Deep litter and smell? Help!

[Mac in Wisco]

Quote:
I don't think that will help. Perhaps I'm missing here, but what makes you think prilled lime will help?

There are two things that I've used here for ammonia control, hydrated lime and gypsum.

Hydrated lime raises the pH of the litter making it inhospitable to the bacteria that break down the manure and generate ammonia.

Th sulfur component of gypsum combines with the nitrogen in the litter to produce ammonium sulfate which binds the nitrogen and reduces the volatization of ammonia.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

It sounds like you're making progress!

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

I don't think that will help. Perhaps I'm missing here, but what makes you think prilled lime will help?

Hydrated lime raises the pH of the litter making it inhospitable to the bacteria that break down the manure and generate ammonia.

Pelletized lime (Calcium Carbonate) will also raise the Ph, and will help absorb moisture.

The Hydrated lime (Calcium Hydroxide) is caustic when it gets wet, and can cause chemical burns​

 

[ultasol]

Could it be overcrowding? Making sure you have the appropriate space per bird is important in keeping smell down.

 

[Judy]

I have a dirt floor and pine shavings. I only stir them if the poop and litter are pretty dry. If I get an odor that isn't being handled well by stirring or adding a few pine shavings, or if rain blows in and wets part of it, I use a quart or two of pelletized lime. Fixes it right up. I haven't cleaned it out in over a year; it will all go on the garden this spring. (No time to garden last year.) Helps that I have about 12 sq ft of coop space per bird and a pretty well open air coop.

 

[B'villechicken]

Quote:
Yes, you will get it. As you've seen from the responses, every coop takes on it's own personality. What may work for one, may not work for another. The forums here are so good to bounce ideas off of. Good luck with your flock and I look forward to more posts.

David

 

[NewHen]

Is there water splashing out of their waterer? How about a throwing a few handfuls of DE once in awhile to keep things dry (& dusty)?

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Quote:
It will absorb moisture, but unless it's dissolved in solution it doesn't change the pH of chicken litter much. It is somewhat useful in large animal stalls where it can help to neutralize the acidity of urine before it mixes with manure, but it doesn't quite have the same effect on poultry manure since the urea is already mixed with the manure.

Also, making the litter only slightly more alkaline can make ammonia problems worse as the bacteria in poultry litter actually favor basic pH conditions. Most commercial litter treatments acidify the litter to keep the ammonia in check, or in the case of hydrated lime, make it alkaline enough to get the same effect.

The Hydrated lime (Calcium Hydroxide) is caustic when it gets wet, and can cause chemical burns

That's pretty much the point of using it. It's caustic enough to sterilize the litter, not only killing the bacteria that produce ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, but keeping cocci and salmonella in check too. It can be stirred into the litter and covered with fresh bedding so that it doesn't bother the birds. I've also used it to sanitize our hen house between flocks, spreading it on the floor and dusting it into the cracks and crevices of the nest boxes and roosts. As with any chemicals you need to to use it with a little caution. I also use bleach solutions to sanitize things, but I don't take a bath in them either.​

 

[sourland]

Worked properly deep litter remains dry. Perhaps you need more ventilation, or perhaps your coop is overcrowded? Are your waterers in the coop and are they leaking or spilling over? I maintain 5 pigeon lofts with deep litter- 6-8" of corncob/wood pellets, and the only time there is any odor of ammonia is during the summer when our humidities are horrendous. Then I have to scrape perches and remove feces piles-much like taking clumps out of kitty litter. I do total loft cleanings each spring and autumn and have no health problems. Hope I didn't just jinx myself.

 

[Denilynn]

I have a dirt floor and like Pat said, that's what causes my coop to pick up moisture in the winter snow/rainy seasons. I'll toss in some fresh bedding, DE and scratch and let the chickens take care of mixing it all up. Usually takes away the smell within a day.

You put DE in it? I thought I read that will kill the good bacteria and defeat the whole process of deep liter method. I hadn't been addingn DE but the ammonia smell got bad, so I shoveled out a lot of liter, then added DE (because I also worry about lice) added a thin layer of pune shavings, I don't think that was enough to take away the smell.