How Do You Control Odor in an Outdoor Run?

[chickielove87]

I have a completely secure outdoor coop and run. I used a dog kennel with a nylon netting over top to keep out a relentless hawk that has been preying on my chickens. The coop is inside of the pen. I converted them from being able to run around the whole yard into a 10x20 pen. They love it. They're much more lively and not hiding from predators all day under the bushes and much less stressed ( I know since my egg production has been great lately ). The only issue I am having is that it's a shady area only getting direct sun in certain areas of the pen about 2-5 hours a day depending on the season so grass isn't growing well...at all, really. I'm having trouble keeping the smell under control. I turn the soil ever couple months and that helps a bit and I'm using diatomaceous earth.

How do the rest of you keep odor down in the run area? I have no problem with the coop itself, just the run.

 

[Lisa R]

I use straw. We have 3 or 4 bales of it at any time and the straw is about 3 - 12 inches thick all over the coop and pen. I'm in Washington and the rain here would have my hens in mud 3/4 of the year and the stink... yuk. With the straw it gives them a lot to scratch and dig in, nest in, hide eggs in, and when it gets poopy or stinky I turn it over with a pitch fork. Eventually it breaks down and you will have the most amazing compost for your flower beds. If you leave it in the pen it will help keep the hens warm in the winter as the decomposing gives off heat. Every so often I shake dia earth into the straw.

 

[c2chicks]

Sweet PDZ (horse stall refresher) is really effective at neutralizing the ammonia. You can search on it for more info and all the ways folks use it, in the coop, on poop boards, in the run etc. Very safe.

 

[maricybele]

I have a secured run and I use kombucha vinegar and if I didn't have that I would use a live apple cider vinegar and spray the coop, floor and ground...We make our own kombucha and pear or apple vinegar, it's very easy. Works like a charm. I also use wood chips (from a tree company) for the ground they love it when I put new chips in, I just dump it and they spread it around and look for worms. The smell is quite tolerable with those products.