Anyone ever use Sweet PDZ or Stall Dry with chickens?

[circuspeanut]

Hi OHhappychicks.
I'm no expert since we are on our first 8 birds but I worry they would eat the stall dry. Those little buggers are so messy and I wish there was a good way to manage it. I used a lot of newspapers and then changed over to pine shavings even though I heard they eat that, too. I think next time I will just use newspaper and change it frequently. Also, it helps to raise the waterer and feeder up so they don't easily poop in it. I don't know that using a mix of pine shavings and stall dry would really help prolong the time between chores.
Sorry I'm not being so helpful. If you try it please report back on whether they eat the stall dry. The good news is they do grow up!

 

[OHhappychicks]

Hi OHhappychicks.
I'm no expert since we are on our first 8 birds but I worry they would eat the stall dry. Those little buggers are so messy and I wish there was a good way to manage it. I used a lot of newspapers and then changed over to pine shavings even though I heard they eat that, too. I think next time I will just use newspaper and change it frequently. Also, it helps to raise the waterer and feeder up so they don't easily poop in it. I don't know that using a mix of pine shavings and stall dry would really help prolong the time between chores.
Sorry I'm not being so helpful. If you try it please report back on whether they eat the stall dry. The good news is they do grow up!

Thanks for your input! I use newspaper on the bottom with shavings on top. I don't think they eat the shavings if they do it isn't much. I think I'm just going to put just a wee little in there tomorrow and see how it goes. I do keep the feeder and waterer raised so there isn't much of a problem with poop in it. The last chicks I had in there shredded the newspaper, but these are silkies and they don't seem to scratch at it as much, at least not yet!

 

[kateseidel]

I have used it for several years - I have horses, and have always used it in my stalls. For the hens I use it in the poop board (when I used them), in the brooder box, and on the coop floor. I love the stuff - in my current coop I have it mixed lightly with sand on the floor under the roosts. On the floor, I keep about 2", which is enough to keep any "accidental" roost eggs from breaking when they hit the floor. I add a quarter bag every month to replace what has been removed during cleaning.

I clean up the poop every day or so, using a kiddie rake to rake the poo into a pile, and then a sifter to get the poop but not the sand. It takes me about 5 minutes to clean up after my 15 hens.

DE is not a drying agent, but I sprinkle a bit on the Stall Dry / PDZ, on the roosts, and in the nest boxes to help with parasites.

 

[Sky Hen]

I also use Sweet PDZ. Approx. 2" deep on my poop boards under the roost, and sprinkled over the sand in their floor and outside run. No smell and works exceptionally well.

 

[OHhappychicks]

We are going to work on our coops tomorrow and change the set up of our roosts and put poop boards under them with the pdz. Looking forward to a more cleaner coop and easier cleaning. We clean out our coops 3-4 times a year. I mean we take everything out and power wash it. Then just clean out the shavings about every 4-6 weeks. We have a thick rubber mat on the floor that we can take out and wash off. Since winter is on the way and the flock will be spending a little more time in the coops, it will be nice know that at least it will smell better!

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I use sweet pdz and it works great. It is similar to DE as it is made from small crustaceans.....

That's funny, the official web sight of the company that sells Sweet PDZ says that it is volcanic ash, which contains silica. Volcanic ash and silica can't be good for your or for your chickens lungs. The poor people living at Pompii Italy 2,000 years ago could of told us that but their not talking. In fact a couple of years ago all trans-Atlantic air travel to and from England and Ireland was halted for weeks because of volcanic ash in the atmosphere coming from a volcanic eruption in Iceland. And that's a fact!

 

[aart]

That's funny, the official web sight of the company that sells Sweet PDZ says that it is volcanic ash, which contains silica. Volcanic ash and silica can't be good for your or for your chickens lungs. The poor people living at Pompii Italy 2,000 years ago could of told us that but their not talking. In fact a couple of years ago all trans-Atlantic air travel to and from England and Ireland was halted for weeks because of volcanic ash in the atmosphere coming from a volcanic eruption in Iceland. And that's a fact!

Link please?

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Link please?

Here is the first link you requested. You might say that it is straight from the horse stall fresheners mouth.
http://www.sweetpdz.com/our-products.html

Here is your second link along with a quote from it.
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=50684

“The initial plume from Grímsvötn was higher than from Eyjafjallajökull, which only reached 8 kilometers (5 miles). Despite its taller plume, Grímsvötn was not expected to hamper trans-Atlantic air traffic as much as Eyjafjallajökull, at least in the first 24 hours. Grímsvötn’s ash was forecast to travel toward the northeast, the Icelandic Met Office stated, and it was coarser and less likely to remain airborne long enough to reach European airspace. Some volcanic ash models, however, suggested ash could interfere with flights in the United Kingdom and Ireland beginning on May 24.”

And it did.

 

[aart]

That's funny, the official web sight of the company that sells Sweet PDZ says that it is volcanic ash, which contains silica. ......

Link please?

Here is the first link you requested. You might say that it is straight from the horse stall fresheners mouth.
http://www.sweetpdz.com/our-products.html

Just because it's formed by volcanic activity, doesn't mean it's volcanic ash. It's actually pretty coarse compared to wood ash or DE.

 

[Chickens R Us]

Based on information I found on this forum, I use PDZ on the poop board of my coop. I just cover the board about 2-3 inches deep. Seems to last a long time too. The chicks do not eat it and it keeps the poopy smell out of the coop. It makes it so easy to clean, just scoop it like a kitty litter box. I love this stuff and am so grateful to have found out about it. My run is 17 x 24 feet, and uncovered for the PDZ.. Currently covering the run with sand and hope it works as described on this forum.
But PDZ is great stuff.

X2 I just use a kitty scoop to clean poop boards every other day or so.