Deep composting

[HarleyBarley]

Hey guys!

I was deep composting overthe winter but just went to clean out the coop really well and noticed a smell of ammonia. Now I'm concerned about my ladies.

I went ahead and just pulled everything out and loosely put a little bit of hay back in as It's really nice and warm today.

How concerned should I be? Thanks!

 

[phyllmud]

How is the ventilation? I’m wondering if water may have been spilled, frozen and now thawing.

 

[HarleyBarley]

It's not the most amazing ventilation. I opened the large hatch to it and let it air out a while. We moved our smaller brooder coop inside a shed that's going to be their permanent large coop. I guess it might be time to pull that smaller coop out now.

 

[HarleyBarley]

How is the ventilation? I’m wondering if water may have been spilled, frozen and now thawing.

I also didn't smell the ammonia smell until after I started pulling everything out

 

[jolenesdad]

If you've cleaned it out, you shouldn't have much to worry about.

How deep is your litter and how many chickens do you have? What material are you using to do deep litter? Your carbon/nitrogen ration is either off, or it is not getting stirred up enough in-between cleanings.

 

[HarleyBarley]

I only have 5 chickens. I've removed everything from inside their coop now and put in in my compost bin.

 

[Ridgerunner]

How concerned should I be?

Probably not at all. Ammonia is lighter than air. As long as you have an opening over their heads it's not going to build up top a dangerous level. You said you didn't notice it until you started digging it out. I'll change that to not at all, no "probably" involved.

When poop breaks down one of the byproducts is ammonia. It sounds like that area was kind of sealed where the ammonia could not escape. It sounds like a really low volume. I personally don;t see any real cause for concern, but maybe turn it a bit more often.

 

[aart]

I was deep composting overthe winter but just went to clean out the coop really well and noticed a smell of ammonia.

Chances are you didn't have the right mix and mass of ingredients to truly compost.
Especially if you live in a cold climate.

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

 

[LoribelleF]

I was actually noticing the same thing today and I'm in SW Pa, a little mountain area southeast of Pittsburgh. I only have 2 girls and they tend to dig and pile everything into a corner. Tomorrow is my cleaning day if snow/rain stay away. Is this digging and piling into a corner normal or am I doing something wrong.

 

[aart]

Is this digging and piling into a corner normal or am I doing something wrong.

Normal, mine kick stuff into piles along edge of coop...but I stir and smooth daily.
But I use dry shavings for coop floor bedding with poop boards above.