Stinky run!! Any suggestions?

[Sasham]

We have 15 HENS, and to my dismay we can not let them fre range because we live in a neighborhood, and have No fence surrounding our property. Any way, we have good size fenced in run for them that they have ruind the ground in. There is nothing left but mud and poop.

this is our second year with the hens and I don't remember having this trouble last year but the run smells so bad. Worse than the inside of the coop! Actually their coop smells great! Is there anything I can put down on the ground of the run to help with the smell and help the poop decompose faster? Maybe it's just because it's spring and so wet all the time? Idk, but I'm looking for suggestions

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

We have 15 HENS, and to my dismay we can not let them fre range because we live in a neighborhood, and have No fence surrounding our property. Any way, we have good size fenced in run for them that they have ruind the ground in. There is nothing left but mud and poop.

this is our second year with the hens and I don't remember having this trouble last year but the run smells so bad. Worse than the inside of the coop! Actually their coop smells great! Is there anything I can put down on the ground of the run to help with the smell and help the poop decompose faster? Maybe it's just because it's spring and so wet all the time? Idk, but I'm looking for suggestions

What are the dimensions or square footage of the run? One person's idea of "good sized" can vary quite a bit from another's, so having hard data to work with is best. It may be helpful to post a couple of photos so that we can see the run as that can help to identify suggestions that may or may not work for your particular situation.
What type of climate are you in? What is the drainage like in the area the run is located? Being wet is a huge contributor to odor issues with chickens.

 

[Sasham]

I'm not sure of the dimensions honestly but I'll try to post a couple pictures here.

 

[Sasham]

We are in northern New York and it is very rainy this time of year. Also Please ignore all the junk around, we are in the middle of major landscape construction.

 

[Sasham]

We are also having an issue with the hens laying eggs underneath the coop, I recently found a nest of about 15 eggs under there and I'm not sure how I'm going o get them out, because I can't fit under there. so maybe they are rotting and that is the awful smell? Not sure how long they have been there. Any way I would really like suggestions on something to put down so it isn't just all mud and muck!!

 

[TalkALittle]

Deep litter. I had the same problem in my run. Search for my thread titled "Springtime Stink in the Run" to read about my problem and the great advice and solution I found with deep litter. I'd post the link but it's a pain to do so from my phone.

 

[TalkALittle]

Oh, and I'd try and get the eggs out and then probably block off access to under the coop if I could.

 

[Sasham]

We do the deep litter method inside the coop with pine shavings, what do you use in your run?

 

[TalkALittle]

I laid down about 6 inches of wood chips and topped that with 2 bags of shavings, half a bale of straw, a large garbage bag of chopped hay, about 4 wheelbarrowfulls of shredded leaves from the pile in the woods from last fall, and some grass clippings gathered with the mower. The girls have since mixed it all up. My run is covered and about 7'x12'.

 

[AKMotherClucker]

Is there any way you would be able to roof over your run? We are in temperate rain forest and had problems with stinky/muddy run until we put a roof over it, it kept it much drier and more manageable.