staw litter question

[jkm]

I used straw in my new coop and run, and its smelly after 4 days, I thought it was not supposed to smell so soon, the run straw is a little damp, i have "fluffed it with a stick to dry it.
How often do i need to add staw? or change it?
I have plastic under the coop straw is that the problem?

coop is looking good, and I rebuilt the run yesterday and the girls are dry and happy in a huge pouring three day storm.
new pics next week.

 

[justusnak]

I would take the plastic out! That is holding in the moisture, and will eventually mold, causeing illness in your chickens. I use straw, and only change mine out about every 2 or 3 weeks! I have 13 large chickens, 25 at 7 weeks, and 9 cornish X in there. I would say the plastic is the culpret!

 

[jkm]

ok I will pull the plastic in the am, I had them in a pen for a month, with straw over plastic, under cover, and it did not smell until the end, so thats why i put the tarp down over the wood, to make it easy to pull out. the floor is not a perfect fit and the tarp covered the gap,

 

[fowlweatherfriends]

Hello

,
First, how many chickens, what size (large breed or bantam), and what size is coop, and do they free range daily?

Next-comment: It sounds like a month is maybe a bit too long to wait between changes. Try a thinner layer of straw, and change more frequently. If not, you may end up with sick chickens-respritory infections, and possibly parasites.

Best wishes!

 

[akyramoto]

i'm using straw on dirt floor & it doesnt need to be removed for about a week & isn't too smelly - but i have a well ventilated coop.

 

[Poison Ivy]

I have a wood floor in my coop and I put 4 bags (50lbs each) of play sand down then covered with coastal hay. Then I have sand boxes under the roosting area. I only have to change out the hay two or three times a year. It stays clean since they roost over the sand boxes. I scoop the sand boxes daily and it works great. I posted pics of my coop in the submit coop design for the byc section.

 

[jkm]

well today I added the roost, I" fluffed" the straw today and the sun came out today which dried the world out. the coop does not smell . I have rhode red , a sliver why, and an aracona, the space is almost 20 sq feet. we had a week of nasty spring storms, super hard rain and squalls,

cheers life is better

 

[dangerouschicken]

I'm also in Oregon, and pine shavings work MUCH better than straw. The smell is non-existant and you can layer it every few days. It is more low maintenence. If you are interested in composting, it works better for that, too. No weeds like straw can have.

I posted this on another thread. Hope I don't sound like a broken record

Oh, and I think your Araucana might actually be an Ameraucana or Easter Egger. Does it have a beard?

 

[kstaven]

That bird in the picture has a beard, muffs and a tail. Its not an aracauna. Araucana have ear tufts, no beard, no muffs and no tail.

 

[jkm]

well I will see where to buy pine, I have used straw for years in my garden with no problems,
Yes that darn chcicken is growing all sorts of feathers on her face, she is the tamest one to!
frankly Hillsboro feed just sells chicckens, so what is she? the real question will she be a good layer?
cheers