Should I be replacing their pine shavings, or piling on some more?

[Fuhoo]

I'm brooding two separate batches of chicks, one in the coop (on wood) and another in the run (on sand). I cover the both brooding areas in pine shavings and that has worked decently well for the past month.

I've been noticing and increase in "funk" though, equally in both brooders, and it's a bit troubling. It didn't smell like this before but boy it sure does now.
Do you guys just pile on more pine shavings and mix it up, or do you just dump them out into the compost pile and replace them with fresh shavings? Is it different depending on what's below the shavings? (soil or coop floor).

Pine shavings I use are coarse, dust-free, sold as "Horse Bedding" for stables by a local farm.

 

[Fuhoo]

Just read this article, linked to me below after I made this thread. Super useful feature!

I'm also realizing that I might have made my coop 6" deep instead of 12... Easily rectified but still a silly mistake!

 

[Quavo]

I think after about 1-2 months you should take the pine shavings out, but I recommend using wood shavings. But if you can only use the Horse Beddings I think you should just clean it every month or two.

 

[NatJ]

I'm brooding two separate batches of chicks, one in the coop (on wood) and another in the run (on sand). I cover the both brooding areas in pine shavings and that has worked decently well for the past month.

I've been noticing and increase in "funk" though, equally in both brooders, and it's a bit troubling. It didn't smell like this before but boy it sure does now.
Do you guys just pile on more pine shavings and mix it up, or do you just dump them out into the compost pile and replace them with fresh shavings? Is it different depending on what's below the shavings? (soil or coop floor).

Pine shavings I use are coarse, dust-free, sold as "Horse Bedding" for stables by a local farm.

I would probably take out the shavings in the coop (wood floor) and replace with fresh shavings.

In the run, I would probably put fresh shavings on top but not bother mixing up. The chicks will probably mix it for you, but it's also fine if they leave the clean shavings on top without mixing it.