- Feb 10, 2008
- 114
- 3
- 129
Well, it seems like you might have already found the answer to your problem, but I'll chime in anyway.
Our coop is the exact same size as yours, and we have 21 birds. Now our birds mostly free range, and are only in the coop to sleep, so that definitely is a factor, but we have no smell in the coop whatsoever.
The trick for us consists of three things:
First, as you've discovered, is deep bedding! A minimum of 4 inches thick, and we turn it thoroughly once a week with a pitchfork, no matter how well the birds keep it stirred up.
The second is ventilation, and LOTS of it. We have a cupola, eaves vents, three windows and a dutch door on a 6 x 8 coop, and it's pretty much open all day (the windows and vents are hardware clothed and the door shuts tight at night to prevent predators.)
The third is keeping everything DRY. Make sure there are no leaks anywhere, the waterer's at an appropriate height to keep them from splashing, and, to the best that you can, there are drip caps, awnings, or overhangs to keep the rain out when the doors/windows are open.
We've had the same bedding in our coop since mid-February, and haven't had to clean it out yet.
The only time we've noticed a smell (and even then it's prett mild) is when it's rained for a few days and despite our best construction efforts, things are getting a little damp, plus they've spent more time in there than usual. Even then, we just do a thorough turn of the bedding with our trusty pitchfork, and any smell is gone within hours.
Our coop is the exact same size as yours, and we have 21 birds. Now our birds mostly free range, and are only in the coop to sleep, so that definitely is a factor, but we have no smell in the coop whatsoever.
The trick for us consists of three things:
First, as you've discovered, is deep bedding! A minimum of 4 inches thick, and we turn it thoroughly once a week with a pitchfork, no matter how well the birds keep it stirred up.
The second is ventilation, and LOTS of it. We have a cupola, eaves vents, three windows and a dutch door on a 6 x 8 coop, and it's pretty much open all day (the windows and vents are hardware clothed and the door shuts tight at night to prevent predators.)
The third is keeping everything DRY. Make sure there are no leaks anywhere, the waterer's at an appropriate height to keep them from splashing, and, to the best that you can, there are drip caps, awnings, or overhangs to keep the rain out when the doors/windows are open.
We've had the same bedding in our coop since mid-February, and haven't had to clean it out yet.
The only time we've noticed a smell (and even then it's prett mild) is when it's rained for a few days and despite our best construction efforts, things are getting a little damp, plus they've spent more time in there than usual. Even then, we just do a thorough turn of the bedding with our trusty pitchfork, and any smell is gone within hours.
