7 Best Stall Cleaning Shovels For Deep Litter Systems Old Farmers Swear By
Discover the best shovels for deep litter systems. Our guide reviews 7 durable, farmer-approved models designed for efficient turning and sifting.
There’s a moment every farmer knows well: standing at the edge of a stall, looking at months of packed-down deep litter, and wondering where to even begin. The job ahead feels monumental, a test of both muscle and will. But the old-timers know a secret—the back-breaking nature of this task has less to do with your strength and more to do with the tool in your hands.
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Why Your Shovel Choice Matters for Deep Litter
A deep litter system is a beautiful thing, creating compost and a healthy environment for your animals. But when it’s time for the big clean-out, it presents a unique challenge. You’re not just scooping loose material; you’re dealing with distinct, compressed layers.
The top layer might be light and fluffy, but just inches down you’ll hit a dense, damp, and surprisingly heavy mat. Further down, you might find a nearly solid layer of composted material that’s fused to the floor. Using a standard garden shovel here is like trying to dig through concrete with a spoon. It’s inefficient and a recipe for a sore back.
The right tool is designed for a specific layer. Some are for prying and breaking up the toughest sections, while others are for sifting and preserving the good bedding. Others are built for moving massive volumes of loosened material with minimal effort. Choosing the right shovel isn’t about working harder; it’s about working smarter by matching the tool’s design to the specific density and texture of the bedding you’re tackling.
Bully Tools 10-Tine Fork for Tough Layers
When you hit that bottom layer that feels like a solid brick, this is the tool you need. The Bully Tools fork isn’t for scooping; it’s for demolition. Its welded steel tines are built for prying, cracking, and breaking apart the most compacted, stubborn bedding imaginable.
Think of it as a lever. You drive the tines into the edge of a packed section and use the long handle to pry it up, breaking it into manageable chunks. This is the first step in a major clean-out, especially in chicken coops or goat pens where bedding has been building for a full season. Trying to use a scoop shovel for this job will only lead to a bent shovel and a frustrated farmer.
This fork’s strength is also its limitation. It doesn’t hold material well, so it’s not for moving the bedding out of the stall. Its job is singular: to fracture the impenetrable. Once the solid mass is broken into pieces, you’ll switch to a different tool for removal.
Ames Aluminum Scoop Shovel for Bulk Removal
After you’ve broken up the packed layers, the next phase is all about volume. You need to move a mountain of material, and this is where the Ames Aluminum Scoop Shovel shines. Its defining feature is its lightweight construction combined with a large, deep scoop.
An aluminum shovel won’t wear you out like a heavy steel one will. Lifting hundreds of scoops of heavy, damp bedding is exhausting, and every ounce of tool weight matters. The large scoop means you’re moving more material with each lift, dramatically cutting down the time it takes to clear a stall. This is the workhorse for getting the loosened bedding from the floor into the wheelbarrow.
However, remember what it’s made for. Aluminum is light, but it’s not for prying. Don’t be tempted to use the edge to chip away at a stubborn spot on the floor. You’ll likely bend or damage the scoop. It’s a bulk mover, and a fantastic one at that, but it relies on another tool to do the initial heavy breaking.
Little Giant DuraFork for Lighter Top Layers
Not every clean-out is a floor-to-ceiling affair. For daily maintenance or skimming the top layer, the Little Giant DuraFork is the go-to tool. Made from durable polycarbonate, it’s incredibly lightweight and designed for sifting, not heavy lifting.
This fork is perfect for picking up manure from relatively clean shavings or straw. The tines are spaced to let the clean bedding fall through, so you’re only removing the waste. This extends the life of your bedding, saving you time and money. It’s an essential tool for maintaining the health of the top layer in a deep litter system.
The DuraFork is not for a full mucking out. Its plastic tines will snap if you try to pry up compacted, wet bedding. Think of it as a precision instrument for a delicate job, not a sledgehammer for a tough one. It’s the tool you’ll use most often, but it’s not the one you’ll use on the hardest days.
True Temper Spading Fork for Packed Bedding
Sometimes you face a situation that’s between a rock and a soft place. The bedding isn’t a solid brick, but it’s too heavy and wet for a scoop shovel to handle easily. This is where a spading fork, with its strong, flat tines, proves its worth.
Unlike the rounded tines of a pitchfork, the blade-like tines of a spading fork can slice into dense, damp material. It allows you to get underneath a heavy section of bedding and lift it without the material breaking apart. It provides the leverage of a fork with better lifting capability for clumpy, wet compost.
This tool is the ultimate problem-solver for that middle layer of the deep litter pile. It’s stronger than an aluminum scoop for initial lifting and holds wet material better than a 10-tine demolition fork. It’s a versatile player that bridges the gap between breaking and scooping.
Truper General Purpose Scoop for Mucking Out
If you could only have one shovel for general-purpose mucking out, this might be it. The Truper scoop is a classic for a reason. It’s built with a sturdy wooden handle and a steel scoop that can take a beating, but it’s designed for versatility.
The D-grip handle is a key feature, offering better control and leverage when you’re scraping, scooping, and dumping. It’s more ergonomic for the repetitive motions of cleaning a stall. The steel blade is tough enough to scrape packed material off a concrete floor without bending, a task that would destroy an aluminum scoop.
While it’s heavier than an aluminum model and doesn’t have the prying power of a spading fork, its strength lies in its balance. It can scrape, lift, and move moderately heavy material effectively. It’s the reliable all-rounder you grab for a wide range of tasks around the homestead.
A.M. Leonard Poly Bedding Fork for Stalls
Similar to the DuraFork but often built with a slightly wider and deeper basket, the A.M. Leonard Poly Bedding Fork is another specialist in preserving bedding. It’s designed specifically for sifting through lighter materials like wood shavings, pellets, or peat moss.
The poly tines are gentle on stall mats, preventing the scratching and gouging that a steel fork can cause. The basket shape is highly efficient at containing manure while letting the maximum amount of clean, dry bedding filter back to the floor. This tool is all about efficiency and resource management.
Like other poly forks, its strength is not in prying. It is purpose-built for the daily or weekly task of spot cleaning. Using it correctly means you perform major clean-outs less frequently because the top layer of your deep litter system stays cleaner and drier for longer.
Razor-Back Steel Scoop for Heavy-Duty Use
When you’re facing the absolute worst-case scenario—bedding mixed with mud, gravel, or ice—you need a tool that won’t quit. The Razor-Back Steel Scoop is that tool. It is unapologetically heavy and built for maximum durability.
This is the shovel you use when an aluminum scoop feels flimsy and you need to scrape, pry, and move the heaviest, wettest material possible. The heavy-gauge steel blade can handle chipping away at frozen manure or scraping rough concrete floors without a hint of bending. It’s the final word in heavy-duty mucking out.
The obvious tradeoff is its weight. Using a Razor-Back all day is a serious workout. It is not the tool for moving light, dry material. It’s a specialized instrument for the most demanding jobs, where durability is the only thing that matters.
Ultimately, a deep litter system is managed in layers, and your tools should reflect that. No single shovel can do it all, but a small, well-chosen arsenal can turn an overwhelming chore into a manageable process. By matching the right tool to the right layer, you save your back, your time, and your sanity.
