Neighbor Complaint- Stinky Yard. Advice??

[PirateGirl]

A compost tumbler is what we have in our chicken yard as well! They are pretty reasonable and keep smells contained! FCMP Outdoor IM4000 Tumbling Composter, 37 gallon, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009378AG2/?tag=backy-20

There are loads of DIY compost tumbler tutorials online. I think I made mine for under $20.

 

[wild chick]

Yep, you missed it.

 

[lifein1840]

Get a bag of barnyard lime and - if possible - break up the dirt in the pen so you can sort of mix the lime into the dirt. It won't bother the chickens at all and will take care of the smell....assuming you do clean the run when needed. Lime is a really old solution (sort of like me) and will refresh your pen in no time flat!!

 

[lifein1840]

I missed the part about sweet PDZ....I love it! I have a tray below the roost and it's filled with PDZ. When I scoop the poop in the mornings, it all goes right into the compost and then to the garden when it's all done! and, boy, you should see my garden!!!

 

[red horse ranch]

Get a bag of barnyard lime and - if possible - break up the dirt in the pen so you can sort of mix the lime into the dirt. It won't bother the chickens at all and will take care of the smell....assuming you do clean the run when needed. Lime is a really old solution (sort of like me) and will refresh your pen in no time flat!!

I'm old enough to have grown up with outdoor toilets. Hardly anyone had indoor plumbing if you lived in the country. There was always a bag of powdered lime in the toilet and it did a good job at keeping down the smell when sprinkled down the toilet hole. (also )

 

[kubotafoot]

There is a product I use called EM1. It is a liquid and you dilute it as directed and spray the coop, walls, floor, whatever AND add it to the compost. Google it, as it can explain how it eats up the smell better than I can, but it DOES work, and fast on stinky areas AND compost piles. It works better when it is well above freezing, so I don't use it in the winter here in CT, but otherwise, every week, every time. Really makes a big difference. Good luck. Nothing, in my mind, stinks more than chicken compost in a wet summer!

 

[Kiki]

There is a product I use called EM1. It is a liquid and you dilute it as directed and spray the coop, walls, floor, whatever AND add it to the compost. Google it, as it can explain how it eats up the smell better than I can, but it DOES work, and fast on stinky areas AND compost piles. It works better when it is well above freezing, so I don't use it in the winter here in CT, but otherwise, every week, every time. Really makes a big difference. Good luck. Nothing, in my mind, stinks more than chicken compost in a wet summer!

Is this what you are talking about?

http://www.teraganix.com/EM-for-Livestock-Odors-s/26.htm

 

[Fishkeeper]

When using essential oils that haven't been properly diluted in a carrier oil, be careful not to get any on anything alive. Not on your skin, not on an animal, not where you or an animal will breathe it in just after spraying it. They're extremely concentrated, and just because they're natural doesn't mean they're safe.
However, they are a way to disguise odors, as long as you're careful about not getting them on anything.

 

[L.D.Sewell]

You might want to take a look at where your compost pile is - make sure it is not in a low lying area prone to retaining moisture from rain. If it is, move it to higher ground. Then make sure it is always covered with hay or even dirt - but do NOT add more water to it.

 

[gtaus]

What I call my "compost pile" is more like a corner of the yard where I just dump everything and let the chickens scratch through it all. I have been doing this for years and never had much problem, but as I mentioned in my original post this spring when we dug into it for compost it had a much stronger odor than usual.

Sounds like you managed this well for a number of years. Odor is a sign of mismanagement and it appears you have a good idea of what factors changed your compost pile smell. I'm signing on to see how the compost pile works out for you when you attack this odor problem.

I don't know if this would work for you, but I have used trench composting for years. You simply dig a trench, dump in the compost material, and cover it back up with the dirt you dug out to make the trench. There is no smell with the compost when covered with dirt. If you still want the chickens to have access to your compost pile, you could dump the material in the trench and leave it there for a few days while the chickens pick through it. Then, when they lose interest in that pile, or if it starts to smell, you can then cover it with dirt and move along the trench line with fresh material.

Trench composting is my preferred method of composting because where I live in northern Minnesota, a compost pile never really seems to break down into black gold in any acceptable time. Also, I am not a fan of having to turn over piles of compost. So I bury the compost and let the worms do the work for me. Added bonus, I throw everything in the trench compost including meat and dairy. As long as you don't get critters digging up the compost, everything breaks down just fine over time.

This is my first summer with chickens. I offer them kitchen scraps in a rubber feeding pan and in a day or two, will take out the leftover material and dump it in the trench compost. I have also made a mobile compost pile using a garden cart with wire mesh bottom and sides. I throw grass clippings in there and dump kitchen scraps on top. I dump the cart about every two weeks, just because I don't want things to get moldy in the cart. But, so far, no smell from the cart either. I think having a wire mesh bottom allows the compost pile to breath, and drain. The grass clippings turn into a dry hay like material, and not a glob of smelly decomposing green grass. It's not so good as an active compost pile, but it works for me.