So... much... poo...

[riderbecky]

Quote:
I want to say thank you very much for your cautionary words.

You are correct in that lime can be harmful to livestock...however its not the type of livestock but the type of lime...Hydrated vs. Agricultural. It is the hydrated lime that will burn you and your stock and is used in whitewashing. The agricultural type aka "garden lime" though is safe. I've included a website that can explain better than I and has lots of other advice on flies and such.

Thank you again. http://fiascofarm.com/goats/flies.html

 

[Becaco]

Now that is a sweet Hen House.

I mean... a nightlight and chicken border wallpaper. I will NOT let any of my hens see this. Theirs is made from a shipping crate.

 

[Southern Gardener]

Love the coop! Chickies do tend to smell, especially in my humid climate - I use a lot of litter and DE and it works well for me.

 

[rodandbrandy]

What a great set up you have!! We have a 10x10 foot coop with 20 layer hens and 1 rooster, we have 8 nests even though I only ever get eggs in the same 4 nests, we have wood floors and we put pine shavings down. We have 2 small windows which stay open all the time except in the winter, we also have ventilation where the roof and walls meet that we close up for winter. It does not smell like daisies but it is not overwhelming...VENTILATION is key. Enjoy your chickens...they have changed my life!

 

[Miltonchix]

It looks like you need to add ventilation. LOTS of it.
Up high and down low to create an updraft of sorts.
My coop is almost identical in size but I have vent all the way around where roof meets walls, in the floor, and windows across from each other which stay open this time of year. I have, to my pleasant surprise, virtually no smell. I clean once a month. If that.

 

[Nugget]

Thanks again all, The coop is insulated (floor, walls and ceiling) so sand could still be something to consider... except that I need to know what happens with the liquid/urine component to their waste? It will just sit in there until you change out the sand. Imagine what you could accomplish with clumping cat litter... if they didn't eat it.

As for ventilation, I suspect air flow shouldn't be a problem, at least for the summer. The window, the run door and the ceiling fan are making good current in there at the moment. I just cleaned it all out again and emptied nearly a whole bag of wood chips in there. Happy chickens, happy me- at least for now

Wonder if I have chicken-butt sized corks around here...

I have to admit that when I went out this afternoon to clean it, the poo had mostly dried out and it wasn't as bad as what inspired this thread, but I am going to see what I can do to keep it more hospitable. Step 1: rehome some cockerels, step 2: remove the rafters, 3 see about making a poop tray under the bleachers, and keep a thicker layer of chips on the floor. 4: contemplate deep litter

If there are more tips out there, please add them on!

 

[Mac Momma]

I am dealing with the same problem as you. My DH and I just got back in from being with our chickens and I came in to look up lime and see if I should use it around my chickens. I bought lime to spread on my lawn to help out with sweetening the GA red clay. I have some left over. It is brownish in color, so after reading the cool link that riderbecky included, I am concluding that I am safe ??? to use this in some of the damp and smelly parts of my run/coop? I don't want to HURT or end up poisoning my dear birds.

 

[dlhunicorn]

Thanks again all, The coop is insulated (floor, walls and ceiling) so sand could still be something to consider... except that I need to know what happens with the liquid/urine component to their waste? It will just sit in there until you change out the sand. Imagine what you could accomplish with clumping cat litter... if they didn't eat it.

I have paved runs (square cement pavers used for sidewalks) and in the one I use next to their winter coop (even though it is roofed) I line it with cardboard ( just stuff I get from the grocery store) and put course sand on that... (afraid of frostbite on their footsies) ... now I imagine you could do the same inside your coop... when the cardboard is wet , you know it is time to change the sand.​

 

[Reinbeau]

Quote:
You want white, powdered agricultural lime. What you've got there is pelletized lime. You don't want to use that around chickens, it won't offer the same odor control as the white powdered lime.

 

[Nugget]

I thought I'd post an update: I put down a really thick layer of fresh wood chips. It's about 4-5 inches deep when compressed and it's staying so much more pleasant in there! I've had the fan running almost round the clock too. Makes a noticeable difference

Any suggestions on finding new homes for cockerels? Do most people find this an easy task? I posted on kijiji and BYC... waiting for the requests to start pouring in