Do you change the shavings?

If it's wet, you need more shavings (and adding a little Sweet PDZ or DE could help).

I've had my shavings in my coop since April as well and I rake each morning to mix it all up and ensure it is all dry.

I have not yet seen any wet clumps.

Also, make sure you do not have any water leaks anywhere.




ETA: I have 23 chickens plus 4 guinneas inside my coop that is 8x12.


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We change ours out about every 4-6 months or so. Our kids do some basic cleaning every weekend, scooping as much of the poop off the top as they can, so we have to replace some shavings occasionally if they start getting a little low. By the half-year mark, it's all getting pretty full of old, dried-up poop, though, so time to toss it in the compost and start with a fresh batch.

 

Quote:At the risk of sounding like a complete newbie, what are Sweet PDZ and DE?

I don't know what PDZ is but DE dietomateous earth (not spelled right). Make sure it is FEED GRADE.

 

Sweet PDZ is stuff to deodorize horse stalls. Smells really nice.

 

I use the compressed pine pellets in my coop. They are generally used for horse stalls but I've seen things about them being used in
Chicken Coops. So far, so good. Not a hint of smell. I scoop the poop, just like a cat litter box, in the morning and fluff a bit. No odor. i live in a suburban area with neighbors close by and they can't believe there is no smell. I am looking into the food grade diamatious earth as a back up and to spread in the run.

 

I change mine out every three months and sooner if they get wet. I spread mine around tree trunks and bushes for fertilizer. some is mixed into my grden area. But my chickens free range on 3 acres, so alot less poo inside than most I would guess.

 

I muck out my pine shavings daily. In the winter I build up with deeper shavings for insulation but still muck out under the roosts.

Love the smell of shavings! dislike the smell of poo!

 

Depends on the size of the coop and number of chooks (and humidity level/air flow in coop). If adding more bedding without waste removal, check by digging down in the bedding under roosts to evaluate whether the heavier `wet stuff' has been tromped down, working itself into some strange ammoniacal mat of gunk on the floor of the coop. Might look and smell quite copacetic on the surface, then the temp. jumps to 95° , the humidity rockets and the toxic gases start rising.