My meat birds poop is STINKY! What can I do??

[cassie]

My meat bird pen in California did not smell. I raised 25 Cornish X chickens in a 12 x 12 box stall bedded with shavings. Shavings were added as often as necessary to keep the pen dry. The pen was well ventilated but not drafty. I did not clean the pen until the meaties were gone but there was very little if any odor. The area where I lived was quite dry. Very little humidity. I don't know if that makes a difference. I haven't tried raising them here in Missouri yet.Usually, no matter what the class of livestock, if the quarters are dry and well ventilated there is very little or no odor. If the ventilation is poor and the bedding gets wet there is.

 

[hengrenades]

I was wondering the same thing. I have 24 of them in a chicken tractor ala Joel Salatin's kind and we move them every other day. Their poo is just nasty. I also have 25 Barred Rocks and they hardly smell at all, even when their temporary pen was a bit overdue for a clean. Glad to hear though that this is the usual, I was wondering if it was normal.

 

[cassie]

I was wondering the same thing. I have 24 of them in a chicken tractor ala Joel Salatin's kind and we move them every other day. Their poo is just nasty. I also have 25 Barred Rocks and they hardly smell at all, even when their temporary pen was a bit overdue for a clean. Glad to hear though that this is the usual, I was wondering if it was normal.

Maybe you ought to move the tractor every day. If it is stinky the conditions aren't healthy. Cornish X eat a lot more than regular chickens. Therefore they generate a LOT more poo. You have to compensate for that.

 

[hengrenades]

Hi Cassie,
We have been moving them daily until just recently when heavy rain followed by hot summer days resulted in the grass growing like wildfire. We've allowed them in the last week, two days per spot because of the tall grass, which is rich and juicy. However I think you're right, better to move them daily than have them wandering around in too much doo. However, the poo itself is stinky regardless of quantity and was nasty even when moved daily. They also get beet pulp in addition to grower feed so I don't know if that's why the poo is so nasty or if its just because of the speed which they convert feed to fecal matter. It would be interesting to know how much wasted protein comes out the other end. Perhaps this is why some unscrupulous mass producers were feeding chicken manure back to the chickens? I wondered if coccidiosis could be the cause of reeky doo but I checked their manure closely and saw no blood in it. I live in the prairies and although historically the prairies have been somewhat dry and hot in summer, this year and last they've had way more rain than usual so it can be hot and humid .

 

[Arielle]

Fermenting their feed and feeding that mash really made a difference for my birds. Use a 5 gal pail, add 4 qt feed, fill with water towithin 2 inches of top and add 1/4 cup unpasturized apple cider vinegar. Stir 2-3 times a day for 4 days, then feed out 1/3. split the remaining amt between 2 5 gal pails. add feed, and fill with water and stir. use one a day while the other is brewing. I also fed dry as needed but overall had much better poo and less stink.

Doesn't reduce the poo though-- cornish x eat a LOT and poo a lot.

 

[JessicaThistle]

I am raising 29 CX in a tractor currently. Mine do not stink at all. I move their tractor in the morning and at bedtime to keep them clean. I don't really do this to keep the smell down but more to just keep their bodies cleaner. I add ACV to their water and I do not provide feed all hours. I feed them 4 times per day and let them free range in the evenings.

I would imagine if you provide food constantly, they would poop and stink more. If they smell, they just need to be moved more often.

 

[phalenbeck]

First I agree with all previous methods to keep the smell DOWN to a minimum. But after 4 seasons of small crops of cornish X they smell. Anytime you miss a move, or it rains---they smell. The more you try, and the more space and care--they smell less, but still they smell. My pending batch will be raised on wire over a leaf/compost pile, but they still will smell. So try to control the smell, but expet some smell..........

 

[cassie]

First I agree with all previous methods to keep the smell DOWN to a minimum. But after 4 seasons of small crops of cornish X they smell. Anytime you miss a move, or it rains---they smell. The more you try, and the more space and care--they smell less, but still they smell. My pending batch will be raised on wire over a leaf/compost pile, but they still will smell. So try to control the smell, but expet some smell..........

When I raised Cornish X in California they did not smell. In fact if you were more than about five feet away from the pen you would never even know there were chickens there. I had them in a building with lots of ventilation and bedded them on shavings. The weather was very dry. That may make a difference.

 

[phalenbeck]

Just to add a special alert---leave a tractor for a few days---move it---and when the rain comes you can get a fall-down shating rink, especially with sandals.

 

[JessicaThistle]

Just to add a special alert---leave a tractor for a few days---move it---and when the rain comes you can get a fall-down shating rink, especially with sandals.

GOOD TIMES!