Nervous about the smell coop again this summer.

[sunnie7]

I switched over to poop boards with PDZ...only regret was not doing this sooner!!! We also got rid of our 3 ducks that shared the coop. Won’t do that again! I spend maybe 3 mins scooping each day, zero smell my coop floor is pine shavings and stays so clean!!!!! No food or water inside the coop.

 

[lifein1840]

Soooo I've spent a while searching around, looking at threads about this, but I want my own one, and more specific help.

Last summer, my coop ALWAYS stunk, I cleaned the roosting boards daily, had deep litter, but coming within 15 feet of the coop, you would be hit in the face with chicken stank and flies.

My coop is 8x8 and currently has 15 chickens, will be 20 soon but that's about my max for this coop. I had about 6 inches of pine shavings, straw, leaves, pine needles, and anything else I could find in there.

I did not use pdz in there, but I have a bag and will start using it soon, I'm hoping this will help as well. I am located at the very top of North Carolina, so summers are hot but not awful compared to other areas.

The coop stays very dry as well.

Based on the info I've given, does anyone have some extra tips for me coming into this new year to keep my coop not as smelly?

I use the PDZ in a sort of tray that is below the 2x4 roost bar. It's easy to scoop the poop every morning...sort of like Kitty litter....and I just take the poop bucket directly to the compost bin. There's no smell, no flies - it's great!! I don't let any poop stay in the floor litter in the summer, only in the winter and I cover any with a scoop of fresh pine bedding and let the girls turn everything. I also clean the coop floor out at least once in the winter on a decent day where it's warm enough to open the coop and get out the dust as I work. I use the dirty bedding in the run to keep the run dry and by late summer, it's ready to add to the garden. Good luck - hope this can help you!

 

[kerbotx]

So, most of the suggestions have been about your coop - but is it stinky outside, too? I do believe that Dumor feed causes stinky poops, so you may be fighting an uphill battle there. Others may feel differently. My one suggestion - Ag Lime. I've never used it myself, so I'm unsure about the specifics, but it's supposed to be great for masking odors & is safe around chickens. I'd also suggest maybe painting the inside of the coop, or whitewashing, as odors can seep into the wood. Good luck on your poop boards!

 

[PhillyDelcoChix]

I didn’t know Chewy had PDZ! I’ve been getting it from tractor supply.

We live in an area where there aren’t any Tractor Supplys or anything similar nearby so thank goodness for chewy! We get their food and treats there too.

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

More than a few people have reported that the Dumor feed contributes to the odor.

 

[Barbs Brood]

I'm definitely sold on poop boards! My poop board is made from a purple styrofoam type material (from Home Depot) and then I cover it (because the chickens will eat the styrofoam) with a cut open empty chicken feed bag that's made from some type of tough woven material. I put it under the roosts at night and take it out in the morning, hose it down, and put it back in the coop. Of course, I collect any poop that didn't make it on the board. Then I mix up the shavings that have some DE and occasionally sprayed with PDZ. There is never a smell anywhere close to the coop/run. My coop also has plenty of ventilation via hardware cloth.

 

[Jamesthesilkie]

Yep I am totally going to do a poop board! But I just checked how much plywood costs and my mouth dropped. It's almost double what it was a year ago!!! So I'll get things one by one lol

 

[TomNY]

Dilute the smell with more air flow. Installing an exhaust fan with 400 cfm of air flow will dilute the smell to where there should not be a problem. Make sure you have enough inlets to get the full flow.

 

[Malamute1]

Can I just shove the bedding into my run if I need to clean it out or do I need to put it at the edge of my property.

do you have a compost pile? If not I would start one. I wouldn't put the soiled bedding in the run.