Chick brooder stinks!!!!

[ameador1]

I have 13 cornish x's and 13 egg-leyers (Orpingtons, Australorps, and Rocks) in the brooder. They are separated by a partition down the middle. The egg-layers are good at scratching the pine shavings/dirt/etc... and keeping their area dry and non-smelly, but the cornish x's are not doing this much and making a big poop mess.

I have been mixing in new shavings and mixing it all up to hep dry it out, but it isn't stopping the problem. The brooder is in our house - we don't have an outside place for them where the cold temps are not a problem. Is there anything to help fix this - some kind of powder or something?

I know this is probably a 'meat chicken' topic, but that group gets relatively low traffic and this is getting bad fast - besides I'm sure any chicken type can have stinking litter issues.

Also, the stink is not an amonia smell - just not a good smell - maybe a little soury sweet? Hard to describe, but not amonia and not good. Could this be fermintation of the droppings and pine shavings?

Anyway, they are only 2 weeks old and it will be another 2 or 3 weeks from what I understand before they will be ready to go out. I still have to build a shed, then move stuff into the new shed from the coop to be, then modify the coop to be - to be a coop.

Any ideas would be good! Thanks in advance!

 

[Newchickenmom&kids]

When mine were still in the brooder box i'd take them out and dump out the soiled shavings. You can dump them in you garden or on/in a compost. Then just put in nice clean shavings for them. Need to take care they don't get too cold while making the change, but I never had a problem. Maybe some more experienced people could have a better answer for you. Good luck!!

 

[jenlynn4]

Yep you need to change the shaveings. I do mine twice a week.

 

[skeeter9]

I'll vote for changing the shavings. I always do mine every other day and I usually don't have any stink problems.

 

[MayberrySaint]

I've had to change my shavings twice a week to keep the smell down. My chicks are 4 weeks old and I had to do that from 2 weeks on...

Andy

 

[ameador1]

I thought of that - I guess I was trying to attempt the 'deep litter system' on the brooder, but maybe that needs to wait until they are in the coop

I think I'll be heading to brooder in a few to start re-locating chicks for a little bit! Chicks are going to be upset with me

Oh, well, they'll get over it 8)

Thanks!

 

[MayberrySaint]

Mine did not like getting relocated during the cleaning process either. I popped them into the bathtub...made it easy to clean up. They seem to really let loose while they are out of the brooder.

Andy

 

[ameador1]

All done - cleaned out the whole thing down to the plastic and put down new pine shavings. Much better!

Thanks everyone!

 

[birdlady58]

I would change mine daily. It just took a total of 5 minutes if that. And, it still stunk lol

 

[hinkjc]

I just thought I'd mention that you'll find it won't matter how often you change the messy brooder for Cornish X's. They are meat birds and pooping machines. I would recommend moving them out by 3 weeks with a heat lamp outside. That is what we do with those. By the time they are 6 weeks, they'll be just about ready for processing and much too big for a brooder.

The other breeds you can keep in longer safely and with less smell.

Jody