stinky run

Virginiapeeps

Chirping
10 Years
May 1, 2009
27
2
82
Independence, Virginia
I have a great coop & wire enclosed run. The problem is the odor. The coop is fine and has pine shavings, which seems to be working fine. The run is all dirt now and has a serious odor. WHAT CAN I DO>>>>>>HELP PLEASE. We live very rural and I do not let the 8 hens or 1 rooster free range......because we know there are coycotes in the area and we hear hawks overhead all the time.
Is there something I can sprinkle out there in the run. The coop is far enough away from the house......but I like to sit out there with my grandson and watch the chickens in run..it's stinky.
I would appreciate all the help I could get.
 
I keep mine slightly damp... then dig a hole, rake all the top layer into the hole and cover it with fresh dirt.. That really helps with the flies too.. Even just using a pitchfork to "till" it up and turn a little bit under really really helps.
 
I went right out & tilled up the dirt.........and what a big difference right away.........it was amazing and the chickens loved the fresh tilled dirt. The smell was just about all gone when I was done.
thanks for the advice!!
 
We put sand in our run and i havent had an odor yet. They love to take sand baths and it also provides them with grit. When it rains it drains really quick and no muddy chickens or muddy feet.
 
I have a 20' x 9' run for my chickens that I floored with Class I sand. After a couple of weeks, I too noticed that not so lovely odor in the run so I just put a couple of bags of pine shavings down in the run too (that's what I use in the coop). It worked great! The odor is very minimal now plus, the chickens love scratching around in the shavings. I also put a sand pit in one corner for dustbathing.
 
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Try adding some agricultural lime (make sure it's the agricultural) and then tilling it in. It kills the smell along with any bacteria in the dirt. It's great stuff and very cheap at our local co-op here.
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Put 6-12 inches of paver sand on the floor of your coop. Sprinkle with diatomaceous earth about once a month. Get some birdseed and throw on the sand once or twice a week, and the chickens will scratch and turn anything/everything under for you. I never have to rake mine; they're always searching for the last little seed.
 
Sand. Since I have started using sand in my chicken yard, the smell has gone down tremendously. I put a thick layer of sand in my runs, and on top of that, a thick layer of mulch. The difference is unbelievable.

Paula
 

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