Odor destroyer....

[LindaHuong]

Hi there, I was wondering if anyone has ever use "odor destroyer" in their run. I saw it at odordestroyer.com and it sound safe. I was just wondering if anyone has tried it personally.
Thanks.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Not really seeing it as something that would be practical for such an application

 

[LindaHuong]

I've seen that people use sweet PDZ. This seemed similar but more for the $$$.

 

[PapaChaz]

I don't think you're going to see many people using sweet pdz in their run, more in the coop maybe? I used it in the poop tray in my coop and it really does a good job, but there's no way I'd even consider it in the run, too costly and when you can do deep litter and have literally no odor there's really not much need for anything else to control the odor.

There's a great thread with a video included on doing deep litter and how it works here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/70/deep-litter-method

 

[LindaHuong]

Thank you.

I plan on doing it in the coop but wasn't sure about the run. I'll check it out.

 

[snow5164]

Isn't you run mostly open and getting fresh air and sunshine ? Have you had problems with smell outside??is the ground wet mud?

 

[LindaHuong]

It's sunny but when it rains it gets stinky.

We have a small compost are where I rake the poo. The area is 18x4, and about half is covered. Hardware cloth all around and dirt ground except 2 grazing box areas.

 

[Ridgerunner]

What is causing the odor is that it is wet. They drop poop everywhere they go. When that gets wet for a few days the smell can be pretty bad. When the weather sets in wet there may not be a lot you can do but I suggest you read this article. You might see something that can help you.

Pat’s Big Ol' Mud Page (fixing muddy runs):
https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1642-fix-a-muddy-run

There are two basic ideas. One is to keep water out to start with. That can be really hard in a larger run when it rains a lot. Using a roof or sides to stop rain from blowing in, sloping coop and run roofs or using gutters so water does not flow into the run, maybe berms and swales to divert rain water runoff.

The other is to try to get the moisture out once it gets in. Having the run high enough so water has a place to drain to. Maybe adding sand so the water drains better if your run is mostly clay. Clay just holds moisture but water drains really well from sand if it has a place to drain to. Good ventilation can help it dry out once the rain stops. Tossing scratch on it so the chickens scratch it up helps it dry out.

A wet run can be a real pain and can be difficult to fix, especially if it is in a low spot where water drains to. Mine can be a problem when I set sin wet even though it is on a bit of a hill so it drains reasonably well. I sure wish you luck!

 

[TwoCrows]

Sounds like it is time to strip your bedding down to the floors. Most likely the smell is coming from bacteria and fungi. Water activates these things. No matter how clean you are, there is always poop left behind and food particles that get lost in the litter. Over time these things rot and grow bacteria. Add water to the mix and you have odors. And adding compounds to hide the smells is only covering it up. It's like leaving stinky fish bones in your trash and hoping an air freshener sitting next to the trash can will help with the stink. LOL (yes, I have tried this and I can tell you, unfortunately it does not work. Ha!)

Just last week my sand was developing an odor. I can usually go a year before stripping the entire thing down to the floors since I am constantly cleaning and occasionally remove the top layer of sand. But at some point you can't keep up with all the crud that gets down into your litter. Took me an entire day to strip down my large coop and run. It was brutally exhausting. LOL But I do for the love of my birds. And not only does it smell fresh as a daisy in the coop, but I can tell the birds notice the difference too. These bacteria's can harbor Coccidiosis, Ecoli and other crud that really do need to be removed after time.

 

[LindaHuong]

lol
The coop and the run are brand new, < 2 months. Only 7 chickens. It may be just me and my paranoia. Inside the has only pine chip/shaving smell.