Switched to sand in coop-- and coop now STINKS!

[warmheart]

Whoa.. *not* good! Our tiny flock of 5 hens and a roo never smelled before, but the coop now has a terrible stink. I've been using pine shavings all along, but switched to sand for the floor of the coop. Gaack!

What is Sweet PDZ? Is it sprinkled atop sand or mixed into it? Do they sell small bags of it? Is it costly? Thanks for any input.

 

[QuietPony]

You can get Sweet PDZ at a tractor supply or farming store. I paid i think 10 bucks for a 25# bag. Three weeks (almost 4) now and I think I have only used a couple cups of the stuff. The bag is still really full!
I use it in pine shavings. I stir the pine shavings everyday and pick out any big poops I find and sprinkle a little bit on top of fresh shavings I add each day. Twice a week, the shaving get completely refreshed (replaced) and sprinkled with the PDZ. I don't small the 6 chicks in my kitchen. The dust is crazy though, but I'm cool with that since I know they will be moving outside soon. Also, this is a miracle in our cat's litter box. We use regular clay litter and sprinkle the PDZ on top of the old stuff before adding new litter after scooping it out. And the guinea pig cage!! I swear by PDZ. I only wish I had know about it years ago! Thanks BYC for the miracle!

 

[QuietPony]

Also, when the big coop goes up in the next month, we plan on putting up poop boards under the roosts and covering it with PDZ. There are powdery kinds and granular kinds. I use the granular.

 

[warmheart]

QuietPony, thank you for sharing your experience! I'm hoping the Agway will have a 25# bag of it. Wonder what it's made of? The website won't clue me into that.

 

[nova022]

I use Sweet PDZ in my coop. I believe it is designed as a horse stall dryer. I have 9 hens and a rooster. I have poop boards under the roosts that I can scoop and remove the dried up poop. I use pine shavings in the rest of the coop with PDZ sprinkled into it. This system works really well for me. It keeps the smell down and is easy to clean. I get mine from Tractor Supply and it really last a long time. It is less than $10.00 at the store I go to.