fixing ammonia smell with deep litter method

[blissed]

We started with deep litter method at the start of November. We're not doing it right, because we're starting to smell ammonia.

What we've done:
-- 10" of straw in coop with linoleum floor
-- turning weekly with rake and sprinkling Sweet PDZ
-- adding fresh straw every week or two

The coop is well-ventilated — we keep the screened door and four windows exposed all the time.

I moved a bunch of the soiled straw out to the run, which is partially covered and gets stirred up more by the hens, in hopes that it will air out and get broken down faster more quickly. The smell in the coop is almost gone for now.

Do I need to completely clean the coop and start over? Are pine shavings really a must? Straw seemed a more cost-effective option for our spacious coop (4'x8' for 5 birds), and I thought it would be quicker to convert to usable compost.

I've been reluctant to throw scratch into the coop to get them to churn it up more ... mixing food and poop strikes me as a poor idea.

Thanks for tips. We tried a poop hammock and daily scooping, and DLM seems so much easier!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I prefer pine shavings and IMO they actually convert to compost faster than straw. First of all, they mix with manure much better. Shavings seem to dry better than straw.
I would think a 4X8 coop for 5 birds with pine shavings and good ventilation should solve your problems. I only have about 3-4" of shavings most of the time. Before I need to go deeper, I usually just compost it all and add new. That's usually about every 3 months or so with similar stocking density.
Don't buy the pet type pine shavings as they're too pricey. Get the more coarse horse stall shavings.
I get a bale of stall shavings for about $6 and is 4 times the size of the pet shavings that are $24.

Keeping tabs on ammonia is brilliant. That is key to controlling respiratory and other health problems.
In your climate, you can probably have huge ventilation which should eliminate all ammonia issues.

Screen is good for keeping flies and mosquitos out but it tends to clog with dust.
Hardware cloth is more secure for predators and better ventilation.

 

[Beekissed]

We started with deep litter method at the start of November. We're not doing it right, because we're starting to smell ammonia.

What we've done:
-- 10" of straw in coop with linoleum floor
-- turning weekly with rake and sprinkling Sweet PDZ
-- adding fresh straw every week or two

The coop is well-ventilated — we keep the screened door and four windows exposed all the time.

I moved a bunch of the soiled straw out to the run, which is partially covered and gets stirred up more by the hens, in hopes that it will air out and get broken down faster more quickly. The smell in the coop is almost gone for now.

Do I need to completely clean the coop and start over? Are pine shavings really a must? Straw seemed a more cost-effective option for our spacious coop (4'x8' for 5 birds), and I thought it would be quicker to convert to usable compost.

I've been reluctant to throw scratch into the coop to get them to churn it up more ... mixing food and poop strikes me as a poor idea.

Thanks for tips. We tried a poop hammock and daily scooping, and DLM seems so much easier!

Straw does not absorb, nor does it bind with the nitrogen in the feces and it takes forever to decompose. It's good bedding for horses maybe. I've found that a mixed type of bedding seems to work the best and it needs to be layered in like poop lasagna. Since you are not working with a soil floor yours is going to take longer to decompose and be broken down by bugs, worms, etc.

Here's a good start, if you have any loamy soil or composted material handy, put that down first...anything that already has a good soil culture...about 2 in. Then use leaves, sawdust, woody weed trimmings, etc. to put down your first layer of bedding at about 4 in. deep. Don't stir it nor encourage the girls to stir it...just lightly turn the worst poop over until a little bedding covers it....areas under the roost in particular. When it gets pretty saturated with poop, put another light layer of bedding down and just enough to cover the surface a good 2-3 in.

Don't use DE or PDZ or any such thing. If you need some moisture control you can use a little sweet lime but don't over do it. If it's too dry, you can moisten it a little..but it sounds like you live where there is a lot of humidity anyway so you might not need any extra. Open up some ventilation at the floor level about 12 in. from the floor of the coop...you need an updraft of fresh air intake to move any ammonia upwards from the floor.

Keep building that manure pack and try not to disturb the bottom layers, just lightly turn poop into the top layers. Go low and slow on adding new bedding, just light layers.

Ventilation and materials used, how you use them and how you maintain is the key to success. Each coop will need it's own tweaking on ventilation but just remember the goal is to encourage the litter to decompose in place and attract bugs that help with all that.

 

[Buckhowdy]

Don't turn it. Just lightly flip the top layer of litter over where the poop is most concentrated, as in under the roosts, or just lift a little of the top litter and throw it over these areas. You need that moisture in that bottom layer to stay moist and the smell you are smelling is the odor of materials breaking down....leave it alone and you'll have better results.

I wish that I'd read this first before I thoroughly and enthusiastically turned over every square inch of deep litter in my coop today. The coop is 8 x 12 and the litter is about 10" deep. I thought turning it over would be good for composting. That was in the morning. By that evening the smell of ammonia was sooo strong that I had to open up all of the ventilation. That wasn't enough. I still need more ventilation. So when you say "just lightly flip the top layer" and "...leave it alone" you really mean it. Everything was working fine until I tried to improve it. Kind of glad I won't be doing that again - It was a lot of work.

 

[Beekissed]

You can add more pine shavings or put down a light layer of sweet lime, both will do the trick. I'd suggest working in different size particles and varieties of litter material as well, as you will get a better, sweeter break down. Leaves, twigs, mulch, small handfuls of straw or hay for texture, etc. When you work with different size and density of particles, you get natural airflow in the litter and things stay less compact, easier to shift and flip, and it just works better all around. Shavings take a long, long, long time to decompose.

 

[blissed]

Thank you, everyone, for the very helpful advice! I'm grateful for the solid tips and clear instructions: Poking around online just turned me around in circles.

I'm going to pitch most of the straw and try the leftover wood shavings I have on hand on top of finished compost. I'll save the straw bales for the garden. I'll check the closest feed store for the cheaper pine flake. I'm in Sunnyvale, and Gilroy is a bit of a drive but not too far to stock up on supplies.

Much thanks!

 

[Beekissed]

New chicken owner with a 5x8 coop housing 7 almost laying hens and 1 rooster. I've been trying the deep litter method and all seems to be well - no noticeable smell when I'm around the coop...EXCEPT when I turn the litter. I use a garden rake turned upside down to nearly scrape the floor and after a good turning the ammonia smell is pretty intense. I leave the access doors (roughly a 4 ft high by 8 ft wide side of the coop) open all day while the chickens free range and only turn the litter in the morning after I let them out for the day so the smell can settle before they return but I'm just wondering if I need to start over next spring and start a regular cleaning regimen for the duration of the fall/winter?

Don't turn it. Just lightly flip the top layer of litter over where the poop is most concentrated, as in under the roosts, or just lift a little of the top litter and throw it over these areas. You need that moisture in that bottom layer to stay moist and the smell you are smelling is the odor of materials breaking down....leave it alone and you'll have better results.

 

[RonP]

I wish that I'd read this first before I thoroughly and enthusiastically turned over every square inch of deep litter in my coop today. The coop is 8 x 12 and the litter is about 10" deep. I thought turning it over would be good for composting. That was in the morning. By that evening the smell of ammonia was sooo strong that I had to open up all of the ventilation. That wasn't enough. I still need more ventilation. So when you say "just lightly flip the top layer" and "...leave it alone" you really mean it. Everything was working fine until I tried to improve it. Kind of glad I won't be doing that again - It was a lot of work.

Funny reminder of the first time I turned mine during the cold season...

I was so sure I had issues, I completely changed the litter in the middle of the season...

 

[tracker77]

just thinking out loud; no proof, but might also look for a lower protein feed; or at least don't feed a high-protein feed. My local feed store has a 16% and 21% protein feed. I fed the 21% for awhile, thinking it might give better eggs, but I couldn't tell any difference and if anything, it decreased production. Also, the higher protein is tougher on their kidneys and would produce more ammonia.

 

[trooper]

I use coarse pine shavings. They absorb the moisture great and I have very little odor. In the morning I spread Boss in the shavings in my coop and they turn the shavings looking for the seeds. I have a light that comes on in the a/m and by them always turning the shavings they stay dry to a degree and the odor is minimum.By the light coming on early they start moving around earlier. This gives them more time to keep the shavings turned over.I add some occasionally and this helps keeps it fresh. I add as I see that it needs to be done and I have no issues. I'll completely clean this spring and start all over again. I spring clean once a year. Every once in awhile I will put a bale of hay or straw in the run, but this is so they can play and scratch in it looking for whatever goodies that may be in it.