Stinky sand!

[sbergstrom09]

I have construction sand in my run, even though the run is covered, when it rains, the sand grabs the moisture. (my mistake for putting part of the run in a swale) I do get a slight odor at times and remove droppings daily from sand in run and poop boards in the coop.

I assume you do not have a raised coop, and use sand as the floor in the coop. If that is the case, I suspect the ground moisture is not draining and the sand is holding the moisture.

Other than removing the sand and going back to shavings or something cheaper, not sure on a quick and easy solution.

We have cement underneath the sand and I also coated the floor and walls with drylock. We opened the other window after applying hardware cloth and it’s helping the smell but we don’t have any poop boards yet so maybe it’s just getting ground up into the sand from them running around?

 

[sbergstrom09]

Yes. It is working great for me. There are different brands to choose from. All are good and won't harm animals.

I can look into this, is it pretty much the same as sand?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Why does it stink?!

I heavily invested in washed river sand.. only to discover that it's a giant stinking litter box with all the poo juice left behind EVEN though I sift poos out every day.. I HATE it!

It's also heavy to move and does not compost.

Sweet PDZ makes a difference.. Droppings boards definitely help.

Switching to deep bedding/litter.. was the best choice of all.. Though when my flock is free range.. they don't "turn" it themselves.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

I can look into this, is it pretty much the same as sand?

No it is the texture/consistency of sand, but it is composed of granular minerals. It works very well! I mix it into pine pellets for both my horse stalls and chicken pens.

 

[Debbie292d]

How often do you have to change it all out?

The coop only once a year, in the spring. We push a wheelbarrow into the coop and use a grain scoop to scoop it all up. We put it around trees, in the flower garden, vegetable garden, and some in the compost.

Then we put another 3" or so of fresh pellets down, good for another year.

The brooders, we're running chicks through nearly constantly all summer so maybe about once a month I start over. There isn't any worry about coccidiosis because the poop is dried out/disintegrated.

 

[Carters Chick House]

I can look into this, is it pretty much the same as sand?

Not as fine as playground sand. But was recommended to me by other chicken keepers.

 

[sbergstrom09]

I heavily invested in washed river sand.. only to discover that it's a giant stinking litter box with all the poo juice left behind EVEN though I sift poos out every day.. I HATE it!

It's also heavy to move and does not compost.

Sweet PDZ makes a difference.. Droppings boards definitely help.

Switching to deep bedding/litter.. was the best choice of all.. Though when my flock is free range.. they don't "turn" it themselves.

I thought about that. We emptied a whole bag of coop refresher in there and it helped a little haha

 

[Carters Chick House]

I thought about that. We emptied a whole bag of coop refresher in there and it helped a little haha

I use the pdz sand in the litter box. Have not had a problem yet. Will let you know if I do.

 

[BackAcre]

I'm in the same boat - put sand in the run (fine) and under the roosts (not fine! Smells like pee even though I clean it with a little box scoop!). I see people reccomending PDZ, I can't get that where I live, but I do have stable lime for my horse stalls. It says it is safe for livestock - think it is safe for chickens if I mix it in with the sand under the roosts?

 

[sbergstrom09]

I'm in the same boat - put sand in the run (fine) and under the roosts (not fine! Smells like pee even though I clean it with a little box scoop!). I see people reccomending PDZ, I can't get that where I live, but I do have stable lime for my horse stalls. It says it is safe for livestock - think it is safe for chickens if I mix it in with the sand under the roosts?

I’m not sure on that actually sorry. See if you can order a horse stall or chicken coop refresher even from Amazon. As long as it’s pet friendly it should be good to go! We just put a whole bag of horse stall refresher PDZ mixed in with the sand. Helped so far!