smell?

[Jkioneil]

Okay we have four girls and they free range in our backyard all day. I clean the porch daily and try to rake what i can. I clean the coop regularly (every week) and the yard stinks like bird poo. What can i do to keep the smell down? We are in suburbia and have neighbors whose yard and house are only feet away. I don't want to pen the girls in the coop and run all the time. They love running around. Any advice?

 

[americanvalkyrie]

Our solution may not be the best!

A week ago, a friend asked to see our free-range backyard area, since she had just gotten 4 pullet chicks. I showed her how we have 21 chickens and 4 ducks running around, in a yard about a mile from downtown. Later she said, "I just realized... your yard doesn't stink. How do you keep it from stinking?"

I said, "Other than ventilation? Have you noticed that there's no chicken/duck poop lying around, but plenty of dog poop?"

We don't let our dogs lick us.

 

[Cole D]

The simplest solution would be to keep the chickens in the coop LONGER but not all the time. This would restrict the amount of chicken poop in your yard and it would be in a place where you could more easily dispose of it.

 

[Jkioneil]

So we have a dog that loves to eat it but i guess she can only eat so much lol. Maybe we need more dogs haha

 

[americanvalkyrie]

I think another thing that makes a big difference is that we have a lot of dirt in the backyard. The lawn died last year, so our landlady doesn't care that we have chickens clawing up the ground. The poop gets scratched right into the soil, instead of sitting on the grass or patio.

 

[jpcode]

I don't have a floor, only dirt with up to a foot and a half of leaves grass clipping and compost items the girls won't eat. No smell. I do live in a place with no frost so I don't have to worry about cold.

Most of the time I let them out of the coop they are in a little fenced area that I can move around and after I move it I spray the area to wash the poop into the ground.

 

[Jkioneil]

The crazy thing is the coop does not smell it is the yard that stinks

I spray it I wash the porch i use DE but the yard stinks?

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

Start feeding fermented feed..there is a thread about it meat bird section, people claim it has made even the stinkiest poop odorless or nearly so. Personally I've not had a problem with poop yet...they travel around and far...it can't hurt to try...I feed it myself it's great for chickens.

 

[red hen in the rain]

I was having that same problem I noticed you are in Oregon like me (Swisshome!), maybe you have heavy soil that doesn't drain well? I have heavy clay that I'm working on amending with lots of wood shavings and such. I rake my chicken area a lot and it does seem to help some, but I'd like to see some other ideas
I like the dog idea. Mine loves cat snacks but not interested in the birds' offerings other than as "hair gel"..... Ewwwwwwwwwwwww.

 

[Jkioneil]

I was just looking at another thread but about egg laying and someone said they planted a lot of lavender and smelly herbs. I think maybe I will try that too around the perimeter of the yard. i think drainage is for sure a culprit in this issue! Good point I had not thought of that. All suggestions would be welcomed!