First Time Booder -Don't Want the Smell-!

[awtandrocks]

Quote:
What about the heat during the day? It is +90 most days here and I don't want them to overheat!!
The location is pretty much shaded all day.

 

[cmom]

I am from Florida too. I put my brooders in their coops. I leave the brooder door open. Works out well. For the first week I would put a heat lamp on at night to maintain about 90 degrees in the brooder. In one of the pictures the temp sensor is on top of their brooder. The receiver is in the house so I can keep track of the temp.

I don't really have any oder. I sell my eggs and customers and friends come by and look at the birds and remark that they don't smell. I tell them chickens don't have to be stinky. One of our DD's brought some people by today who are thinking about getting some chickens. They remarked that they thought the birds would be smelly.

 

[cockadoodle]

I think the "dust" is mostly pulverized chicken poop that has dried and become airborne. Kind of nasty when you think about it that way..breathing that and having it settle in your carpet / electronics / countertops.. etc.. If you change the bedding every couple days (depending on how many chickens we are talking about maybe even every day) you can do this indoors without any problems. It was a good month before I had any dust issues at all. If I was brooding this time of year though, I picked up a dog kennel (the ones you transport dogs in) from craigs list for 5 dollars. Would put that on my porch and do it outside. If you have to do it indoors, just pick a spot that is as 'dust friendly' as possible.. (eg, basement, spare room that can be closed off, etc..)

Good luck

I'm dealing with power issues too. Getting ready to install a couple of solar panels / deep cycle batteries to run some 12 volt lighting. Takes a lot of juice ($) to run brooder heat lights that way.

 

[Winsor Woods]

I'm not sure what causes that dust, but I seemed to think that it was the little pieces of feather pins that get preened off. I didn't think about it being the pulverized poop but I suppose it could be. Anyone with a definitive answer on that? I'd be interested to learn about what it really is.

I do agree with everyone's responses so far. Smell isn't the issue it's definitely the dust!!

Dan

 

[Gwen]

Gosh, I hope it's not pulverized poop! If it is, don't tell me.

I have 5 week old chicks in the garage.

We started them in the kitchen. No smell at all. We added pine shavings maybe once a week or slightly less.

At 2 weeks, we were going on vacation and moved them into our bathroom with the door closed. When we got back, there was a smell but it was pine shavings from the door being closed all the time.

At that time, they were 3 weeks, we moved them out to the garage. Still no smell at all. We haven't ever changed the litter, just added a bit maybe 3-4 times since we got them.

The dust didn't start til they were out in the garage, so I'd say sometime between 3 and 4 weeks old.

We have had unusually-warm, for our area, these past weeks. I usually turn off the lamp during the day. I switched last week to a 100 watt bulb. The temps are in the 60s at night here and they seem to still want the heat at night.

 

[Gwen]

I should add - I only have 7 chickens. If you had a lot of chickens, maybe the smell would be different. I put mine in half of a dog crate. At 3 weeks, when we put them into the garage, I used the top half, turned it over, put it up against the bottom half and doubled their space. I have a 'lid' my dh made from wood and chicken wire so they can't flap their way out.

 

[awtandrocks]

Thanks all

My house doesn't have a garage and the only place inside would be in the corner of the dining room adjacent to the kitchen, so not really dust friendly.

Also good to hear from fellow Floridians that have been there done that.

And to whoever asked how many I'm starting with 8 hens and two Roos (hopefully).

BTW I've been lurking for a while and gathering knowledge from all you savvy BYC'ers.

 

[shelleyd2008]

The best method I have found for brooding less-stinky chicks is to get some pine pellets and mix in with the shavings. I have brooded ducks, geese, and quail like this, and these 3 are the most stinky of all! Quail chicks are the worst, and I would have to change their bedding about once a week.

ETA: Pine shavings stink when they get wet; poo stinks when it gets wet; spilled feed stinks when it gets wet. The pine shavings actually smell better if they get wet, so this helps to dusguise the stink. Use pine pellets only for ducks or geese, mixed with shavings for 'dry' birds.

Also make sure that you put something under the waterer, to raise it above bedding level, so the chicks don't kick bedding in it.

 

[jwchicklady]

I did read online somewhere that the dust created is from their poop for the most part--really yucky to think about. They said that you should not have a brooder in the house because of this. We kept ours in our mudroom for a few weeks, then out to the garage and finally out to the coop.

 

[write2caroline]

I use crushed walnut shells from Petsmart. I did it in desperation because I couldn't find pine shavings and the only wood litter they had was nondescript and I did not want to risk cedar being an ingredient.

But I found: ( I keep it about 1" thick)

A) it is scoopable like cat litter
B) it is not dusty
c) While my chicks have pecked at it they do not eat it
D) it is absorbant

I change it out every 3 days. Depending on # of chicks. Granted I only have a few chicks.

My chicks never did smell. I housed mine in my son's bathroom- He was on a school trip to Germany at the time. 2nd batch he was home but didn't mind sharing.

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