The straw is piling up...

[Raubkatze]

Is there anything I can do to help this break down faster? Or is it just time and letting nature work...

It was okay for a bit, and then I was cleaning straw out of my brooder box daily for the last five weeks and now its a massive pile. Once everyone is outside I'm hoping the pile will stop growing so fast. Ive gotten down to only cleaning out the coop once a week, but that might change once there are 12 instead of 5 in there.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

Take a pitch fork and turn it at least once a week. That'll help it break down faster, but it might not be that noticeable. Also, with it being straw, you'll want to watch it because it will heat up.

Do you have any random holes or what not in your yard or woods? I double my compost as filler so if I don't use it all, it'll just become a part of the ground and eventually level it all.

 

[Sally PB]

Use it as a mulch around plants/trees or in your garden. It will help conserve moisture if you're not getting much rain (like me) and help keep weeds down.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Daily cleanouts seem a bit excessive, even with a brooder. Same with weekly with a coop, unless it's super small for the number of birds so you're forced to do it to keep ammonia levels down.

I do yearly cleanouts for the coop (but it's 60 sq ft for 12 birds max) and I no longer clean my brooder at all (I move it instead, since it sits directly on the ground). Sometimes making adjustments to management can save you a lot of work in the long run.

 

[Raubkatze]

Daily cleanouts seem a bit excessive, even with a brooder. Same with weekly with a coop, unless it's super small for the number of birds so you're forced to do it to keep ammonia levels down.

I do yearly cleanouts for the coop (but it's 60 sq ft for 12 birds max) and I no longer clean my brooder at all (I move it instead, since it sits directly on the ground). Sometimes making adjustments to management can save you a lot of work in the long run.

My brooder is a box with an actual floor in it, and yes daily cleanout is really needed to keep them from standing in their own poop and keeping the smell down.

The coop I could probably clean out less than weekly, but again I hate them having to stand on or walk around their own poop under their roosts. Even with the amount of ventilation I have added and using lime the smell does start to build up.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

My brooder is a box with an actual floor in it, and yes daily cleanout is really needed to keep them from standing in their own poop and keeping the smell down.

The coop I could probably clean out less than weekly, but again I hate them having to stand on or walk around their own poop under their roosts. Even with the amount of ventilation I have added and using lime the smell does start to build up.

What about using shavings? I've had better luck with the smell when using shavings over anything else. Shavings also don't take up as much space in your yard and they're easier for the chickens to scratch around than straw.

 

[StinkyAcres]

What about using shavings? I've had better luck with the smell when using shavings over anything else. Shavings also don't take up as much space in your yard and they're easier for the chickens to scratch around than straw.

I agree - pine shavings are much better at absorbing liquids and smells so are better in a brooder. Straw is really only good in places that can dry out naturally. The advantages of straw over shavings are that it's easier to clean out, it provides a softer landing, it contains seeds that the chickens can forage for, and you don't have to use as much to fill an area.