s literally crushed fossilized microscopic aquatic organisms called diatoms that is crushed into a fine powder that is abrasive to some pests. It’s TOTALLY natural and MANY MANY organic chicken owners use it, missy! Maybe you should know what you’re talking about before posting! I’d love to see you prove me wrong!

[@MyAlbertC]

@kimberlyearly8918 Listen, Missy, I noticed that you are speaking about something before you know the person. You don't know who you are talking with . I have raised lots of big chicken 🐔 like yourself. The most natural thing one can use is wood or carbon or some kind of ash. When you have some time, try it on yourself, and you will get red of the creature in your hair, arm pits as your empty brain 🧠. Thank you for sharing with me chicken brain. 😅🤣😂

[@maunalaniaina5749]

​@@kimberlyearly8918I use DME too. It works and you don't need a lot.

[@PoemeArtFashionMtl]

Do you have a soil floor in your coop or concrete?

[@fightinfetus]

Nature also doesn’t rake or clean itself. It has its own system.

[@RazziiGrows]

Good idea

[@lukasbachmeier1577]

Deep litter...yes

[@choccyracc]

can i do this in florida with the humidity?

[@MonicaSmith-i8k]

Thanks 2024 16 10 😊

[@bethkemp7515]

🙌

[@roselynewanjala4985]

How do you finish the case of abroody hen?

[@csamurai958]

Not a bad idea

[@Aljupage]

❤

[@Vektr1]

You have all the grass on the other side of the fence. Let them out!