New Deep Litter coop - managing ammonia in a really damp climate?

[jendodd79]

Our coop is new as of October and we've had chickens out there since the beginning of November. We have 8 hens. The coop is 32sqft and 8 feet high. It has a window that is 6ftX2ft on the one side and then another vent above the door.

It is SO damp this time of year in BC - it's hard for anything to dry out. We've been using shavings, and a few flakes of straw, as well as dry leaves as they blow up in to the greenhouse.

The litter is about 12in when I fluff it up and turn it. I've been turning it every few days. Today I noticed a very strong smell of ammonia when I turned it, so I opened the door for awhile to air it out. I think it's near impossible for it to be dry, when we have 6 months of rain!

Any ideas? Should I take out half the litter and throw another bale of fresh shavings in?

 

[blueberrychickens]

Ive been battling w/ damp bedding too. The coop they are in isnt insulated & I'm having condensation issues due to overcrowding. So instead of doing deep litter in this coop, I clean it out every 3-4 days. I just put in about 2 buckets full of shavings (coop is 4x4) & replace w/ fresh shavings. It's not my ideal way of chicken keeping, but it's gonna have to work for now because I can't get rid of my girls! Haven't been having any ammonia issues since I switched over to this. I even tried using DE & Stall Dri to keep the bedding dry, but it didnt help.
Good luck!!

 

[brimjohnson]

I had the same problem here in Seattle and I was told to try Sweet PDZ. It is like a sandy powderish substrate that is sold as "horse stall refresher". It is amazing stuff, it really cuts down the ammonia and helps absorb moisture really well. I cleaned out all the shaving from my coop, covered the entire floor with the sweet pdz and then put new shavings on top of it. Every few days I sprinkle some more sweet pdz over the shavings. The stuff is amazing

 

[jendodd79]

Thank you! I'll see if our town has that!

 

[Mehjr10]

If you are getting Condensation inside the coop then you still need some more ventilation at the top of the Coop.

 

[jendodd79]

I haven't noticed any condensation, but I will definitely look tomorrow!