Strong ammonia odor

[chickens really]

Well right now the sides are covered in thick plastic to keep out the wind, snow and rain as much as possible. But, they've been covered for over a month now and I've just started noticing a smell. The top of the run, about 3 inches, is open all the way around (no plastic) to let fresh air in. I have been using pine shaving...and it was fine. But just recently it's become very smelly.

Try opening another side a bit...

 

[PirateGirl]

I agree with @chickens really I misread earlier and thought things were more open. You've got it like a green house now and it can't dry out completely. Is there a way you can easily completely open the top on the warmest sunniest days each week to let things thoroughly dry on occasion?

 

[chickens really]

Air flow needs to be in the Coop as long as the Roost is lower than the vents..Moisture rises. I'd open up another side a bit..

 

[RUNuts]

Agree. Open the south side to let the sun bake off the ammonia and dry things out.

My coop smelled terrible until I started packing the wood chips in it. They soak it up and the bugs (microbes) take care of it. It has only been 3 months, but it is time for another load. No idea where the first one went. I was hoping for garden material.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

packing the wood chips in it

Gotta be careful of the source... have seen someone lose birds to aspergillosis. Might be more prevalent in certain environments or with certain types of bark, but worth mentioning at least.

 

[RonP]

If your outdoor run smells, seems like you turned it into an indoor run... and not enough ventilation... Or it is a murky anaerobic mess (too much nitrogen from the chicken manure).

Good advice already given, bury it in carbons, free wood chips are great, start with 6-10 inches, add more as they tie up the nitrates and compost. Deeper is better. I maintain mine at 18-24 inches.

Your run should smell like a forest floor in no time.

Hope this helps.

 

[lazy gardener]

Lisa, how many birds, what is the size of your coop (the indoor portion where they sleep) L x W x H. And what is the dimension of your run L x W x H? You said your run is wrapped in plastic, are the coop/run a single unit? It sounds like you have a ventilation problem, possibly a crowding problem, and most definitely a drainage/impaction problem in your run.

Minimum size recommendation for back yard flocks: 4 s.f. in coop, 10 s.f. in run per bird. Ventilation: 1 s.f./bird in the coop, even in the winter!

Deep litter management if your run is tall enough will, over time totally eliminate the ammonia issue you are having there. It sounds to me like you have things buttoned up too tight.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Photos of the set up would help us visualize, but I agree with everyone mentioning adding more ventilation (since it sounds like you have the run mostly covered up) as well as aged, chunky wood chips/mulch for drainage and to create a more healthy soil environment. Last year I only did dried leaves in the run and didn't save up enough of them... once the leaves started breaking down, even with a completely open run it started getting mucky and stinky. This year I saved up a massive pile of wood chips as well as more leaves and added that at the start of winter - no more muck, no more stink. Some tree cutting companies will happily dump off truckloads of mulch for free, which sure beats paying for bags of shavings.

 

[aart]

Gotta be careful of the source... have seen someone lose birds to aspergillosis. Might be more prevalent in certain environments or with certain types of bark, but worth mentioning at least.

TO expand...This was from using freshly chipped wood, very wet and made the perfect environment for naturally occurring aspergillus to proliferate into toxic levels.
Best to let these chipping age for a few months.

but clean the poop and wet spots out twice a day and add more pine shavings if needed. twice a month I take all the bedding out,

Instead of changing out, just add more...adding other different sized and shaped carbon ingredients will help too. Finding dry additives this time of year can be hard tho, even aged but wet wood chippings would help.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

Try some sweet pdz mixed in. Pics of your set up could help as well.

If you have been having the cold weather, snow, ice, thaw ... that is probably adding to it.
I am using the deep litter method in the run on a small scale with pine shavings. The first time it got that ammonia smell, I got worried and cleaned it all out. Then, I read more about dlm. So, now, I rake it and stir it once or twice a week to get to certain spots that the chickens don't get to. Then add a light layer of pine shavings.
It has been working well. If it gets wet, there is a smell, but I just turn it and add a layer. I have had to remove some of it due to the set up I have.
My coop is a prefab and so I clean out the poos from roosting every day. I add sweet pdz and pine shavings when they need replenished. I don't have a problem with the pine shavings matting and it has been a really wet year this year due to the weather conditions.
There are two different kinds of pine shavings one is finer which some like, but I find it dustier - I use the coarser cut. I guess it is trial and error to find out what works for you.