How do I keep my brooder from stinking?

[23Matt23]

Wondering if anybody had any tricks to keep my brooder from smelling so bad without having to change the wood chips every day?

 

[TonySorrento]

Are you brooding inside?

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk

 

[Beekissed]

Start feeding probios of some kind to your birds. Will change the smell and consistency of the stools. How many birds to how much space?

 

[TonySorrento]

Start feeding probios of some kind to your birds.  Will change the smell and consistency of the stools.  How many birds to how much space? 

I have 14 chicks from 3 1/2 - 4 1/2 weeks old in a 4'x6' brooder ... I put apple cider vinegar in their water ... I just changed their brooder out only because it has been 9 days. .. there was still no odor .... is the ACV why, Bee?

 

[Beekissed]

Could be...particularly if it is mother vinegar. I have 50 CX free ranging out of a 8x10 coop that have been on the mother vinegar and fermented feeds since day one, I've used one bale of shavings and one bale of hay for the past 2 wks. No smell can be detected in the coop at all. They just started free ranging this past week at their 2 wk. mark, so up until then they have been confined to the coop...and there is still no smell.

All poops normal in consistency and have no odor. It probably helps that my coop is pretty open air also...cattle panel coop.

 

[23Matt23]

I have 4 cx together with 2 bronze turkeys both 1 week old. Brooding inside, in a 3x3 wooden box.

 

[roosterjrm]

sawdust works for about a week for my brooder.

 

[23Matt23]

So a good way to reduce odor is acv? And have any of you heard of the deep litter method?

 

[StephanieH]

I have 9 3-4 wk olds inside. I add a new layer of newspaper once or twice a day, so I have several inches built up right now. Little to no smell. Each bird has almost a foot of space. (have a bigger box to set up soon. Rule of thumb for me is odor means you need more carbon/bedding.

 

[Beekissed]

The ACV needs to be unpasteurized...still have the good cultures in it. The probiotics that mother vinegar contains can provide good flora for the bowels, aids in digestion and will sweeten up the smell of their stools.

There are many here who use the deep litter method. I have used it for the past 5 years with excellent results. I am using it now for my coop with wood chips and hay but will next use leaves...they are free and easily broken down, make good mulch for the garden when done.