Stinky little things

[USAmma]

And just from my experience with keeping them on wire-- they were not nearly as happy. They love to burrow under the straw and scratch around, and at night they make little nests to sleep in. On the wire they got bad feet. I tried two different types of wire and they were bruised up and a couple of them had sores. Since putting them on the deep litter their little feet are happy and so are they. I just need to turn it or change it daily (as someone posted already).

 

[ThaJuicyJuice]

Yep, I must agree with the two posts above. Dry litter will make the difference. This is usually a compounded issue during dry periods as it seems the pens and coops become a super attractant to flies. During more precipitous times, the flies will dissipate to other areas.

 

[dc3085]

I use play sand for my adults, you can't keep chicks on sand though or they'll get enteritis. I keep my chicks in a cabinet type brooder I built, with the vents pointing towards my neighbors house...

The sand is great for adults works more or less like litter in that dries the poop out quickly. You will still smell it if you're down close to it or you let it get too dirty but when I'm at full production the only thing that stinks is my brooders. I use a dirt sieve so I don't have to keep buying sand. I put it on the floor of the cage and shovel all the sand through it, it sifts out the poop and I dump it. Wire floor cages draw flies worse and stink more because the poop is concentrated on the groudn below the cage.

I use this one first then another one that has 1/4" wire. Would probably work for cleaning litter too.

 

[ChickenLegs13]

My rule is if they stink the brooder isn't big enough or needs cleaning. And I admit that sometimes mine really stink. Now that's it's getting warm I only keep them in the house for 3 or 4 days then I move them outside to a wire bottom brooder or cage. I always give them a piece of cardboard or wood to stand on and every couple of days give them a pan of sand to scratch in. A happy bird is a productive bird.
When I let the chickens out every day the first place they go is under the quail cages where they stir the debris and eat all that expensive hi pro feed the quail waste, so that cuts down on the buildup of nastyness under the cages.

 

[dc3085]

My rule is if they stink the brooder isn't big enough or needs cleaning. And I admit that sometimes mine really stink. Now that's it's getting warm I only keep them in the house for 3 or 4 days then I move them outside to a wire bottom brooder or cage. I always give them a piece of cardboard or wood to stand on and every couple of days give them a pan of sand to scratch in. A happy bird is a productive bird.
When I let the chickens out every day the first place they go is under the quail cages where they stir the debris and eat all that expensive hi pro feed the quail waste, so that cuts down on the buildup of nastyness under the cages.

My brooders are wire floored but to avoid draft the turd tray is enclosed within the same cabinet, with exhaust fans venting them, and it only takes about 5 minutes for a brooder to stink like ammonia after it's cleaned. When you have 50-100 chicks in a brooder you can't make it not stink.

 

[Ellaluvsbirds]

Changing the bedding more often may help cut down on the smell

 

[Tdubg22]

I change the paper towel in the brooder three times a day. Doesn't seem to help, they are pooping machines lol. Cannot wait to get them outside. Need these temperatures to warm up and level out.

 

[ChickenLegs13]

You got that right! They're eating machines too and they seem they have the highest feed to poop conversion rate of any animal I ever raised.

 

[Quailsong]

Get them on deep shavings for DL (deep litter method) & FF (fermented feed) asap. The stink will drop considerably.