Oh, great. My ventilation is solid - I modified the pre-fab coop when I received it to add 1 sq foot of ventilation per bird, up high above their roosting bars so as to avoid draftiness, thanks to the great advice I found from others on this site. I've attached a photo for reference -- it was taken as we were laying down the hardware cloth before the run was built, which is attached to the coop from the other side where the pop door is located. So I don't think ventilation is the issue with my ammonia smell. But maybe it's time to change out my bedding; it's been in there for a few months, as I *thought* I was doing DLM and it would be breaking down into compost in there, as long as I was keeping it turned. Glad to be educated about what's really going on!
Still curious if adding PDZ in between bedding change-outs extends the useful life of the bedding that's in there, or whether I should just be changing it out regardless of PDZ usage. But I think it's good advice that if there's a smell that adding more bedding doesn't fix (currently my bedding is as high as it can go without spilling out the pop door), it's probably time for a cleanout.
Learning as I go, though hopefully not at my chickens' expense. :-/
Still curious if adding PDZ in between bedding change-outs extends the useful life of the bedding that's in there, or whether I should just be changing it out regardless of PDZ usage. But I think it's good advice that if there's a smell that adding more bedding doesn't fix (currently my bedding is as high as it can go without spilling out the pop door), it's probably time for a cleanout.
Learning as I go, though hopefully not at my chickens' expense. :-/
