The smell help!!

[bajabirdbrain]

Not everyone can, or wants, to do this.
So the sand is not the magic ingredient, it's the constant poop removal.

I agree with you 100%! Get rid of the poop=get rid of the smell!!!!

Difficult to separate poop from shavings or chips, IMO. Takes BB less than 2 minutes to pick up poop in the run and less than 1 minute to clean the poop boards.

 

[Coop Z-ville]

I have a covered run (with a roof) and part of the run goes under the coop. The chicks love it under there, but it is really hard to clean the sand in that area-my rake barely reaches, and the corners are difficult to rake at all. I am starting to notice an odor way under where I can't reach. The main run area is fine with raking and removing what poop i can. I can't get granular products under there, like Sweet PDZ for chickens. There is a spray product called Litter Life Poultry Enhancement that says it is safe to use in coops and runs-even says it helps the health of chickens, by keeping litter dry and removing ammonia. Is anyone familiar with this product?

 

[aart]

I have a covered run (with a roof) and part of the run goes under the coop. The chicks love it under there, but it is really hard to clean the sand in that area-my rake barely reaches, and the corners are difficult to rake at all. I am starting to notice an odor way under where I can't reach. The main run area is fine with raking and removing what poop i can. I can't get granular products under there, like Sweet PDZ for chickens. There is a spray product called Litter Life Poultry Enhancement that says it is safe to use in coops and runs-even says it helps the health of chickens, by keeping litter dry and removing ammonia. Is anyone familiar with this product?

I looked it up.....it's some kind of biologicals concoction, "consortium of bacteria".
Same thing you could get naturally and continuously with the right mix of dry plant materials(deepish litter).
You could try it, see if it works.

 

[bajabirdbrain]

I have a covered run (with a roof) and part of the run goes under the coop. The chicks love it under there, but it is really hard to clean the sand in that area-my rake barely reaches, and the corners are difficult to rake at all. I am starting to notice an odor way under where I can't reach. The main run area is fine with raking and removing what poop i can. I can't get granular products under there, like Sweet PDZ for chickens. There is a spray product called Litter Life Poultry Enhancement that says it is safe to use in coops and runs-even says it helps the health of chickens, by keeping litter dry and removing ammonia. Is anyone familiar with this product?

We, too have the coop about 20" off the ground/run and our girls like to go under when something is bothering them, wind, heavy rain, etc. We have not cleaned under there in the year plus we have built this coop/run. So "far" we have had zero smell issues anywhere but we will keep a "nose" alerted to any smell coming from underneath. Really we just never considered cleaning under the coop, might have to put this on BB's work list!!

 

[aart]

We, too have the coop about 20" off the ground/run and our girls like to go under when something is bothering them, wind, heavy rain, etc. We have not cleaned under there in the year plus we have built this coop/run. So "far" we have had zero smell issues anywhere but we will keep a "nose" alerted to any smell coming from underneath. Really we just never considered cleaning under the coop, might have to put this on BB's work list!!

Do you have any bedding/litter under there?
If it stays good and dry under there, even without bedding, might not stink.

 

[bajabirdbrain]

It is bare dirt under the coop. The last and only time I crawled under it was to put a concrete "apron" from the top of the paver foundation blocks to about a foot inside the blocks. Since the pavers were placed on top of pea gravel(a leveling course), the darn hens started scratching the gravel which started to undermine the pavers! The apron is about 4" thick at the pavers and tapers to 1/2" to the inside. Now that my curiosity is tweaked I may have a look see and assess the situation. And you are correct that this area is dry. 3 sides of the coop's roof overhangs the walls by at least a foot and the run side of the coop has the run's roofing up against the wall of the coop which also has a 1' overhang. On second thought I should have BB explore this area as she is both younger and smaller!

 

[aart]

the darn hens started scratching the gravel which started to undermine the pavers!

Yeah, they are good at that.

 

[Seaecho]

I live in the desert, and it's so dry that nothing stays wet long! So I've had great luck with grass hay that I feed my horses. It's orchard hay. I throw more in as needed, but the poop dries, and eventually goes to the bottom, and so far, no smell. I also throw in a flake of alfalfa now and then, as they love the leaves.

 

[Mrs. K]

Throw scratch on top of the deep bedding, inside and outside in the run and the girls will turn it for you. Will look just like fresh bedding.

 

[Seaecho]

I have done that, and you're right! They make it look very nice!