Sweet PDZ?

[aart]

Ty, so good to know. Just built a nice chicken house with lenoleum floor so I can hose it out from time to time but I noticed that the smell builds quickly in it. I will certainly be getting some. 9.99 at our local Tractor supply!

I wouldn't be 'hosing' out a coop, you want to keep it as dry as possible. Wet=stink.

How's your ventilation?
Good ventilation is key to reducing odor and good healthy air.

I use shavings on floor(changed out once a year) and PDZ/sand on roost boards(that get poops sifted out every other day)....very little odor.

 

[Evon]

By 'time to time' I mean Spring and fall. I painted my walls and ceiling with Kilz so I could hose to down twice a year so that the dust wasn't so bad n there. I have a large container (was a plastic tub like thing used as a pond display at a garden center), I keep pine shavings and wheat straw in it and around it. I have had to take it out once a week and put it in the garden because the ammonia smell builds pretty quick. I didn't have that problem in my small coop but I cleaned the board covered with pond liner daily. I am trying to have less work as I am getting to old for all this crawling around in a small coop trying to keep everything clean for the girls. I built an 8x10 lean-to type coop so that I could make my life easier and give the girls a bit more space. I actually borrowed from 'Backyard Chickens' coop ideas. Country Charm is the one I built. I should post pics after I get the porch on it. Anyway, thanks for the tips.

 

[Evon]

Oh and I have great ventilation. Upper cross vents and front windows that open put plus Windows across from one another that open as well. I also use a heat lamp to dry my nesting boxes.everything is completely cleanable. Curtains too

 

[Chickiebaby49]

From reading this thread, I've come to the conclusion that I want to empty out all the river sand that I just put in the coop (it stinks already because it's damp). Put that sand into the run that also has the river sand in it. Outside the sand dries out - not so inside the coop. Then put down a good layer of PDZ in the coop (maybe an inch???) with some pine shavings over it. I have a 4x8 coop with no poop board. Then I'm gonna spread some PDZ in the run also to freshen it up every once in a while (the run is uncovered and on a slope - sand over dirt). So excited to finally have found a great solution - gosh, if it wasn't for BYC, who knows where I'd be! lol One question.....isn't it a pain to try to clean/scoop out the poop if there are shavings on top of the PDZ?

 

[Chickiebaby49]

Oh, yeah - and mix in some DE in the coop as well. I get that the shavings add insulation in winter (I live in the mountains of western NC), and that would be the reason not to use just straight PDZ on the floor???

 

[Evon]

About 80% of the poop goes n the big black pond liner I placed under the roost. Because I use my manure with the straw in my garden this time of year this system is working great. I have not used the PDZ yet but intend to. Right now I am using Food grade DE because I have that on hand. Very asyntomclean my coop about every two weeks. Mound go longer but it is easy to manage right now. I too love BC because they are very quick t respond offering a lot of good advice. I got my hanging cabbage idea here. Chickens love it! I go through rso heads a week with 11 chickens. Great fun. Thx BC.

 

[diana507]

From reading this thread, I've come to the conclusion that I want to empty out all the river sand that I just put in the coop (it stinks already because it's damp).  Put that sand into the run that also has the river sand in it.  Outside the sand dries out - not so inside the coop.  Then put down a good layer of PDZ in the coop (maybe an inch???) with some pine shavings over it.  I have a 4x8 coop with no poop board.  Then I'm gonna spread some PDZ in the run also to freshen it up every once in a while (the run is uncovered and on a slope - sand over dirt).  So excited to finally have found a great solution - gosh, if it wasn't for BYC, who knows where I'd be!  lol   One question.....isn't it a pain to try to clean/scoop out the poop if there are shavings on top of the PDZ?

I have PDZ on my poop board and shaving on my floor. I scoop the poop board with a cat litter scoop. When my girls get a few shavings up there it it stays in the litter scoop when I shake the excess PDZ out. Where this is my first coop I actually looked at most all the designs people did and built one close to the one I thought would be most useful for my area and easiest on me and the girls.

 

[Chickiebaby49]

I suppose I should have been more clear. I am thinking of putting a layer of shavings on top of the PDZ, on purpose, not because the chickens accidentally kicked it on top of the PDZ. Still trying to decide if shavings on top is a good idea (other than extra insulation). Seems like more of a pain to maintain than just PDZ by itself.

 

[Kusanar]

I suppose I should have been more clear.  I am thinking of putting a layer of shavings on top of the PDZ, on purpose, not because the chickens accidentally kicked it on top of the PDZ.  Still trying to decide if shavings on top is a good idea (other than extra insulation).  Seems like more of a pain to maintain than just PDZ by itself.

I haven't tried it yet as I don't have birds yet, but I was planning on doing a sand and pdz floor, then in the winter only adding shavings for warmth, then removing them in spring. Also, you could do the pdz base, then cover with a tarp in winter and do a deep litter over the tarp, then just drag the tarp and bedding outside to compost or put in the garden in spring.

 

[Chickiebaby49]

Not sure about the tarp - I think that would hold too much moisture - but removing the shavings in the spring sounds good.