Stinnnnky

[BigBen]

Not sure if this is the right spot.
All summer long my coop has not smelled at all. As soon as the weather turned cooler I noticed the amonia(sp) Smell realy strong.
I cleaned to coop and changed the pine shavings a few weeks ago and it already smells I know that in cooler weather i will get less evaporation, but something isn't right.
I have 3 windows, To roof vents(turbines) and a hinged board in the ceiling that opens for extra ventalation.
As the temps drop I am going to have to close some of the windows and roof vents and things will get worse.
Am I doing something wrong or am I going to have to change the shavings every other week?

 

[KMHunter]

Go get some stall dry, get the one spelled dry, not dri, or some food grade DE(diatamacious earth) and use liberally! It really helps. Mine didn't smell at all this summer either, but I have had to use more of the Stall dri, which I use in the coop, VERY liberally under the roost, and DE I use out in the run, because I have sand and they scratch and eat some of the larger pieces, and I didn't know if stall dri is not good for them to ingest or not. My girls don't spend alot of time in the hen house, so stall dri is great, and it really helps with the moisture and smell of the droppings. My coop and run do not really smell much at all. Hope this helps.

ETA- I haven't changed out my shavings since Late August, I pick up the big pile under the roost every couple of days though. And add more shavings as needed.

 

[BigBen]

That does help, thanks.

 

[Ariel301]

Yeah, the stall-dry should help. I use it in my male goat's pen because he is one STINKY boy! The ground under the bedding is always nasty ammonia smelling wet mud since he wets it down liberally lol.

 

[BigBen]

The stall-dry is safe for chickens? I only ask because they seem like the kind of bird that gets set off with unnatural things.
Anyone else use stall-dry in there coop?

 

[EweSheep]

I've used Stall Dry for almost six years and it is GREAT! No harm to chickens!

 

[SallyF]

Stall Dri works so well in my chicken coop I started using it in my cat's litter boxes along with the litter. Works great there also.

 

[chookchick]

I use Stall Dry in my coop and love it! I put it on the dropping board and use a kitty litter scoop to clean off the poops every few days. I also mix some on the floor. You might want to also put some kind of greens out for them to eat if they don't have access to range. I think the cholophyll in the greens makes a huge difference in how bad their poop stinks. You could use weeds, grass clipping, hanging cabbage, etc....

 

[lngrid]

What's the difference between "Stall Dry" and "Stall Dri?" People seem to use both spellings in the same post and I'm not sure what the difference between them is... is it a big deal?

 

[feathersnuggles]

I've used food grade DE - you don't have to sprinkle a lot and everything it hits gets dried up. We've had a huge amount of rain and wind in the last weeks. DE has kept the coop smelling fine.