Help with moist floor in coop.

[tepchickens]

Our coop is a converted 1 car garage with a cement floor. There is a hole in the wall for the chickens to get outside and a window I keep cracked. I also keep the garage door open all day for extra ventilation. I used pine chips for bedding.
My problem is that the top pine chips are dry but the bottom retain moisture leading to an ammonia smell. I have tried several different levels of chips but the same thing happens. I also try to rake them around once a day. I think it is just condensation coming up from the floor.
I was wondering if there is a type of lime or floor dry material that I could put under the chips that is safe for chickens. My local feed store does not carry DE and I would prefer not to order if there is another option available that I can get locally.
Any ideas?

 

[chfite]

You said pine chips. Are these pine shavings or the sawdust from a chainsaw or shredded wood similar to ground mulch?

Chris

 

[tepchickens]

They are pine shavings. The common kind you can buy in a big cube at the farm store.

 

[3riverschick]

Quote: get some sweet pdz and mix it in. check BYC for instructions on how .much to use. Dries out the pine shavings and helps kill ammonia smell.
Best,
Karen

 

[Messipaw]

I found that DE and sand work great.

 

[MoonShadows]

Normally, pine shavings should not get wet underneath under normal conditions. The fact that yours are dry on top and wet on the bottom tells me something. Your profile does not state where you live. Is it hot and maybe humid already? I am wondering if your shavings are getting wet from moisture coming up through the floor. Is it a cement floor? If so, it may be cooled from the ground below and moisture is condensing causing the shavings to get wet. If either of these is the case, I wouldn't use Sweet PDZ or DE. I would put probably put down a rigid foam insulation on the floor, cover it with plywood, protect the plywood with something like Blackjack57 and then put my shavings on that. It will cost a few bucks to do this, but not as much as paying for Sweet PDZ or DE over the long haul if the moisture is coming from the floor.

 

[tepchickens]

We live in MN so right now it is very hot and humid. I agree that it is most likely condensation coming up from the cement floor.
Thanks for all of the ideas. I can't wait to get to work this weekend. I will let you know how it goes.

 

[Eggcessive]

Blackjack products are pretty expensive when I recently looked them up at Lowes, as well as plywood and OSB. My suggestion would be to find some used vinyl flooring that could be put down over the cement floor. New would be better, but more expensive.

 

[aart]

Don't use DE if you are attempting a deep litter composting scenario...it'll kill all the good bugs you need to compost.

You may just need to keep it well stirred up until the temps regulate. You don't say how deep the bedding is.

 

[tepchickens]

I have tried mutlitple depths from 1-8 inches but the same thing happens every time. Wet and stuck together on the bottom, dry on top. I like the idea of the flooring to act as kind of a barrier between the concrete and the bedding. I will have to see what I can find. In the mean time I think I will pick up some of the stall dry products that many have mentioned and put that down until I can get the floor covered with something more permanent.
Thanks again for all the advice.