Is it safe to use lime in the chicken coop?

[seminolewind]

Garden Lime is perfectly safe. It does not burn .

 

[Sundog7]

Some people paint the inside of their chicken coops with lime to prevent lice. I know this works and I've also read stories in magazines that suggest doing this. However, I've never heard of putting lime in a run to decrease odor. I don't know if it's safe for chickens to eat lime.

 

[MelissaZeno]

Does the lime need to be mixed with water? Or can you sprinkle the powder on the coop floor and the ground outside?

 

[Mojo12]

I use DE in the coop for insect control. I haven't noticed whether it keeps the smell down, though. Inside usually doesn't smell much. But the run? OMG!! It has been raining here for three weeks and the stench will just about Knock you over if you're downwind! I clean inside weekly & outside every couple of weeks. When I clean I shovel out the top layer & haul it to the garden, then I use the garden weasel to mix up the dirt. I add sand every couple of months, but with all this rain it's still a sea of nasty stinky mud. I was wondering about using lime to knock back the smell? And since we're looking at another week or so of rain, should I start teaching my birds to swim? LOL

 

[daxigait]

Sounds like some mixed messages here on this thread but I've been using the hydrated lime in my coop for years and in my cattle barns even longer with no ill effect.  I use it on the floor of my coop at every big cleanout prior to putting down the wood shavings (I use the deep shaving method)  I don't put it on top because as an airborne dust, it can be a lung irritant.  If you're using to to dry up the litter, you probably actually need more ventilation.   I also use it to make whitewash which I use to paint the whole inside of the coop and all roosts.  This has been my primary pest control for mites and lice as well as being a great coop disinfectant.

how do you get your whitewash?

 

[YborChix]

"Barn Lime" is a farmers term for agricultural lime, aglime or A G lime, which is crushed limestone. Limestone (calcium carbonate) is not the same as hydrated lime. The "pelleted" formulas have less dust. Many people swear by it for keeping down ammonia, smell, flies, fleas etc. in coops. Some prefer it over "D E" and it's definitely cheaper.

Hydrated lime can pose health risks. It can cause severe skin irritation, chemical burns, blindness, or lung damage.


Headed to the feed store?

Hydrated lime = BAD
AG Lime = Good

 

[LaKASkill]

Let me weigh in on this a bit. If your concerned about lime in the least, just use stall dry. I have used both with the same results, each are satisfactory. If I use stall dry, I still use a stand alone DE as well with lime. After you dust your coop with your choice of product then hang a couple vanilla Christmas tree smell good things. In about two or three days the barn yard smell has been tamed and it smells like vanilla goodness.

 

[BuKock]

Hi, OK I am relatively new at chicken keeping and today I've made the biggest mistake in my 18 month chicken keeping experience. I've read this article about 4 weeks ago and I had in mind to try Ag Lime. Today in the late afternoon I went to a reputable produce shop, I was in a hurry so I quickly asked where can I find Ag Lime and I told them I was going to use it on the chicken coop and run. A 20 Kg bag was placed in my shopping trolley but was advised to verify with the check-out chicks ;-) if it's the right thing to use in the coop. Since I read this article a while ago I thought it was a good idea. At the checkout I was told that Hydrated Lime is what I needed for the chicken coop and run. I was not sure what to do and decided to go with what they said and changed the bag of Ag Lime with Hydrated Lime. Back at home and in the chicken coop I realise that the lime was a white and very thin powder that easily floated everywhere. Carefully I opened the paper bag stopped and started to read all the health hazards and warning signs to do with lungs and eyes and skin. I thought that it was odd that it was so dangerous but told to use in the coop. Because I was in a hurry I thought that I should use it anyway but lightly. I've mixed about 2 cups into a small bucket of wood shavings first and then I lightly spread approx. 5 hand-full of the wood shavings on top of the sugar-cane mulch in the coop. Then I put a generous amount in a patch of soil where the chickens like dust-bathing. By this time it was dusk and the chickens quickly perched themselves in the coop and I quickly changed clothes, cooked and had dinner and put the children to bed. I started to nod off to sleep on the couch when something told me to review this article... get the picture? I then googled "Hydrated Lime chicken coop" and sure enough it can be used but NOT THE WAY I DID. Hydrated lime is suppose to be used in small amounts and very carefully to make a white wash that it's brush into the coop and let dry before the chickens are allowed back in, and only once a Year! I told my wife who said, get all the chickens out of the coop and change all the mulch-bedding.... luckily I've only got a small coop and six bantam chickens. The only part of the coop that did not have any hydrated lime was the two nest boxes, so I've put all six chickens in it while I replaced all the mulch-bedding. I gave the patch of soil a good drenching with the hose.
What do I do now with 20 Kg of hazardous Hydrated Lime?
So tomorrow I am taking the bag of Hydrated Lime back to the shop and replacing it with the right stuff... Ag Lime. PHEW!!!

 

[bbcheermom]

Someone asked this recently...here is the information I gave them

Is it Ag lime or Hydrated Lime? Hydrated will kill them...

here is the information from the Dept. of Agriculture

There are two different kinds of lime.

Hydrated lime, slake lime, or "burn lime"- This is pure white. Hydrated lime is very caustic, so the bag will have a warning on it. This is the kind of lime you use for white wash . This lime will burn you and your livestock. Do not use it on the floor. Do not breath it.

Agricultural lime, "ag lime", "garden lime", "barn lime" or dolomite- This lime is gray and can be used to spread on the floor of your barn. This is safe for you and your livestock. It will not burn.

In the past we spread Ag. lime on our barn floor because it provides an antibacterial quality, dries out and "sweetens" the floor , and also it makes it easier to clean, for some people.

If you just ask for lime at your feed store, they will probably give you hydrated lime. If you say it's for the barn floor they will still probably give you hydrated. Please be safe, get the "Ag" lime .

 

[bbcheermom]

I know this thread is old but worth a try - how much ag lime do you use in an outdoor run to get rid of odor. Mine is 6 x 18