Does your run/coop smell very bad during winter?

[Ahoragi]

First winter with chickens so I do not know what to expect but our run smells so bad in the morning, worse than our bathroom on Taco Tuesdays. It is wrapped with 14mil tarp but exit door is not and it has 8" of opening along the overhang for ventilation. Floor is sand that is about 3 months old. Current temps are 28-ish.

Is this normal? I'm thinking it is as they are all pooping in there early on but geez.....

 

[redinator]

This is my first winter with chickens too. I use this https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/tractor-supply-pine-pellet-stall-bedding-40-lb-2181006 in the heavily soiled areas, like under perches, and it makes a massive difference in the smell.

I turn the soil/sand/pine shavings at least twice a month, more often if I have the time, and add fresh soil/sand/shaving every month or two.

I'm slowly working up to the deep litter method and plan to use the mix as compost when it gets to a good depth.

 

[FunClucks]

Since you have sand, consider using a poop tray with Zeolite to catch the poops. Then you scoop it like kitty litter. There's whole threads and articles about this on here if you want to try it. The Zeolite sucks out the moisture and reduces/eliminates the smell. If you are having a bad smell, it's too wet, and you may not be having enough ventilation (moisture buildup). Not healthy for chickens, so I'd get that sorted if you can.

Cheap option - put out old feedbags under the roost, and remove them during the day. You can scrape them off and reuse nightly. Wear an N95 particulate dust mask when doing this. Also maybe goggles, and you might want to take a full shower after. Nasty chicken poop dirt is no joke.

 

[RubelliteRose]

We originally had sand in our run and ended up replacing it with a deep litter of mulch and pine needles because of the smell . Even scooping the poop a minimum of twice a day didn't help. I know some people have sand in the run and love it, but with our wet environment it just didn't work. After removing it, we spread the sand over the driveway and it still took months for the smell to dissipate. With deep litter, we can just add more dry material whenever the run starts to smell - which reminds me that I need to do that again!

 

[RubelliteRose]

Since you have sand, consider using a poop tray with Zeolite to catch the poops. Then you scoop it like kitty litter.

Second this recommendation for Zeolite in the coop especially if you have poop boards. Can also confirm that sand is not as good as Zeolite. We sometimes mix sand and Zeolite since Zeolite is so much more expensive than sand, but the sand stays wet much longer! In the middle of summer, straight sand does not always dry out before the next night unless it is stirred up a couple times a day.

 

[Ahoragi]

Thanks for the responses. Just to be clear, the coop seems to be ok as we do have a poop board with PDZ and pine shavings on the floor. The run is the main smelly culprit. I believe we have enough ventilation in the run as I can feel the air moving around. It is as dry as it can be with tarped up walls and roof/overhang. Sand feels dry to the touch too. I think it's just the pooping in the morning when they first come out to eat and drink and wait for me to open the door.

At this point my only alternative options to get are bales of straw or the pelletized bedding at TSC. Would tossing a good layer of either of these on the sand do any good?

 

[redinator]

Since you have sand, consider using a poop tray with Zeolite to catch the poops. Then you scoop it like kitty litter. There's whole threads and articles about this on here if you want to try it. The Zeolite sucks out the moisture and reduces/eliminates the smell. If you are having a bad smell, it's too wet, and you may not be having enough ventilation (moisture buildup). Not healthy for chickens, so I'd get that sorted if you can.

Cheap option - put out old feedbags under the roost, and remove them during the day. You can scrape them off and reuse nightly. Wear an N95 particulate dust mask when doing this. Also maybe goggles, and you might want to take a full shower after. Nasty chicken poop dirt is no joke.

Could you provide a link? When I searched Zeolite I got a bunch of herbal supplements . . .?

 

[redinator]

Thanks for the responses. Just to be clear, the coop seems to be ok as we do have a poop board with PDZ and pine shavings on the floor. The run is the main smelly culprit. I believe we have enough ventilation in the run as I can feel the air moving around. It is as dry as it can be with tarped up walls and roof/overhang. Sand feels dry to the touch too. I think it's just the pooping in the morning when they first come out to eat and drink and wait for me to open the door.

At this point my only alternative options to get are bales of straw or the pelletized bedding at TSC. Would tossing a good layer of either of these on the sand do any good?

I toss the pellets on top of the other substrates, the chickens mix it all in. When the pellets get wet they break down to small particulates. If your putting them on something like packed soil/sand you might want toss hay/straw on top to keep the pellets where they're needed.

 

[FunClucks]

Could you provide a link? When I searched Zeolite I got a bunch of herbal supplements . . .?

I think it's sold as Sweet PDZ or similar. Horse stall odor refresher/eliminator. $11-13 / 25 lbs in my area

 

[redinator]

View attachment 4260268
I think it's sold as Sweet PDZ or similar. Horse stall odor refresher/eliminator. $11-13 / 25 lbs in my area

I'll give this a try and see how it compares to the bedding pellets.