Stinky Brooder

[SarahFair]

I JUST changed their bedding yesterday and it already smells!

Its a mixed smell of bananas and vinilla. I hate it UGH its horrible.
WHAT can I dooo?

What is causing this smell??

 

[daisy_dukers]

What are you using for bedding. I have 25 isa browns on wood pellets and all I smell is the wood pellets. I rake the pellets around 2 times a day..

 

[Chew593]

How old are your babies, and how often are you changing the bedding? How big is your brooder and how many chicks do you have in there? What are you using for bedding?
I used pine shavings on top of butcher paper (about 2-3 inches worth in a x-large rubbermade tub for only 6 chicks) and changed them every other day. When they got to be about 3 weeks old I was changing them every day and they still smelled a little bit. Chicken poop is...well... poop. It's going to stink, but you can do little things to help control it.

 

[SarahFair]

They are 11 days old and in a rubber made container and there is about 14 of them (small I know but Im in the process of building a bigger one) and I change pine chips every 3 days.

Poop smell I can take better than vinilla and bananas. I hate those smells alone..combined its just awful!

 

[Mrs MIA]

Are they spilling a lot of food? I've figured out that it's the food, when it gets damp, that makes 75% of the smell in a brooder.

 

[SarahFair]

Mrs. AK-Bird-Brain :

Are they spilling a lot of food? I've figured out that it's the food, when it gets damp, that makes 75% of the smell in a brooder.

AND water. I dont know how to stop it. They fill there little waterer up with chips in like the first 5 mins I clean it out. Everytime I go in there Im having to clean it out.

Stop it little chick chicks! lol

How do I stop this??​

 

[daisy_dukers]

I put one of my waterers up on wooden blocks (2x4 cut to size) last night, and put a 1ft2 piece of vinyl under the other one just to see the difference....

Nothign in the one with the blocks this morning, but the other one had stuff in it...

I use a kiddy pool for my brooder and my chicks are 3 days old...

 

[Judy]

Yup, get the food and water up off the bedding. And get any wet food out of there; it can mold quickly, and that is dangerous. Then go finish your bigger brooder!

 

[Mrs MIA]

Yep... wet food is STINKY!

The best thing I've used is the soda bottle waterers , and I fashioned a sling around the bottle so I could hang it inside the brooder tote. I hang it just far enough that they can easily get the water, but high enough that they really have to work to kick shavings in it.

 

[SarahFair]

How big should a brooder be per chick?