getting rid of my chickens smell

[mychickensareidiots]

i have 6 hens in my backyard, and i have already cleared it with all my neighbors. BUT........we got some new neighbors on our left and unfortunatley, one of my IDIOT chickens (hence my username) flew over the fence and got in their backyard. Ofcourse, we were out of town so when they tried to ring our doorbell to bring it back to us we were not there. I went over and kindly informed them that if the bird could fly over the fence, he could fly back over with a helpful little toss.

Anyway, now that they have had a hen in their backyard, they are a little unhappy. I have clipped their wings and now they are in a run. and here comes the problem. the run is right by the fence that seperates our house from theirs, and as you can imagine, fully grown hens make alot of droppings, and after a few days, it accumulates and gets pretty smelly. i opened up the door to the run to let them out, and they walked around for a minute, but then just went back in?

sooo, does anyone have any ideas for me to get rid of the smell and the amount of droppings?? i do wash their house regularly and try to wash out the run, but i'm sure we all know that water+chicken poo=even worse smell. all suggestions are welcome

 

[equine chick]

I think since you have neighbors that might now be too happy about chickens coming onto their property you need to find a way to keep your's in your run. You might have to put a cover of a fence on top of their run or buy an enclosed run such as a dog kennel. As for the smell you might want to try some fine woodchips to absorb the smell and there are lots of products such as sweet pea odor absorbing product. You can find it at feed stores and tractor and supply.

 

[Southern28Chick]

Well, you can't make them poop less. Water + chicken poop does = stink. I really don't think there's any way to control it. If you're going to have barn yard animals then expect your yard to smell like a barn yard.

Are you saying your chickens were free ranging while you were out of town? Where do you live?

I wouldn't say your chickens are idiots. They just don't understand property lines.

 

[mychickensareidiots]

I live down in texas. and in the city limits. but, i already checked with the city and they said as long as my neighbors dont ask me to get rid of them i may keep them. the neighbors havent complained about anything except that one that got over the fence. and yes, they were free ranging while i was gone. i just thought that clipping their wings was enough. they stay in a 30 yard by 20 yard area that is closed off by fence and i just didn't think they were capable of flying over the fence with clipped wings. but, they will reside in their run from now on. i try to let them free range for a few hours each day, i just stay out there with them.

equine chick: thanks for the product suggestions. i'll be sure to give them a try.

 

[Southern28Chick]

If your neighbors try to give you a hard time then offer them some free eggs. It is amazing how high chickens can fly when they want to. I would suggest, since you do live in the city limits to just free range when your home to watch them. Not only because of your neighbors but because of predators as well.

Good luck with everything and welcome to the forum.

 

[SandraChick]

Use the deep litter method IN your coop....and keep it DRY

Add lime to the soil and till it in....

Good luck

Sandra

 

[equine chick]

I gave you the wrong name of the product it is sweet pdz. I use it on my horses stalls and in the coop. It is totally nontoxic.
http://www.sweetpdz.com/common.htm

 

[SandraChick]

competitor to sweet pdz is stalldry....just incase your feed store looks at you crosseyed....they usually only cary one or the other.

Sandra

 

[tiffanyh]

And dont forget DE, people swear by that for odor control.

 

[kcfuerst]

I use two things in my chicken run: DE and Oyster shell lime. I have 10 hens and there is never an odor. In the coop I use wood chips and DE, never an odor. Very important to keep things dry.

My recommendation is to clean your run 1-2 times per week and sprinkle the ground with DE and/or oyster shell lime and you might find things a lot more pleasant.