What is a deep litter system - HELP PLEASE

Kind of what it says on the tin. You just keep adding fresh litter on top of the old soiled stuff and then clear it out once a year or so. It is generally used by those who have a larger number of birds. Apparent advantages are it is less labour intensive and the rotting litter can help warm the house in winter. The disadvantages are pretty obvious!

sorry i am very naive coz these are my first hens but do i go to the farm supply shop and ask for WHAT? Any help would be appreciated please

I think deep litter systems are what's used for large numbers of hens being kept in sheds.  The "litter" means the bedding material that is used.  In intensive systems the chicken sheds don't get cleaned out until the hens are ready for being despatched, then the muck gets removed completed. In the meantime they just add clean bedding over the dirty stuff so you end up with a deep layer of "litter"

Most of us home hen keepers only have small numbers of hens etc so we poo pick the coop and run daily, or twice, depending on how many chooks you have.  The bedding material in nesting boxes and coops gets dirtier than say that in the run and will need changing more frequently.  Once it's sodden with urine it will smell and will need changing.  You'll get to know how frequently by the sniff factor. If I can smell anything that makes my nose screw up I know it needs changing    Your girlies will appreciate a clean, dry nesting box and bed and keeping them clean will also keep your eggs clean

This lovely bedding material available now is for horses but is perfect for chook keepers. It  helps keep the hen houses clean as you can spread it out in their run as well as their coop and is good for keeping mud out of their house.  I like Aubiose as it has citronella (I think) in it and it smells lovely and absorbs moisture to help keep things sweet and dry    Easibed is cheaper and is fine as well

well thank you for your replies everyone as its been so very helpful! X

Am I going over the top as daily I shovel out the poo and the litter under the poo which can be 3/4 of the coop, I then give the floor a good sprinkle with stalosan f and then put fresh litter down which is the hemp.

You certainlyare.  I never poo pick as life's too short.  The only problem is if the hens can paddle about in their droppings and pick in it.  If you imagine what happens with birds in the wild they roost in trees and their droppings fall through the branches so they aren't constantly exposed to it.  If your house is designed correctly the majority of the base area will be taken up with roosting bars which should be suspended over a droppings area which the birds can't get to.  Their dropping should fall through the bars onto the litter and is absorbed and where it is away from the birds so they can't come into contact with it.  You then periodically sprinkle new litter on top to keep a clean dry absorbent surface and you let it build up until it gets within 10cms or so of the bars and then you clean out completely and disinfect clean the perches and start again.   I usually go for 4 to 6 weeks before a clean out.   Painting a slurry of Diatom mixed into a water disinfectant base (Vanodine V18) is best), helps to keep the dropping from sticking to the perches and deters red mite and helps with the sanitation.

I don't allow the chx into the nestboxes at night and these are shuttered off so they stay clean and if they do get fouled I clean them out thoroughly.

This isn't strictly what is mean't by deep litter,  In deep littersystems the fouled litter is carefully managed to maintain a dry sanitary surface and the ammonia levels are controlled.  If the consistency is right  the litter doesn't support bacteria but the ammonia smell isn't at a dangerous level for the birds health.  Well managed deep litter systems don't smell and are perfectly sanitary.  The litter forms a dry caked consistancy.   As Orchardlady says this system is used in commercial laying sheds usually with tens or hundreds and upwards of birds in.  The litter is dug out.once a season.
Regards
HF