Do stationary coops stink?

[GimmeCake]

The current coop I have is flawed. It's only has about a 3x4 FT interior with one egg box and a 3x5 run and it's a chicken tractor. I have 6 hens and wanted to add to my flock which made this a bad situation. My plan was to make a 10x5 FT stationary coop with maybe a extra 2x5 FT second floor if the wood was available. I also have a good 150 SQ FT to fence off just for them. Someone warned me stationary coops stink and I should get another chicken tractor. Now I don't want to use a limited spaced chicken tractor because I want to keep a happy flock, not a cramped flock. Now do they stink? And what should I do about it if it does stink? I was thinking if it was to use fabreeze but it's not healthy for humans so I'd assume it may be bad for chickens.

 

[gryeyes]

Poorly maintained coops stink, but well managed ones do not.

Most versions of the "Deep Litter Method" keep coops from smelling. So does good ventilation. As a matter of fact, without good ventilation ANY coop WILL stink.

I use deep litter, four to six inches of pine shavings. Every now and again, I open another bale and let the chickens scratch it down. I freshen up the areas beneath the roosts with a rake, scarpe any flung or accumulated poop off the places without shavings where it sometimes collects.

Deep enough litter will keep the manure from smelling. Remove any shavings which get damp around waterers. Dried poop doesn't smell like damp poop.

 

[JNB]

HI Well if they stink all depends on the level of maintainence and time you put into it and also the bedding and ground cover material you use. There is tons of threads on here full of different ideas for materials to use. A lot of people use sand and take a few minutes each day to scoop out the poops. Many fellow chicken lovers swear that this is the best thing they have ever done in their. Also POOP BOARDS make clean up so much easier

I have a smaller coop its only 5 x 4 feet but its 8 feet tall... My hens free range most days so they pretty much just roost and lay eggs in the coop. The majority of the coop is therefore roost so everyone has plenty of room to sleep. I use the deep litter method in the coop and it works really well for me. I also have an attached run that is 8 feet wide and almost 18 feet long. With all the rain we get here in WA state I did find that the run area got really muddy really fast and then it smelled. So to combat that we covererd the run. I add grass clippings to the pen all summer long. In the fall I use all the leaves that fall from the trees around us and In the winter I add straw and sometimes hay to the run to cover any wet areas and give the birds a dry clean surface to walk on. I also use DE in the run when I add fresh straw.

I think for us we learned that keeping the straw or shavings covering the run to keep a clean surface for the birds to walk was key and covering the Run made ALL the differance in maintainace and quality for the hens. Like I said we have very little smell.

 

[Hokum Coco]

If a person plans there coop and works there plan. By allotting the proper space per bird: has good air circulation so the manure dries and does not stay moist and collect dampness; there is little to no ammonia smell with regular maintenance.

If any of these factors are not adhered to; you best save your self a lot of heart ache; not bother with chickens.

 

[GimmeCake]

Good to know. I don't plan on any more then 10 chickens, but my goal was to have at least 1 rooster. But with 10 chickens that's 5 SQ FT per chicken, is that enough?

 

[Metella]

I had 2 walls that were solid and 2 walls that were hardware wire (chicken wire bends within months and I watched a fox bite right through it).

That's right - in Vermont winters - with a solid wall blocking off prevaling winds - my chickens lived just fine in sub zero weather. Metal roof with overhang - so very little moisure came in even in windy storms.... deep litter of pine shavings and leaves. No smell at all. 19 chickens.

Deep litter not only deals with the smell - it gives off a small amount of heat to keep chickie toes comfy in cold weather AND there are little critters growing in it - composting it and keeping chickies busy and offering occasional snacks during a boring winter when they can't really get out.

 

[katyvart]

Metella -
Can you post a picture of your coop... I am intrigued.
-Katy

 

[Metella]

So the first show part of the front - the front was changed to all hardware wire as you can see the sag in the chicken wire after a year. Completely open to the world - but the coop is deep - see how far back it goes? It is built onto the side of the barn - which I don't recommend. Barn fire ! So I am building a new one like this free standing with cement as the walls. What this does - is allow the girls to roost and wake up as they please and not feel so cramped they never feather picked or such - because they had room to scratch even if I was too busy to do anything with them. Then I would prop that big door open and let them out to free range.
This one shows the nest boxes in the back ground and an old ladder I screwed into the side ... my EE girl is looking out the open SIDE - so you can see I have two open sides .... the open sides face east and south to catch all the winter sun possible.

 

[katyvart]

The good ventilation in the open coop probably helps a lot with drying out the shavings

 

[GimmeCake]

I might lift up the coop design a bit and lower the floor to allow the "DLM". The current coop's floor has no depth to it at all, so that's probably why I find straw fallout out when I open the door,