How to deal with stinky poop smell if I use a chicken tractor?

[Suzy W]

My tractor sits in the grass, and my "three girls" fly up to the roost near the top at night. I move it to a new location twice a week mostly because of the large amount of poops and their smell. (The girls are set out to pasture for about 3 hours each afternoon.)

How do I use hydrated lime or food grade DE to cut down on the smell if I'm not using shavings, etc. in the grass? (I only have shavings in the roost/nest box area.)

Every post I've read talks about mixing the lime or DE with shavings of some sort. Could I just sprinkle lime or DE directly on the grass? Will it kill the grass?

Should I sprinkle the new area prior to moving the tractor or sprinkle it once the poops have built up before I move it again?

A little confused about the process, and I'm a newbie. Thanks for your patience! I'm sure you all have walked newbies through this same thing a bunch of times!

 

[Chicks & Turks]

How big is it? If it's getting smelly in 3 days, sounds like its too small. My girls can be in a 8x8 for 3 weeks before odor comes. Is there ventilation? Pictures would help.

 

[Suzy W]

Yes, it's completely ventilated. Unfortunately, I don't have a digital camera or cell phone with a camera to take a picture for you. It's made of 2 large dog crates totaling 3x10 plus a 5x5 fenced addition. One end, where the roosts are is tarped. So completely and well ventilated.

Could the poop smell be that they are on medicated feed? (Purina Start & Grow preventing coccidiosis.)

 

[Suzy W]

Bump!

 

[patman75]

I move my tractor every morning and clean the roost area every week. It only smells if it rains. My run area is 4X8 with 4 chickens.

 

[Suzy W]

patman75, have you ever used lime or DE? Thanks.

 

[patman75]

Nope, I just keep moving it and the poop is gone/worked into the grass in about 2 weeks.

 

[Eggs4Sale]

I have two chickens in a 4 by 8 tractor and if there's poop there, I can't see it. They must be saving it up for a special occasion! Or they're eating it.

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

It's amazing how much 3 little banties can poo in one day. I have 2 silkies and 1 cochin in their dog house turned banty coop/tractor in the front yard that I move 8' (the length of run) every morning.

The poo works it's way down in the lawn quickly. No oder at all.

In the coop, I have wood pellets and aspin shavings. No oder there either.

 

[flakey chick]

I made a small drawer that slides under their roost. I put a few shavings in it and dump that every day. I'd say that cuts the poo down by almost 1/2. You could use a simple droppings board and scrape it down. I like to get more of the poo into my compost heap anyway where it will help my garden more than my lawn.