Smells AWFUL

[werttyy]

My three 3 week old chicks are really pooping! The smell is awful!!
They are in a medium sized dog crate with about 2 and a half inches of wood shavings that I change once a week.
Even if I change the shavings in the morning, by night, the brooder stinks!
Could I move them outside now?
Any experiences you want to share?
Advice greatly appreciated

 

[florida chickenz]

it all depennds how cool it is out if it is below 60 at night i would put a heat lamp in the coop with them

 

[ranchhand]

Quote:
You could move them out with a heat lamp, but your real problem is that they are in deep litter, in a relatively enclosed area, that only gets changed once a week. I move chicks to a box with a wire top, thoroughly clean the brooder and add fresh litter daily, it really helps. Otherwise the ammonia buildup is overpowering and can kill the chicks.

 

[ragerkid2]

Once a week?! O my jeez! You poor thing. Once a week is not enough by far! I clean my 9 girls brooder out once a day! I also keep a window open so there is some air flow. unless it gets way to cold (50 and below). But I would say clean more and more air flow. Not to much tho... Hehe also I would wait a week or two to take em outside. If you must take them out in a week and give them heat.

 

[KFox]

I think if you change the litter daily the smell might not be so bothersome.

I have 8 chicks in a huge Rubbermaid container. I only add about 1/2" to 1" of shavings and I clean it daily. I use a cat litter scoop and add a handful of fresh when needed. Having an exhaust fan is helpful too. It takes some of the "old" out without making a draft.

Just a few more weeks!

 

[Judy]

I'd rig up a heat lamp and put them in the coop, the garage, the shed, whatever you have, myself. But then I won't brood in the house. People have been brooding chickens outdoors for generations, even up north. They still need some warmth (2 more weeks is probably enough), a draft free place, all that, but it can be done in an outbuilding.

 

[Denninmi]

Yes, sorry, but I would say daily cleaning at a minimum. Twice a day would be better.

What I did last year that worked out well for me was to get two identical large Rubbermade type storage bins for each set/batch of birds (how many per bin depended upon species, etc).

Make up both bins with chips, put in identical food and water containers. Use the first bin for the first 12 or 24 hour period. When its time to change, just pop the birds from bin #1 to bin #2, then take the dirty bin outside, dump out the bedding, wash the food trays and bins with soap and bleach, let them dry, then refill with chips and have ready to go for the next changeover.

 

[azygous]

Poop smells. Remove poop. No smell. Repeat as often as necessary.

 

[CheekyChooks]

I have 8 chicks ranging from 2 weeks to 5 weeks (I believe!) and when I had 4 I had to clean every other day and now its probably every day to be honest. I can leave it the second but its better for the chicks if I don't. They don't smell at all its just I can see the poop in with the sawdust and I can't stand the thought of them standing in it! If anything I have been very suprised as to how little chickens smell ... Im comparing this to having a hamster in the house that made my back bedroom smell of taco chips!

 

[Hinotori]

I use the wood animal bedding pellets. I haven't had any smell issues and I only change it every week or two. I need to clean out the big mobile coop my 8 week olds are in since I don't like the looks in there, but it's been 3 weeks and still no bad smell. I think them beaking out food is the worst mess offender. Only smells faintly like chickens. And the only bad spots are around the food dish and their sleeping corner. Only two roost to sleep.

I do turn the two inches in both coop and brooder daily though.