-
eLengo is East Africa's farming hub, combining an online community, educational resources and dynamic marketplace to help you reach your full potential.
Guests may browse our forums, but to participate in the conversations you must be logged in. We encourage you to join now- it's easy and it's FREE!
(and it will make this box go away)
Poultry Deep litter Coop System
- Thread starter njmugo
- Start date
Nyambura K
Veterinarian
@njmugo in deep litter system it is a requirement that litter is changed periodically as occasions demand to prevent infectious diseases from building up including parasite infestations.
Litter should be raked thoroughly at frequent intervals, say at least twice a week.depending on the material used it could even take 2 months or more before the need to change it. You will need to keep an eye out for leaks and spills so that the bedding doesn’t become overly wet, keep a close eye around your drinkers.
While your chickens will do most of the turning for you, inspect your coop floor on a regular basis to make sure the entire litter system is aerated. You will want to make sure your chickens haven’t missed any spots.
If any sections of the litter begin to look white or ashen, they are oxygen-deprived. Make sure you break these up and turn them as soon as possible.
You will also need to keep a close eye on the moisture content of your bedding. It should be equally moist and consistent without any lumps. If you pick up the litter and squeeze it, it should not release any water. It should hold its shape and then crumble. Turning your litter can help distribute moisture evenly around the coop.
Please note: If you have any outbreak of a disease in your flock, of any kind, be it parasites or a bacterial or viral illness – make sure you remove all of the deep litter. It’s time to clean it out, sanitize your coop, and start all over. It can be frustrating, however, it’s essential to prevent the disease from spreading among your flock.
Litter should be raked thoroughly at frequent intervals, say at least twice a week.depending on the material used it could even take 2 months or more before the need to change it. You will need to keep an eye out for leaks and spills so that the bedding doesn’t become overly wet, keep a close eye around your drinkers.
While your chickens will do most of the turning for you, inspect your coop floor on a regular basis to make sure the entire litter system is aerated. You will want to make sure your chickens haven’t missed any spots.
If any sections of the litter begin to look white or ashen, they are oxygen-deprived. Make sure you break these up and turn them as soon as possible.
You will also need to keep a close eye on the moisture content of your bedding. It should be equally moist and consistent without any lumps. If you pick up the litter and squeeze it, it should not release any water. It should hold its shape and then crumble. Turning your litter can help distribute moisture evenly around the coop.
Please note: If you have any outbreak of a disease in your flock, of any kind, be it parasites or a bacterial or viral illness – make sure you remove all of the deep litter. It’s time to clean it out, sanitize your coop, and start all over. It can be frustrating, however, it’s essential to prevent the disease from spreading among your flock.
nedward
Veterinarian
Would advise you complete the laying circle if you already have your birds on production. Then do flock depletion before changing your production system. Otherwise check on the pros and cons of deep litere system. Best practice is always an integrated system where by birds are reared in deep litter system upto point of laying then having the moved to battery system for the entire production phase them moulting and depletion phases on deep litter. This saves a lot on production losses associated with contamination as is common in deep litter the cause being poor litter Management.