What is the Deep Litter Method & How to Use it in Your Chicken Coop

What is the Deep Litter Method and How to Use it in Your Chicken Coop

Perhaps one of the most tedious and least-liked chores in chicken raising is cleaning out the coop and replacing the bedding.  Whether you clean your coop daily, weekly, monthly, bi-annualy, or never (please clean your coop at least some), it’s a chore that all chicken owners must perform as some point and is at times, a thing of dread.    

One solution to the coop cleaning is the deep litter method. 

Those who live in colder climates might already be familiar with the term and if you hang around the internet chicken groups you’ve probably come across it a time or two as well.

Whether you’re already a bit familiar with the term or have never heard of it before, this article has all you need to know to understand what the deep litter method is, how to use it, the benefits it produces and more.  So what is the deep litter method and how can it be used in your own chicken coop? Continue reading to find out!

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What is the deep litter method?

The deep litter method, or DLM, is a method of piling several inches worth of bio-degradable substrate, or bedding in a chicken coop.  The mixture of bedding as well as the excrements from the chickens creates an environment ideal for microorganisms.  These microbes then eat away at the organic material, both bedding and chicken droppings, and the materials are slowly decomposed. 

Think of the DLM as composting within your chicken coop.  The resulting semi-decomposed material can then be removed and added to a separate compost pile outside your coop which can later be used in your garden.  Sounds pretty handy right? 

What are the benefits of the deep litter method?

• Saves time – cuts down on how often you need to clean your chicken’s coop
• Saves money – no need to continuously buy new substrate all the time
• Keeps coops cleaner and less smelly
• Creates good microbes which help break down waste
• Keeps your chickens clean and healthy
• Provides extra heat and insulation in cold weather
• Provides nutrient-rich composting material for your garden
• Is a more sustainable method of maintaining a coop

Step-by-step process for the deep litter method

Step 1: Start out with a clean coop  

It’s best to start doing the deep litter method after you’ve done a deep coop cleaning.  Pull out all the old material, spray, and scrub it down or whatever your usual cleaning routine is.  

Make sure there are no holes where rodent pests and predators can get in, check and make sure there are no mites, lice, or other pesky insects inhabiting the coop.  Also check and make sure the roof is weather tight and no rainwater can leak in. 

Step 2: Add your litter/bedding of choice

Add about 6 inches of bedding material to the bottom of the coop.  There are all sorts of different bedding material or substrates that can be used.  Figure out which one works best for you and your chickens.  Typically, something with higher absorbency, like pine shavings will work best (more on bedding materials further below). 

Step 3: Aerate the litter

Each week or so, check on the bedding to see what kind of condition it’s in.  Your chickens should be digging and turning through the material, which is what you want since this gets it mixed up and aerated.

If your chickens aren’t doing a good enough job mixing it up then you can aerate it yourself by turning it over with a pitchfork, shovel, or other tool.  The idea is to get the fresh poo from the top moved to the middle or bottom area.

Step 4: Add more organic matter

Ideally, you want to have a higher amount of litter or bedding material compared to chicken excrements.  Every now and then, either whenever you aerate the litter or if you notice it starting to smell, go ahead and add some more material on top. 

Adding fresh material on top will help keep your chickens clean and their feet less poopy (which is a win). 

Note: The frequency that you’ll need to both turn the litter and add more material will depend on how many chickens you have and how much space they have in the coop.  A small coop that’s full to the brim with chickens will need to be turned more often while a large coop with a couple chickens you could probably get by only doing it once a month.   

Step 5: Continue to turn the litter and add more organic matter as needed

Continue the process or adding more bedding material to your coop and turning it over every now and then and you’ve got yourself a deep litter coop!

Step 6: Coop cleaning time

While you don’t need to clean your coop nearly as often with this method, you will still need to clean it a couple times a year.  Depending on how many chickens you have, the coop size, how well you kept up with turning and adding more organic material to the coop, you’ll generally want to clean it out anywhere from 2-4 times a year. 

Remove the old litter and add it to your compost pile, clean your coop, and then start the process over by adding in new clean substrate. 

How the deep litter method works

To best understand how the deep litter method works, it’s best to look at the science behind how a regular garden compost pile works. 

You begin by adding organic matter such as kitchen scraps, which are full of nitrogen, and then brown material, such as mulched leaves which are carbon rich.

Over time these materials will start to decay, and this process creates a perfect environment for microbes to thrive.  These microbes then help the organic materials to further decompose as they feed off it. 

This process creates nutrient-dense material which is perfect for adding to gardens to help plants and trees grow. 

Creating an ideal environment for microbes and composting

To form an ideal environment for microbes and the composting process, there needs to be a combination of organic material, warm temperatures, moisture, and oxygen. 

Organic Material – A good compost pile will typically consist of a mixture of green and brown material.  The green material being soft plant matter like vegetables and animal droppings and the brown bring things like sticks, paper, and mulched leaves. 

When using the deep litter method, the green material being provided is essentially the chickens excrements, instead of plant matter.

Keep in mind when we say organic matter, we’re not talking about overly priced produce from your grocery store, just natural materials that are able to be broken down such as fruits, vegetables, plant twigs, grass, animal droppings etc. 

Generally, we want a compost pile will have a ratio of about 25:1 carbon-to-nitrogen.  This means the amount of brown material should be much higher than the green.    

One of the reasons why we start out with about 6 inches of material, and then add to it, is because we want to maintain a good ratio of carbon to nitrogen where the amount of bedding always exceeds the amount of chicken waste.     

If there is too much carbon and not enough nitrogen, then the decomposition process will be stunted.  Too much nitrogen can lead to a bad ammonia-smell. 

Temperature – Most microorganisms prefer temperatures of around 20-45° Celsius or 68-113° Fahrenheit.   This is one of the reasons why it’s good to start a compost pile in warmer weather. 

When first starting a compost pile you typically won’t have a whole bunch of material to start out with, so beginning in warmer weather will help give your compost pile the temperature range it needs to get started and cultivate microbes. 

As you add more material to it your compost pile and microorganisms start to break the particles down, your compost will start to produce heat itself and so the outside temperatures aren’t as important. 

After a while the compost material will be broken down into finer particles by thermophilic microbes and you’re well on your way to having some good compost material (although this process takes months). 

Keep in mind that microbes prefer a range of warmer to hot temperatures, anything too hot will start to kill them off.  Typically about 70° Celsius / 158° Fahrenheit and above starts to be too hot for healthy microbes.  

Typically, the deep litter method won’t get too hot so you shouldn’t have this problem.  Part of the reason for this is the relatively frequent aeration of the material when the chickens scratch through it or you turn it over yourself.    

Moisture – For a garden compost you typically want to maintain the moisture at a certain level (about 50%) which helps with the microorganism’s ability to metabolize the material – if too dry they may become dormant.  For a garden compost pile, this is done via rainwater or spraying it with a hose during a dry spell. 

For the deep litter method this is accomplished through the chicken poo itself and extra water/moisture should not be added to the coop.  This typically leads to a dyer compost which means the decaying process is slower than a traditional garden compost, but it’s safer for your chickens this way since you don’t want excess moisture in the coop which can lead to mold and respiratory issues. 

If you live in an excessively dry climate, then you may want to add some additional water to the litter.  Just enough to get it slightly damp, but not enough for mold to form.   

Oxygen – There are two classes of microorganisms that help with composting called aerobes (need oxygen) and anaerobes (no oxygen).  The aerobes, that need oxygen, are the microorganisms we want since they’re more efficient at breaking down material and produce good chemicals such as magnesium, nitrogen, and phosphorus (all things plants love).   

If you ever have composting material that smells like rotten eggs, it’s most likely from anaerobes which don’t need oxygen and tend to produce more toxic chemicals as they break down material. 

When I mention adding in leaves to your compost or deep litter, I always specify “mulched leaves.”  This is because when leaves are kept whole, they tend to stack on each other, stick together, and create anaerobic areas in your compost which you don’t want. 

When should you start the deep litter method?

I recommend deep cleaning your coop and refreshing the litter twice year (at least).  Once in late spring, and once in early fall.  But really, you can do it any time of year.  Do what works best for you, your schedule, your chickens, and your climate.

The reason I choose these times is to best take advantage of the insulating properties of the deep litter method as well as the ideal temperatures for microorganisms. 

I leave it a bit longer in spring to make sure the weather’s warmed up enough that the chickens don’t need the extra insulation and it’s warm enough that the microbes can be happy (about 68° Fahrenheit, 20° Celsius temps during the day).  Everyone’s weather and climate are different though, so do what you feel is best. 

I clean the coop and change the litter again in early Fall to get rid of the waste that accumulated during summer, which is typically breaks down faster due to the heat and humidity levels.  Starting a new litter around this time also gives me and the chickens time to build up another decent pile of bedding and decomposing poo for better insulation and heating for the colder months.

What material can be used for the deep litter method?

Almost any kind of organic matter that’s chicken-safe can be used but there’s a couple considerations to keep in mind. 

The best materials to use are ones that break down easier such as pine shavings, mulched up leaves, hemp, or grass.  You also want to make sure at least 50% of the material used is absorbent (pine shavings are much more absorbent than pine needles).  If you live in a more humid environment, I highly recommend using the absorbent materials at about 80%+ (so you’d want about 80% pine shavings and then 20% material such as straw or pine needles).   

Wood shavings, such as pine shavings, work particularly well in the deep litter method.  They’re easy to find, relatively cheap, and are perfectly safe for your chickens and other critters.  The large flakes tend to be better since they don’t contain as much sawdust (bad for the chickens to breath and also clumps together too much if wet).  Cedar shavings are not recommended due to the oils within the wood that can be toxic to animals as well as plants. 

When I first started researching the deep litter method years ago, I often came across hemp as a bedding.  So that’s what I first bought for my coop and it’s what I have continued to use.  While it’s a bit expensive, one large bag of it will last me half the year, it does a great job on absorbing moisture, keeps down bad smells, and it makes for great compost material. 

Grass clippings and mulched leaves also make great additions to the bedding.  Your chickens will also enjoy picking and scratching through the material looking for bugs.  Just make sure you mow/mulch and add them when it’s drier outside.  You don’t want to add wet grass or leaves to your chicken’s coop. 

You can also shred paper to be used in your litter.  Just don’t use magazine pages or anything that’s make from the slick paper. 

Try to avoid using anything that’s too big or rough.  Mulch and bark chips are large and take a long time to decompose so they’re not a particularly good option. 

While straw is another decent choice, I don’t suggest using it by itself since it doesn’t break down very easily, tends to get stuck together and then mold.  It works best in combination with other materials such as wood shavings, mulched leaves, grass clippings etc.  Hay is not recommended due to its tendency to mold very easily.  

Feel free to mix and match and experiment until you find your favorite one. 

Think about the material in terms of a regular compost pile.  While food scraps and soft plant material break down within a couple months, other material like sticks, hard wood cuttings, pinecones, and gumballs take much longer.  The same will go with your coops litter.  Using material like mulched leaves and chicken-safe wood shavings will break down faster than straw and mulch. 

You want to make sure that the materials won’t stick together and cause issues with mold.  The looser the material, the better. 

Materials you should NOT use for the DLM

• Cedar shavings – the oils in cedar are said to be harmful to chickens. 
• Leaves from black walnuts are known to be harmful to plants and animals.
• Plant material from diseased plants.
• Anything moldy.
• Grass of other yard trimmings that were treated with pesticides or herbicides.
• Anything that’s too large and won’t break down properly.
• Material that’s too rough or sharp and may cause injury to your chickens feet etc.

Composting your old chicken litter

Build a compost pile near your coop – It’s a good idea to build a compost pile somewhere near your chickens.  Not only will they enjoy scratching through it and pecking at old kitchen scraps, but it also makes dumping their old bedding into the compost much easier on you and your back.

Let the compost age before using in your garden – Even though using the deep litter method starts the composting cycle while still in the coop, it’s not quite as effective as a regular compost pile.  Part of the reason for this is the material itself stays drier, which is safer for the chickens, but means it’s also not breaking down as fast as it could in a regular compost pile. 

When you take the litter out of the coop and add it to your compost, your adding bedding material along with old and fresh chicken poop in varying degrees of age.  The higher amounts of ammonia and nitrogen in the fresher excrements can be bad for your garden, so I recommend adding it in your compost pile and letting it age for at least 4-6 months or more if you live in a cooler climate, before adding to your garden.

You can use the aged chicken compost anywhere in your garden and around trees – your plants will be very happy with the extra nutrients. 

Personally, I tend to only use chicken compost around plants that I won’t be eating from and I definitely avoid using it with my root vegetables.  If I let the compost sit longer, for a year or more then I’d feel fine using it around my veggies. 

More on the benefits of the deep litter method

Depending on how often you were already cleaning out your coop and replacing bedding, the deep litter method should save you a lot of time and effort.  The method itself keeps your chicken’s coop staying clean and (mostly) fresh smelling for significantly longer.  Your chickens, your family, your friends, your neighbors will, and of course your own nose will thank you for the lack of fowl odor.   

This method should also save you money since you don’t have to replace the bedding as often, although you are needing to add more bedding to the top as you turn the material.  Depending on what material you decide to use, you could source it from your backyard itself (such as mulched leaves) or somewhere locally for cheap. 

Some downsides of the deep litter method (few though they are)

Can cost you a lot up front.  Depending on what type of litter you choose the cost to get enough bedding to make it deep enough can be high.  I like to use hemp myself since it’s extremely absorbent and makes for good compost.  However, it’s also a bit pricey and not as readily available in stores.  I typically have to buy it from an online store. 

Depending on your climate, you may find yourself having to tend to the coop’s litter more often than would be necessary in another climate.  Humid areas might require you to aerate the bedding and add more often, while extremely dry areas you may need to be adding water to it to help build up some moisture (but not too much). 

If your coop is not fully pest proof… you may find some unwanted visitors making themselves at home.  Mice or snakes might burrow down deep in the litter, and due to the depth, you might not realize they’re there.  (just something to be aware of)

Tips, tricks, and ideas for the deep litter method

Good ventilation is important – Having good ventilation is always a good thing to have in your coop.  It lets in fresh air, allows excess moisture to escape, helps alleviate ammonia vapors, and clear out dust particles. 

If you’re doing the deep litter method, then you’re not cleaning out your coop as often, meaning dust and dirt from your birds is constantly accumulating in the coop and the bedding itself.  Good ventilation will help prevent a buildup of dust in your coop which will in turn prevent respiratory issues. 

Good ventilation will also help keep your chickens from getting too hot in summer (remember that the deep litter method builds heat).  

If your coop is lacking ventilation holes, which many of the prefab coops are, you can drill in some holes yourself.  If you make a larger hole or window, make sure to cover it in some kind of hardware cloth or wire netting to keep out mice, snakes, and other pests. 

It’s also best to not put ventilation holes right next to where your chickens sleep.  In winter cold drafts from these areas can be harmful for your chickens (unless you plan to cover them up in winter). 

Best depth for the DLM – To encourage the material (both poo and bedding) to break down and start composting, it’s recommended to have at least 6” inches of bedding in the coop.  As you aerate and add more material to the bedding you should aim for about 1’ foot worth of bedding total.  This will ensure the microbes are happy and there’s enough material to be turned up to keep the coop clean and fresh-poop-free.     

Encourage your chickens to turn the litter themselves – Chickens will naturally scratch through their bedding some, but if you don’t want to have to turn the bedding yourself, you can throw down some corn or other scratch to encourage them to do so.  Maybe do so once a week or so. 

Don’t worry about them pecking through their own poo – I assure you, they do this anyways, and if you’re doing the deep litter method correctly then the amount of poo should be minimum.  I don’t recommend throwing in food scraps since there will be some your chickens might not want and go after and you don’t want food scraps rotting in your coop. 

Other material to add to your deep litter – Besides the regular bedding you use for your deep litter, you can also add other material to help deter pests and keep it smelling extra fresh. 

Before adding the litter, you can sprinkle a decent helping of food grade diatomaceous earth (DE) on the bottom.  This will help prevent crawly bugs like ants and mites.  I also add a little bit to the litter itself and fluff it in.  Do not add a whole bunch, since too much could make the coop dusty and you don’t want your chickens breathing a bunch of it in. 

Adding in fragrant herbs, both dried and fresh, can also help make your coop smell better and give your chickens a treat.  Rosemary, oregano, and mint are some commonly used ones.  

 Warning! Before adding any other additives, make sure to research any negative effects they might have on your chickens and their respiratory system.  The ones I listed above are known to be safe, but if you want to experiment with others, it’s a good idea to research them first. 

Keeping the deep litter contained – Most coops aren’t made to have 6” plus of bedding material kept in it, much less contained.  With chickens’ tendency to scratch and throw things around too you may find more bedding than you would like tossed outside of the coop. 

To fix this problem you can attach some boards like a 2×6” (or bigger) at the base of openings.  If you don’t want to have the board right up against a door area you could also build yourself a box of walking room where they’re no deep litter, and then have everything else be 6” deep.  This works too if your chicken door is low to the ground. 

Using the deep litter method for other animals (ducks) – Deep litter could also work for ducks, however, you’ll need to turn and replace the bedding more often since ducks don’t scratch through it like chickens do and their poo is a lot wetter.  DLM works fine for turkeys and Guinea fowl as well.      

Using carboard to make clean out easier – To help make the removal of the litter easier, you can use a layer of cardboard on the bottom which will make pulling the litter out at cleaning time much easier.   The cardboard itself can be thrown in the compost as well.  Just make sure to remove any tape and stickers (since they don’t break down as easily).

Tools for aerating the bedding – If you have a large barn or shed coop then a pitch fork and wheel barrel might be your best bet for cleaning out the deep litter. 

For some small coops you might not be able to turn the litter with a pitchfork since it won’t fit.  Instead you can either encourage your chickens to aerate more with treats, or use something like a small cultivator (the three pronged garden tool) to fluff up the bedding. 

Don’t keep a water fount in your coop – Too much moisture in the bedding will cause mold and potential respiratory problems in your chickens. 

If you’re doing the deep litter method and your coop smells bad – If your coop is still smelling funky despite having cleaned it out fairly recently and implementing the DLM, then you might want to consider either aerating it more often or adding new material more often or using a different type of bedding material.  Try to maintain around a 1’ foot worth of material (6” inches minimum). 

If your coop has a wood floor – you may be worried about the DLM breaking down the floor itself if it’s made from wood.  Technically… any coop with a wooden floor will find itself breaking down eventually unless it’s heavily treated which you don’t want around your birds anyways. 

If a wooden coop base is a concern, you can always get some cheap vinyl flooring to line it with which will help protect it and make cleaning time much easier.  An old shower curtain or tarp would also do. 

Keep in mind a wooden floor won’t break down after one season.  It should take several years.  And if you’re using the DLM and its deep enough, then the floor should be relatively safe since it’s not getting fresh poo directly on it.  If you do notice your wood deteriorating fast, there could be a weather-proofing issue such as rain getting through in which case you might need to seal it up better or slap on some chicken-safe, weather-tight, outdoor paint.  

What to do if your coop is too small to use the deep litter method

With a lot of the prefab raised coops on the market, the deep litter method isn’t possible.  However, there are still some things you can do… lets call it, The Quasi-Deep Litter Method. 

If you have a small raised coop like the green coop pictured above, then your coop doors are at the same level of the coop floor and the height of the coop itself isn’t high enough to use the full DLM.  But worry not!  There are some things you can do to still take advantage of the benefits of the deep litter method, just not to the full extent. 

• Install some low boards along the doorways so you can pile the bedding up at least three-four inches.  I find that this much is doable without making the opening too small the chickens can’t get through. 
• Only make the litter deep in certain areas.   Even if you can’t make the bedding particularly deep throughout, you should be able to make it a bit deeper at least near the nesting boxes.  Just keep in mind your chickens will constantly be moving the bedding about and redistributing it, so you’ll have to push and heap it back in place on occasion.  
• Since you won’t be able to have much of a barrier containing the bedding in, you’ll find more bedding outside of the coop than you would with a different style of coop.  This means you’ll have to add new bedding more often.  If what’s fallen/been kicked outside is in good shape, you can always just toss it back in.
• You’ll might need to turn and aerate and add more bedding material more often.  Since you’re going to have a higher ratio of chicken excrement to bedding material you’ll need to both turn the material (if you’re chickens aren’t doing it enough themselves) and add new material on top fairly frequently – about once a week.
• To prevent there from being too much chicken excrement to bedding, you can also go out once a week or so and scoop out some of the poo.  This is one of the ways in which the hemp bedding really comes in handy.  Not only is it very absorbent, but you can also scoop and sift through it with a cat litter scoop and get rid of some of the poo which can then be deposited in a bucket and tossed in with you garden compost pile. 

I hope this post helped you better understand what the deep litter method is and how to employ it as a useful method of keeping a clean, low maintenance coop!