post your chicken coop pictures here!

[marcy0718]

 

[marcy0718]

 

[marcy0718]

 

[marcy0718]

 

[NanaNeen]

from the manufacturers site:    http://www.sweetpdz.com/our-products.html

How Does Sweet PDZ Work?
Sweet PDZ is extremely effective at neutralizing and removing ammonia and odors, because of its two special properties:
1) Adsorption - Which is the sticking of the ammonia gas molecule to the surface of the Sweet PDZ granule.  When the Sweet PDZ granules desorb, or dries out, the ammonia odor molecule is driven off the surface of the mineral as nitrogen.   This is why spent (used) bedding material that includes Sweet PDZ, works so well as a slow release fertilizer or as an enhancement to composting.
2) Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) - This is the liquid exchange aspect of Sweet PDZ’s odor neutralizing process.  A sodium or potassium cation from the zeolite granule hydrolyzes (goes to liquid/urine) and the ammonium is exchanged and then becomes part of the Sweet PDZ granule.  This liquid exchange works because the Sweet PDZ granules are always holding water. 

the active particle is made of Zeolite which can be made of many different things....  clinoptilolite is the one they use in the product

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clinoptilolite

Its a product of volcanic activity.  weve been using it for horse stall treatment for a very long time. 

deb

Thank you! I appreciate the info.

 

[Sylvester017]

Roomy run and good ventilation! LUV the red Barn Coop!

 

[Sylvester017]

The other side with the nesting box before the roofing was installed.

I did add a lot of ventilation after reading posts on this forum, it was a last minute design addition and I am so thankful I made sure to add the vents. It also has a window on the upper back wall.

The ducks do like to "play" with the water in the coop and soak the shavings but other than that it's not too bad. Been thinking about changing the waterer to the on demand waterers but not sure how well the ducks will adapt to those.



They love their outdoor pool too.

Ask some duck people how/if their ducks adapt to waterers -- I imagine the transition is the same as it is with chickens -- it took my chickens a few days to transition from open water bowls to nipple valve waterers. The trick to training is to keep tapping the water valves a few times a day to show the birds that water comes out and the smartest bird will pick up on it and teach the others. You can't have any other open water sources, bowls, or pools available during the transition training. Ducks can't resist playing with water -- I didn't get a couple ducks for the yard because the chickens want to drink the muddy duck water. Plus our regular tap water is so chlorinated and mineralized that we use filtered water for the chickens in Brite Tap portable waterers - I can't imagine having ducks drinking/swimming in a pool of our horrible SoCalif tap water - JMO:

 

[searlus]

I live in Idaho our tap water is ok but I'm also hooked up to fresh irrigation that they absolutely love. The free irrigation water is great too because we have to clean the pool every other day so that saves money, then I get to water my lawn with fertilized water. Win/win.

One question I have, we clean the coop daily but the flies are insane. Any tips on keeping the fly population down?

 

[perchie.girl]

I live in Idaho our tap water is ok but I'm also hooked up to fresh irrigation that they absolutely love. The free irrigation water is great too because we have to clean the pool every other day so that saves money, then I get to water my lawn with fertilized water. Win/win.

One question I have, we clean the coop daily but the flies are insane. Any tips on keeping the fly population down?

the only thing I know of is clean clean clean.... and Fly Predators.... Having had horses for a very long time I am used to dealing with them.

YOu also can raise Soldier flies and they work within the compost pile as larvae... the larvae can be used as food for the chickens. The Soldier flies compete by dealing with composting materials the flies may be attracted to.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermetia_illucens

neither larvae or adults are considered pests... the adults dont bite or sting their only job is reproduction

The larvae are extremely good at digesting fatty wastes in the compost pile....

http://www.blacksoldierflyfarming.com/

deb

 

[marcy0718]

Roomy run and good ventilation!  LUV the red Barn Coop!