Deep litter vs. weekly cleanout, the ammonia test settled it

I ran both methods in separate coops for 6 months and the deep litter coop smelled WAY better by March, no ammonia burn on my birds at all. The weekly cleanout one needed full bedding swaps every 10 days anyway, so it wasn't even less work. Has anyone else seen deep litter fail in a humid climate like Florida?

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terry11d ago

That "smelled way better" line is doing a lot of heavy lifting, but smell isn't the same thing as actual ammonia levels, and your birds not showing burns doesn't mean their lungs are fine. Deep litter in a place with Florida's humidity just turns into a wet compost pile that breaks down way too fast, so you're basically managing a mold farm by spring. I'd bet that weekly cleanout coop was drier and healthier overall, even if it needed more fresh bedding, and the real test is how the birds do over a couple of years, not six months.