My chicken run smells like a sewer!!

[werecatrising]

I thought lime would burn their feet?

 

[Captain Cluck]

How about stove pellets? I figure you'd have super easy access to them since you're in an area with snow. They are made from sawdust (pine or oak) are fairly cheap (around $4/bag here) and they will break down to sawdust as soon as they get wet, but the really help kill the odor (of course you already know that). Or can you get some sawdust from a mill or woodworker near you?

Myabe use a combination of things - lime, sawdust/stove pellets, shavings/straw?

Down here we use sawdust in various forms for bedding for everything from horses to ferrets. Very absorbent, gets warm when stored in piles (we keep piles of it outdoors down here - it works even if it gets rained on) and keeps odors down.
It's a little slow to compost, but worth it when it's finished.

 

[Wifezilla]

I thought lime would burn their feet?

That's why I put it UNDER the straw​

 

[Amethyste]

Quote:
That's why I put it UNDER the straw

There are 2 main types of lime....

Hydrated lime will harm the feet...agricultural lime will not.

I use the agri lime all the time with no problems with chickie feet in my run.

 

[WalkingWolf]

Add as much compost material as possible, wood chips, straw, whatever you can get your hands on. Pine needles(straw) are excellent because they hold up longer and usually have a high acid content countering the ammonia of the poo. You want to keep adding daily and build layers and this will also raise the level higher where they are not standing in water.