Keeping the smell down in a coop.

[NewFeathersInCo]

Does anyone have any advice on keeping the smell down with the use of bedding. We have a 6×10 coop with 6 nesting boxes and the ceiling is 10 foot tall with two vents and a window. With a 30 x15 covered run outside. So plenty of space but it is attached to an office/gardening/supply room that I use and spend a lot of time in. So I am wanting to know what other ppl are doing to keep the daily smell of their chickens down in a safe way. I am currently using straw. Are cedar chips ok?

 

[tmarsh83]

I don't think cedar is a good choice. Something about the oils. But regular pine chips do well for me. Certainly better than straw would. Once the poop dries it has almost no smell, pine chips dry it out quick.

I loathe straw for animal bedding of any sort.

 

[nparks]

I have read on here before that cedar is bad for chickens. I use pine shavings as bedding. I also use a poop board under the roost with a mixture of sand and Pdz which I scoop out every day to every other day. Pdz can also be spread throughout the run to help with the smell. It's used to absorb the ammonia smell. Other people on here love using sand as bedding. I have not tried that yet. You could do a search on sand bedding. I also try to turn over/ mix up the bedding every day.

 

[NewFeathersInCo]

I don't think cedar is a good choice. Something about the oils. But regular pine chips do well for me. Certainly better than straw would. Once the poop dries it has almost no smell, pine chips dry it out quick.

I loathe straw for animal bedding of any sort.

I am trying to get rid of the straw. I don't like it as it is a mess to clean and I don't think it does any good to have. Pine is what I am leaning to and I will do some more research on the PDZ and see where I can find some. I do have a wood tray that we built for under the roosting bars. It might be perfect for there.

 

[junebuggena]

Just add a fresh layer of straw whenever it starts to get a bit pungent. Also, you may need more ventilation.

 

[ChickenMammX4]

We used pine flakes on the coop floor. There is a poop board under the roost filled with PDZ which gets sifted out everyday. The PDZ helps keep the moisture and odor down. There is also plenty of ventilation.

 

[RonP]

Does anyone have any advice on keeping the smell down with the use of bedding. We have a 6×10 coop with 6 nesting boxes and the ceiling is 10 foot tall with two vents and a window. With a 30 x15 covered run outside. So plenty of space but it is attached to an office/gardening/supply room that I use and spend a lot of time in. So I am wanting to know what other ppl are doing to keep the daily smell of their chickens down in a safe way. I am currently using straw. Are cedar chips ok?

Plenty of space for how many birds?
How many square feet of ventilation in the coop?

 

[aart]

Quote: Good Questions.

I go the roost board with sand/PDZ route....pine shaving on floor only get changed out once a year.
Wood chips and other dry plant matter in run.

 

[NewFeathersInCo]

Plenty of space for how many birds?
How many square feet of ventilation in the coop?

6 birds but looking to get more and about 10 to 12 feet of ventilation. I just didn't know if there was a bedding that helps with the odor. I am wanting to get away from straw.

 

[Folly's place]

Straw is the pits, except as a small part of the litter. I use hay or straw on top of feed bags in the nest boxes, and bagged pine shavings on the floor, adding some as needed. I feed some scratch feed on the floor to encourage digging through the bedding, which also helps. Deep litter is the most user friendly method to manage the coop and run, IMO. People who use sand are 'scooping the poop' daily, and it's not going to happen here. Mary