Ammonia issue in the coop

[GooseBee]

I didn’t notice there ammonia in my chicken coop. I start notice them having breathing issue I though it crop or something but I didn’t notice coop could be the problem. I go in the coop almost every day, my sense of smell sometimes is not good. I feel so bad for chickens. I shoveled my coop is just dirt and sand right know. Anyways right know I am letting it air out and then going to put first Saturday lime, then going to put horse pellets bedding and thin layer sand down also maybe some horse pellets bedding on top sand then shaving, lastly dried herbs and little more first Saturday lime. Will that help with the ammonia? I am going clean every 3 months or least so it wouldn’t happen again. Also I want to say I love construction sand in chicken coop. I know so people don’t like and some people like it. I personally tried in coop and it helped some of my coop stayed dry and parts where I didn’t put sand it got wet and ammonia happen. So I am going to put down sand in my coop. Also should I put Vetx to help with respiratory issues for chickens?

 

[DobieLover]

Will that help with the ammonia?

Everything you suggested is a temporary fix.
The number one thing you need to do is completely cleaning out the coop and get it dry. It also sounds like you have inadequate ventilation. You should strive to get as close to 1 sq ft of permanently open ventilation per bird in the coop. You also don't want to overcrowd the coop. You should have no more than one bird per 3.5 sq ft of coop, 4 is preferable.

I am going clean every 3 months or least so it wouldn’t happen again.

That is clearly not a frequent enough cleaning schedule. You also need to have a litter that will adsorb ammonia. Sand does not. Something like Sweet PDZ would be better. Scooping out the coop daily of droppings is the best approach. That can be easily done if roosts are placed over poop boards.

Also should I put Vetx to help with respiratory issues for chickens?

VetRx is really nothing more than Vicks vapo rub for chickens. You need to remove the ammonia. The ammonia is what will cause respiratory distress and it will damage the tissue. VetRx isn't going to heal damaged respiratory tissue.

 

[Debbie292d]

I didn’t notice there ammonia in my chicken coop. I start notice them having breathing issue I though it crop or something but I didn’t notice coop could be the problem. I go in the coop almost every day, my sense of smell sometimes is not good. I feel so bad for chickens. I shoveled my coop is just dirt and sand right know. Anyways right know I am letting it air out and then going to put first Saturday lime, then going to put horse pellets bedding and thin layer sand down also maybe some horse pellets bedding on top sand then shaving, lastly dried herbs and little more first Saturday lime. Will that help with the ammonia? I am going clean every 3 months or least so it wouldn’t happen again. Also I want to say I love construction sand in chicken coop. I know so people don’t like and some people like it. I personally tried in coop and it helped some of my coop stayed dry and parts where I didn’t put sand it got wet and ammonia happen. So I am going to put down sand in my coop. Also should I put Vetx to help with respiratory issues for chickens?

I would just clean everything out, put down the horse bedding pellets, and be done with it. With the limited ventilation and high humidity we have here, they handle both. Sand, like you said, gets wet, and it sits there until it dries.

We put down about 2-3" of pellets and change them out when around 80% of them turn to dustless sawdust. In one coop, it's once a year. We use them in our brooders too.

We use DIY 5-gallon nipple buckets in the coops, so no open water, and vertical nipple bottles in the brooders. The only birds around here not on nipples are the ducks.

I'd get your birds some vitamins, like Poultry Cell or Nutra-Drench. Many times they can get over minor respiratory infections themselves, but a vitamin boost helps them.

 

[GooseBee]

Everything you suggested is a temporary fix.
The number one thing you need to do is completely cleaning out the coop and get it dry. It also sounds like you have inadequate ventilation. You should strive to get as close to 1 sq ft of permanently open ventilation per bird in the coop. You also don't want to overcrowd the coop. You should have no more than one bird per 3.5 sq ft of coop, 4 is preferable.

That is clearly not a frequent enough cleaning schedule. You also need to have a litter that will adsorb ammonia. Sand does not. Something like Sweet PDZ would be better. Scooping out the coop daily of droppings is the best approach. That can be easily done if roosts are placed over poop boards.

VetRx is really nothing more than Vicks vapo rub for chickens. You need to remove the ammonia. The ammonia is what will cause respiratory distress and it will damage the tissue. VetRx isn't going to heal damaged respiratory tissue.

I did following clean and shoveled also forgot to mention scrape all the poop out the coop. Is drying ok. Yea ventilation is not the best in there I will figure something to help ventilation be better in coop. I am trying to fix/build second coop so we can spilt them up but had to keep fixing up the first coop because there been problems with first coop like the door broke and latch broke also weathers been werid here. I understand I need a better clean coop schedule then this, I have to juggle school too. Also never heard about Sweet PDZ. Oh ok I will not do vetx.

 

[Ridgerunner]

You want the microbes that break down the poop and other organic material to be aerobic (oxygen-breathing). If it becomes too wet for air (oxygen) to reach the microbes then anaerobic microbes take over. Anaerobic microbes are what produce the ammonia. If you are smelling ammonia then it is too wet in there. The wet could come from leaking waterers, rain, water flowing on top of the ground into the coop in a rain, or if their poop gets too thick to dry out. Your first effort needs to be to find where the moisture is coming from and take care of that.

Ventilation is important. Good ventilation allows moisture to escape when it evaporates. Also, ammonia is lighter than air. If you have ventilation up high it will leave the coop without building up too thick. But do not rely on ventilation to get rid of the ammonia. Determine where the moisture is coming from and take care of that.

I have droppings boards under my roosts. Poop builds up on them. Sometimes I can go 6 weeks without cleaning the poop off of the droppings boards without them stinking, sometimes I have to clean them weekly. It depends on how many chickens I have sleeping in the coop and how humid the weather is. If I wait too long to clean them off they start to stink. Over the years I've learned how often is necessary, depending on conditions.

 

[GooseBee]

I would just clean everything out, put down the horse bedding pellets, and be done with it. With the limited ventilation and high humidity we have here, they handle both. Sand, like you said, gets wet, and it sits there until it dries.

We put down about 2-3" of pellets and change them out when around 80% of them turn to dustless sawdust. In one coop, it's once a year. We use them in our brooders too.

We use DIY 5-gallon nipple buckets in the coops, so no open water, and vertical nipple bottles in the brooders. The only birds around here not on nipples are the ducks.
I'd get your birds some vitamins, like Poultry Cell or Nutra-Drench. Many times they can get over minor respiratory infections themselves, but a vitamin boost helps them.

I cleaned my coop out good and I will get and put down the horse bedding pellets today. Mm I will see online to get supplies to make a diy bucket also I have something to use for water just temporary. I do have Nutra-Drench so I will give them some of that but I never tried poultry cell is good? Oh good I will give vitamins to help them.

 

[Debbie292d]

I cleaned my coop out good and I will get and put down the horse bedding pellets today. Mm I will see online to get supplies to make a diy bucket also I have something to use for water just temporary. I do have Nutra-Drench so I will give them some of that but I never tried poultry cell is good? Oh good I will give vitamins to help them.

Your Nutri-Drench is fine. Poultry Cell has iron in it, and Nutri-Drench doesn't, but it's still fine.

 

[Debbie292d]

I cleaned my coop out good and I will get and put down the horse bedding pellets today. Mm I will see online to get supplies to make a diy bucket also I have something to use for water just temporary. I do have Nutra-Drench so I will give them some of that but I never tried poultry cell is good? Oh good I will give vitamins to help them.

Here's the nipples for like a 5-gallon bucket. We also put them in a Tupperwear cereal container too for younger ones. It just has to be rigid. This is just in there. They can't use horizontal ones until they're about 3 weeks old.