pelleted bedding, pine shavings, or rice hulls

[Titania]

Hello, everyone! I love hearing everyone's responses and opinions. I just cleaned out my coop due to lice & dusted everything. Let it all air out overnight and now ready to fill with bedding. What I have done is pine shavings and sprinkle in sweet pdz and food grade DE every 1 or 2 weeks and mix. Oh, and new shavings.

But, that still gets stinky. And flies. And someone just has bad runny STINKY cecal poops. (They all eat the same thing, same water, and all but one is "normal".) I'm pretty busy chasing after 2 young children and their millions of activities as well as my own volunteer time and interests. I just have a small flock. 3 hens and 5 chicks now but will only have 4 or 5 at max. What do you think I should put in the coop? Stay with my system? pelleted wood? Rice hulls? (Where do I even get those?) What is the easiest and nicest-smelling? And I liked the idea of deep-litter method so it would be partially composted & ready for garden but it's just stinky and collecting flies.

I have sand in the run and THAT gets stinky too. Yuck, yuck, yuck. I should probably go in and scoop out poops every other day or so. Is that the best way? What else is there that isn't horribly time consuming (like wiping down and disinfecting everything everyday like my mom does). I need something that can be maintained quickly but still be healthy for the chickens & not be so nasty-smelly (my husband won't go anywhere near the coop and run).

I know this question has been asked a million times and I've gone through old threads already but would love to collect some more answers/experience/suggestions. Thanks!!!!

 

[bryan99705]

I suggest sticking with a couple inches of sand and a kitty litter scoop or old grain shovel with holes in is to sift out the poo.

Don't understand why you're having such a issue.

Consider putting your water fountions on a screen cover pan or other spillage catch pan (helps keep litter dry)

How much time are your birds out in the run? mine go in the coop at night, to eat, and to lay, otherwise they are in the yard

Do you have enough ventilation? Ventilate the coop well, the dryer and cooler the coop, the less it stinks. In OK you could almost go with all but to top 18" as wire to keep thing nicer

Are you using easy to clean poo boards? If the birds are out all day like mine, the boards should collect 75% of the poo in the coop because the birds simply are not in there a lot. Cookie sheets with newspaper clothes pinned in place is a fast clean up just roll and throw in the compost.

You might consider something else is causing your mess and smell issues to be so bad. Good Luck