How do I keep my brooder from becoming smelly?

[Coffee4Me]

I heard that the heat lamp makes the brooder get smelly. What is the best way to keep it from getting stinky?
Thanks so much!

 

[shelleyd2008]

Well obviously the first thing is to make sure it is clean. Change the bedding at least once a week, more if it needs it. Another thing is to make sure they can't spill the water or scratch the bedding into the waterer, wet shavings stink very bad. Also make sure they can't spill their feed, because the combination of wet feed and bedding will make you want to sleep in the coop! And be sure there aren't too many chicks in it, that will make it get dirtier faster, which means it will be stinky sooner

 

[mistyfeather]

i just toss in a few handfulls of fresh bedding untill its time to clean it out, it keeps it smelling nice

 

[felidaet]

This year I used pine bedding pellets instead of pine shavings. There seemed to be much less smell. I like the pellets much better than the shavings.

 

[Tala]

Quote:
Ditto that. I have been known to use pine pellet bedding (it's sold at TSC for horse stalls) and they stay on the same pellets from hatch till they move outside. The pellets really are THAT much better than shavings.

The trick is also to move them outside pretty young. I refuse to keep chicks inside longer than 2 weeks if I can help it, but I did have a group stay till 3 weeks once. They do fine outside if they have a "coop" type area with a heat lamp that they can go to when it's cold. In the spring/summer the use of a daylight time for their lamp is a lifesaver --- at least here in Arkansas, it can hit 90 in the daytime and still drop back down in the 50's at night

and you don't want them to cook in the heat of the afternoon.

 

[Bluegem]

I've also heard (I haven't tested it myself) that putting vinegar in chickens water will keep the smell at a minimum. But as already stated keeping the brooder clean with fresh bedding would be the best option.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Keep the bedding DRY and change it as often as conditions dictate.

 

[chicknerd]

EVERY day the chicks would get the shavings wet from the waterer so I ended up changing the shavings every day. I worried about mold. Never had a problem with the smell. And I used ACV in the water as well.