Updated: Mar 29, 2022
The deep litter system is a low maintenance method where you only clean out your coop once a year OR MORE!
Time is important and if you don't have to perform a thorough clean-out all the time in your chicken coop--WHY WOULD YOU??? Adding small amounts of hemp bedding as you go, and let the microbial life do the work of decomposition. The decomposition is all around good for life. Hemp bedding for chickens is more absorbent than straw & wood based products, which means you use less bedding (one bale will last a year for most size coops.) The superior absorbency keeps your coop nice & dry, which prevents the growth of harmful bacteria and parasites.
According to master natural farmer Drake Weinert, “Indigenous Micro Organisms are the original life that has been working for countless generations to purify our Earth’s surface, and they can do it again, in record speed with our help…Clean water, clean air, healthy food, it all starts with robust life cycling nutrients in functioning subsoil systems.” By collecting locally indigenous microorganisms and propagating them in our chicken coops, we increase the health of the soil life around us and pass that benefit on to our chickens. With a deep litter hemp bedding system, we create the perfect home for beneficial microorganisms. All we have to do now is collect microorganisms from a healthy ecosystem in our area. Almost any forested environment will do, but it’s best to find a site with noticeable mycelial activity, such as a white “fuzz” slightly beneath the surface of the soil. It is also recommended to collect from a slightly higher elevation, so the microbes are a bit tougher and can transition better. The most common and accepted approach involves filling a wooden or bamboo box two-thirds full with “hard cooked rice”. Cover with a breathable top such as an eco-paper towel, and let sit in the forest for 3-5 days. In temperate climates, increase to 5-7 days. The rice should now be inoculated with a white mycelium. Cover with equal parts brown sugar or maple syrup to preserve the microorganisms. You have now created a shelf stable microbial culture.
THE RECIPE (Other options are available but this is one)
Cook 6 cups of rice with 4 cups of water
Fill a wooden tray with 2/3 full with loosely packed rice
Place in forest or shaded space
Allow to ferment 3-5 days
Mix with equal parts brown sugar or maple syrup
#FarmwellFeed #HempBedding #ChickenCoopSetUp #HealthyChickens #Aubichick #Aubiouse #indiginousmicroorganism