Help! Springtime Stink in the Run

[lereg15]

I believe what Ron was talking about is the chips of wood that would probably run through a chipper. Maybe you could find a tree company and ask them what they do with all their chippings, although they might now be very busy with all the snow you are having.

 

[seminolewind]

I would use garden lime. And more sand. I have also found that when my chickens eat Purina Layena their poo smells a whole lot less than when they eat Nutrena.

 

[lereg15]

I would use garden lime. And more sand. I have also found that when my chickens eat Purina Layena their poo smells a whole lot less than when they eat Nutrena.

Really? I don't feed my dog and cat Purina, so I didn't plan on feeding my chickens it either, but if it saves the smell, I might have to reconsider.

 

[TalkALittle]

I would use garden lime.  And more sand.  I have also found that when my chickens eat Purina Layena their poo smells a whole lot less than when they eat Nutrena.  

As far as I know, garden lime doesn't have any odor neutralizing capabilities. It raises the pH but will that kill the stink?

 

[RonP]

I believe what Ron was talking about is the chips of wood that would probably run through a chipper. Maybe you could find a tree company and ask them what they do with all their chippings, although they might now be very busy with all the snow you are having.

Yes, exactly.

Free and plentiful if available in your area.

Some townships have centers in which they also offer them for free.

I would fill up the run, making a hill.

Water will run underneath.

The wood chips will eventually compost, and build up the run elevation, all while locking up the manure nitrates, thus eliminating your foul odors. Very low maintenance also...

 

[Sunnys Chickens]

Watch the lime, I'm a plasterer by trade and wet lime burns, I imagine it will not be pleasant for your chooks, even the dry dust will dry the skin and it will bleed and it is not nice to breathe. This is what it does to humans. Not sure of effects on chickens just trying to help..

 

[Sequel]

Hi! I'm a newbie to the chicken keeping world and wouldn't feel qualified to comment on this thread except for the fact that this morning I took a class in chicken coop building given at a local feed store. Deep litter was the method method demonstrated, although we were standing in slippery wet clay, the birds in the covered 8x12 coop were not. They were happily scratching away at least a foot above grade. There was absolutely no odor, although it hadn't been "cleaned" in a year. Once a year it is shoveled out and put on the vegetable garden.

If I was in the OP's situation, I would do as RonP suggested and put down wood chips. Coarse ones from a tree service at least 6 to 8 inches deep. Deep litter means as deep as it takes to maintain proper moisture and odor control. You might need higher belly boards around your coop. Those coarse chips won't become soggy right away like smaller shavings, so a good deep base of those and you can add whatever you can get whenever you need to add more dry browns. RonP is right about the chips also binding up excess nitrogen. In addition, the mycelia colonizing decomposing woodchips consume bacteria and even toxic chemicals.

We deal with high water tables here in the Pacific Northwest too, and putting down pavers might actually hamper your drainage, making your problem worse. So call your local tree services, follow a tree truck, bribe the crew if you have to. It sounds like you're needing to do something pretty quick and I wish you luck!

 

[SAMnELLA]

And if all of those suggestions don't work, how about building above ground cages and runs ?

 

[FridayYet]

I agree with the above posters that mentioned doing deep liter on top of your sand base (as deep as you can to raise the chickens off the wet ground.) I wouldn't do concrete pavers if you already have a drainage problem.

But first, I'd get a bag or two of granulated zeolite (Sweet PDZ) and mix it in the top of your sand to start neutralizing some of the ammonia, then I'd cover it with your thick layer of wood chips/organic matter. The PDZ won't help with the wetness, but it helps immensely with the stink!

Like you said, ultimately you will need to get rid of the water - gutters, french drain, drainage ditch, elevating the run, etc.

 

[TalkALittle]

Well, spread a bag of PDZ in the run and it seemed to help. My husband with the sensitive sniffer seems to think it doesn't smell as bad as before. Tossing around the idea of raising the run and bringing in a deeper base of sand come warmer weather. May do a side by side experiment with deep litter vs. sand. I'll keep updating.