DL is perfect for wet conditions and is one reason I chose to use it, as most of my sheep pen has no shelter. AND the rain runs right down into that area, as it's at the bottom of a slope with a nice little funneling gully to aid with the runoff....right into the pens.
I put directional diversion for the bulk of the runoff but mostly that area generally stays pretty wet all winter long, even when sheep are not there.
Now, even though the bedding stays wet beneath, on dry days the top dries out pretty quickly as the moisture is wicked towards the bottom. This area also drains better now because worms are coming up from below to feed on the manure and litter material and those tunnels helps the ground absorb the rain.
Even on wet days, the DL is spongy and springy to walk on, so the hooves are not immersed in wet mud all the time but are bouncing along on the top of the mass. A few minutes of fork work now and again redistributes dry matter from under the shelters to wetter, more high traffic areas out in the open. I'm finding my sheep are not lounging in the dry hay under the shelters where you would expect to find them on a cushy bed of hay....instead they are lounging outside on the leaves in the pen unless it's pouring down the rain.
I credit the groundwork of sticks, stalks, vines, etc. for keeping air spaces under the DL and then the addition of leaves for creating even more air spaces in the mass, along with the hay fibers. Without one or the other in place, neither one seems to work well on its own. Without those air spaces it all would turn into an anaerobic mat and not compost at all but just sit and be slimy or cake into bricks.
When I get it thick enough, I'm going to measure internal temps on the DL to see if the composting is generating any level of heat. I know the chicken coop is, as per usual, but it's a more enclosed space.
