My new chicks stink!!!!

[Cpolanco3]

At first I thought it was the smell of the brooder when I picked them out, there were 16 4 week old chicks in a regular common size small tote, but they've been home since yesterday early afternoon in a new bigger brooder. They stink to high heaven. If I don't do something about this stink soon they're gonna have to go back.

I have sand in the brooder with them. Can I give them a bath this young? I sure wish I could febreeze them or something (not really, please don't jump all over me for suggesting it)

This is our second batch of chicks, the first ones we go were day old chicks and never smelled this bad... then again I was responsible for their cleaning and maintenance INSIDE my home from the get go.

Claudia

 

[PineShavings]

Nyeh, after many years, I've gotten used to the smell. I keep my birds in my house garage for about two weeks than move them to the backyard where instead of pine shavings, I put hay where it's a lot easier to clean and don't have to do it daily because it doesn't smell as bad. If it helps, may I ask what chick starter you're giving them? I used Dumor, but it smells like "spoiled chocolate" to me and now I use Purina sun fresh recipe. It costs a couple bucks more, but it doesn't make the poop smell as bad.

 

[Cpolanco3]

oh I don't even have the bag of the feed anymore to be able to tell you. I put it in the bin a couple months back. But I dooo know that when I switched to this feed, even my bigger girls poop got stinkier.

But these girls just smell really bad. I put them out in an enclosed pen on the grass about 2 yards from my front door to air them out so to speak. I was thinking it might be their feathers being stinky with poop from being crammed into a small tote 16 chicks in all when I picked them up yesterday. (theyre 4 weeks old now) but I can still smell them when I step off the front door landing.

I'll probably try wiping them down with a damp towel to clean them up better later. lets see how that works


claudia