Anyone here use PDZ?

[dunnmom]

I use it in my coop, but it doesn't do much of any good in the run.

 

[ronott1]

I use PDZ and it works well in certain situations, this I don't feel is one of them.

I suggest looking towards a "deep litter" method for that area. I live nor cal... and my covered run stunk to high heaven during the rainy season around the edges when it was just dirt. Bare dirt anyways is breeding ground for yuck. Bring in dry leaves, grass clippings, old shavings, or hay... whatever kind of stuff you can... make it kinda like the forest floor... soft, spongy, full of life... inviting good bugs and microbes to combat the nasties... making for more of an actual eco system. It will help balance things out a LOT! Since doing that my run edges NO longer smell when it rains.

True deep litter people don't remove waste (and still no smell)... I remove what waste I can because I want to.

This is my true suggestion and hope it's helpful.

This is what you should do. Also, turn the soil over every so often. Monthly or something. You want to get aerobic digestion of the poo. An aerobic digestion stinks--and smells the same regardless of the source.

My chickens have been blamed for bad smell but only in August to October. That is when the tomatoes are harvested and dumped into a field a mile from here. Same thing happens with flies. Both come from local agriculture.

I do not do anything different at that time...and the smell happens when the wind is blowing from the direction of the tomato silage LOL!

 

[aart]

PDZ is great for poop boards, or small coop bedding managed like a poop board.
But won't help much in a run, unless you plan on buying a LOT of it, even then just a band-aid.

Even 'semi' deep litter does the trick for me in my run.

I just used a thin layer of straw to get started, after the grass turned to total dirt and it reeked, it reduced the odor immediately.
Spread some scratch grains and they'll mix it up for you, just watch for any packing/matting and break it up if they don't.

A mix of dry plant matter ...aged ramial wood chippings is the best base material IMO.
Then add other materials/sizes/shapes as they become available.
I add very little 'green' or wet ingredients as run is not protected from rain and it's humid here.

 

[Trux]

Ok everyone, this morning I broke up the compacted damp dirt, spread some PDZ, then layed down about 8 cubic ft of chopped straw I had sitting there open doing nothing. Used it in the nest boxes, but switched over to nest pads about a month or so ago.
The smell is slowly decreasing as the girls, my little Cat excavators, do their thing. They are actually having a good time scratching and digging away. @aart I don't have much in the way of dry plant matter or wood chips, so am going to add pine shavings instead. When the leaves start falling in the fall then I will ad those as they become available. Any comments are welcome and appreciated!

 

[aart]

@aart I don't have much in the way of dry plant matter or wood chips, so am going to add pine shavings instead

You need something bigger/thicker (at least 1/2" thick) than just pine shavings.
If you can't get tree trimmings then bagged pine bark mulch might be your next best bet.
How big is your run, in feet by feet?
How many birds?

 

[Trux]

You need something bigger/thicker (at least 1/2" thick) than just pine shavings.
If you can't get tree trimmings then bagged pine bark mulch might be your next best bet.
How big is your run, in feet by feet?
How many birds?

Right now 10x15 but is going to be upgraded before fall to 10x25 and it will all have roof on it
13 girls, the Roo has his own pen

 

[lissalischicks]

i'm in SoCal and I use PDZ in the hen house under the roosts. It helps quite a but with smell. My run is sand but I don't put PDZ in the run.

 

[Chickadee888]

My enclosed run has a sand floor (construction sand, on a gravel base) and so in addition to using PDZ under my roosts, I sprinkle PDZ in the sand run to dry it out after a rain (a 25 pound bag from TSC is like $10 and lasts me a couple months). I love love love PDZ and I find that it works very well for this purpose. But I'm also a person who likes to scoop up chicken poop out of my enclosed run (like a cat litter box). I love my setup and I have zero smell. But I also only have 4 hens! I appreciate this wouldn't work for everyone, but just giving you another idea of something that can work.

 

[aart]

My enclosed run has a sand floor (construction sand, on a gravel base) and so in addition to using PDZ under my roosts, I sprinkle PDZ in the sand run to dry it out after a rain (a 25 pound bag from TSC is like $10 and lasts me a couple months). I love love love PDZ and I find that it works very well for this purpose. But I'm also a person who likes to scoop up chicken poop out of my enclosed run (like a cat litter box). I love my setup and I have zero smell. But I also only have 4 hens! I appreciate this wouldn't work for everyone, but just giving you another idea of something that can work.

How long have you used this method?
...and....
Where in this world are you located?
Climate is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, then it's always there!

 

[Chickadee888]

Oh sorry, I'm in Houston, TX. Hot and humid, with occasional deluges. I'm just sharing ideas, not looking to get picked apart. I have only had my chickens for just over 3 months, but I did a lot of research and I've had no problems with my approach. A few other folks in my local facebook group do this, too. In my opinion, dry is healthier than damp. (Edit: I live in a residential area with neighbors relatively close by, so, smell is not an option.) Each to his/her own - there's no one right way of raising chickens I've been told.