Keeping the run clean?

[Mhg1523]

So it's been just over a year since I started with chickens. Then it quickly spiraled in ducks and geese. My main question is how do I keep the smell down. And the flies. The flies are everywhere? I live in az so the run area is dirt, it gets sun most of the day. I tried straw in the run to help with the poop but I think it made it worse, I've since removed the straw. But now it seems like the ground is hard packed. And help would be appreciated since it's becoming a problem in my eyes. If this is normal and par for the course this time of year please let me know. Thank you

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

How many birds are being housed in the run and what are the dimensions? Are all the birds together or are the waterfowl separate? Do you have water features in the run for the ducks/geese?

 

[Mhg1523]

The run is 32x16. 23 chickens and 5 ducks. I have a kiddie pool in one of the corners.

 

[Swurts]

Try coarse builder's sand. It works like kitty litter. I use a pitch fork with a small piece of hardware mesh attached to it and it works like a big litter scoop. It makes clean up really fast.

 

[Orpingtons Mom]

Also...everyone with flies, never forget fly predators from Spaulding.

 

[Matilda Belle]

Can you share a picture of your set up? How often do you clean the run/coop?

I have a dirt floor run which I till with a hand tiller weekly. I remove and replace all bedding in the coop weekly as well.

 

[3KillerBs]

Look up the deep litter method -- a form of cold composting that is odor free and low maintenance.

The problem with straw alone is that it packs into mats. A mix of wood chips, wood shavings, straw, pine straw, and other such materials won't pack down and will allow the aerobic composting bacteria to do their job instead of creating stinky, anaerobic spaces.

Throw a little scratch into the bedding from time to time to encourage the chickens to stir it up and, when necessary, break up sny mats with your manure fork.

 

[Fishychix]

I have a similar issue. I live in the city and have six chickens in my backyard. I am noticing a smell already and wonder if I could just rake the run to clean the poop. I also fear that I will lose my grass and have an ugly bare patch for them instead. I don’t have dimensions but guess it’s 20x20, I will be expanding it as soon as more fencing is in stock. I don’t want to make an even bigger bare patch though. We tried moving them around but they escaped to get back to their coop.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I have a similar issue. I live in the city and have six chickens in my backyard. I am noticing a smell already and wonder if I could just rake the run to clean the poop.

Pretty hard to stay on top of poops enough to keep it completely clean. Really best to use some form of litter appropriate to your climate and set up, to manage it. Deep litter, mentioned above, is one option, that works for most climates.

 

[Fishychix]

Pretty hard to stay on top of poops enough to keep it completely clean. Really best to use some form of litter appropriate to your climate and set up, to manage it. Deep litter, mentioned above, is one option, that works for most climates.

Surprisingly, the coop smells pretty good. It’s the outside I’m worried about. I can’t let them free range due to dogs. Most people use the invisible fences around here which don’t keep the chickens out, of course. We already have someone around here free ranging and their chickens keep ending up in the road. It’s terrifying, driving along and suddenly there’s a bunch of chickens in the road!