Deep Litter

[Plainandtall]

If you had a huckster cart in Baltimore- this would be considered abuse and your horses would be seized.

Of course it’s one way of doing things- but I think that it really is a system intended for Northern Climates where composting outdoors has stalled- snow outside is deeper than the wheelbarrow wheel and pee on a thinly bedded stall floor would be a little mound of ice. The deep litter is a solution to many problems of winter- but I think that if you do this in warm climates the build up of ammonia- and the danger of things heating up in the barn make this inadvisable.

[SmartAlex]

[QUOTE=Plainandtall;7966673]
I think that it really is a system intended for Northern Climates where composting outdoors has stalled- snow outside is deeper than the wheelbarrow wheel and pee on a thinly bedded stall floor would be a little mound of ice. The deep litter is a solution to many problems of winter [/QUOTE]

Sure is. Until we get a thaw and we realize what that refrigerated bedding REALLY contains and have to strip all the stalls at once. Which isn’t fun, but it sure saves work up until “Stall Day”

[Foxtrot_s]

I’ve used it with peatmoss. Worked very well, built up a nice soft, warm mattress over time…no smell at all. You do have to pick up the poops daily, but the wet spots can stay. (if I found a soggy spot, I’d remove that, and fill in the hole.) Very quick and easy, no waste.

The complaint with peat was that it is fine and can be dry, but once the bed is made, it sort of works in and is not dusty, or you hose it down if necessary with a fine spray. They track it a bit, so sweeping up is necessary.

Nice compost.

Springtime is a pain, tho.

Now my horse is on in/out with a huge pile of sawdust to roll and sleep in.
Even less work.

[judybigredpony]

[QUOTE=just sayin’;7904912]
My understanding of deep litter is that you pick up the manure daily, level the bedding , do not remove the wet spots because the wet drains down into the deep bedding. Add a small amt. of bedding daily. The bedding packs down and remains dry on top[/QUOTE]

We did our stalls like this in UK @ school all barns all stalls never stripped. Kept level kept constantly picked. We also banked the walls with straw and put that down as needed and kept fresh on walls. Stalls were beautiful level warm and dry. Very little smell.
But would have been hellashious if any were paw ers ,weavers or stall walkers…

[twelvegates]

Do you need another person to tell you that clearing out the deep bed in the spring is an experience that will likely make you never do this again?

(Alternately, if you can persuade a teenager to clean out your stalls for $100 or so when the time comes, go for it…)

[Foxtrot_s]

Yabbut - remember back to all those dark winter mornings - or evenings - when you didn’t have to do major stalls in the cold…payback comes sooner or later. Hiring the local strong teenager is definitely the way to go unless you have a little tractor. It is not THAT bad - we did it over a couple of days.
Saves money, too.

[kookicat]

I do a semi deep litter and strip the boxes about every six weeks. I use hemp bedding which kinds clumps together into a mat when it gets wet but stays dry on top. Very comfy and warm, with no smell. Stripping it can be hard work, but there are tricks to make it easier. I have a little low trailer that I can move about by hand. I park that outside of the door and throw all the bedding into that. Then once it’s full, I tow it to the muck heap and dump it.