Odor problems in run!!!

[SJC123]

Hi All, I'm a newbie to this site and a new chicken mom. We just constructed a new chicken coop and run and have 6 pullets and a rooster. I don't seem to have any odor problems in the coop, but the run is a different story. It's covered, and is simply regular ground with a small amount of gravel that was already there. What do most of you recommend as ground cover to help keep the smell down?

 

[jreardon1918]

Welcome. Our run is covered. The head lasted less than a week. It was very rocky soil. Two years later we have a combo of grass clippings, leaves, garden waste, twice we cleaned out the coop of pine shavings. And of course plenty of poop. No discernable smell.

Good luck.

 

[trumpeting_angel]

There are many, many posts about deep litter in the run. Search “litter” and “DLM” (deep litter method) for a start. You can read all night. Maybe all week!

 

[~KH~]

There are many, many posts about deep litter in the run. Search “litter” and “DLM” (deep litter method) for a start. You can read all night. Maybe all week!

I agree. I've been using that in my urban coop (close neighbors, so it can't smell) and it's been great. No smell and lots of stuff to keep the chickens interested digging and scratching in it. It's been a little challenging to find what to use in it (we have a very small yard, not much yard waste) and although there is a lot of wood chips/mulch advertised for free here, most of it contains eucalyptus (which I've read is not good). So I use other people's bagged leaves, scrounged pine needles from hubby's workplace, forage hay I purchase, shredded paper, and kitchen scraps.

 

[PotatoHead]

Break up and aerate the ground, at least 8” deep, and mix in wood chips, grass clippings, pine shavings, grass hay, veggie scraps, leaves and whatever other compostable material you have into the soil. It will keep your chickens busy and happy and will give you great fertilizer next year.

My goal is to be able to turn the top 12” over with a pitch fork, that’s how loose I want my litter to be. I use this method in both my coop and run with 12 hens and have no smell....none!

I filled my raised beds with the litter and have had wonderful results!