Turning the stinky dirt in the run.

[dunnmom]

My chickens do not free range. They spend their day in a descent sized dirt run topped with sand. Admittedly, I do not clean out the poop. I know some people will be grossed out by that, but it hasn't caused any problems for the chickens. We topped off the sand about 6 months ago, and it has already become packed dirt. With the hot weather, my girls had dug a couple of large holes to sit in, so today I decided to turn a larger section and wet it a little. It smelled pretty bad! My question is, would turning in PDZ with the sandy soil help deoderize it at all? Or is there something else inexpensive I could use to make it smell better? I've already decided to start sifting poop from the new sand amendment, which will go in very soon, so I'm just looking to de-stinkify what's already there. Thoughts, advice, ideas?

 

[lazy gardener]

I would suggest turning your run into a deep composting litter. It will provide a healthy environment for the flock: attract beneficial micro organisms to keep the pathogens in check. Those organisms will populate your chicken's guts with a healthy flora to improve their immune and digestive systems. The litter will also attract worms and beneficial insects. This will keep your flock busy as they shuffle through all that black gold, sifting out the insects and other goodies to eat. Your feed bill will go down. Your yard will not stink. All that biological action will digest their poo. It will literally melt into the soil. No maintenance needed other than topping off the compost material: spent bedding, lawn clippings, leaves, garden debris. If you lack enough material from your yard, you can add hay or straw. And, best of all, you can harvest that compost now and then to give you a garden that will be the envy of the neighborhood.

 

[Folly's place]

A dirt or sand run will turn into an awful smelly mess, unless you live in the desert, have a very few birds, and scoop the poop daily! Otherwise, deep litter is the best choice, and either way, drainage is most important. Chickens can't live in a swamp! Consider adding shavings and stuff, and see how it works for you. As long as it drains well, or better yet, is roofed, and you keep things good around the waterers, you won't have mold. Dust is also not your friend, so those N95 dust masks are the best, at least any time you are working in the coop or cleaning it! Mary

 

[aart]

Ditto the DL!!
Even a little bit of dry plant material will help the stink right away, then keep adding.

I have a large walk in run and never 'clean' poops from the run,
and there is rarely any nasty odors. The bedding of a good mix of dry plant materials use facilitates this nicely, it's basically no maintenance other than adding more material from time to time. I was able to start with a big load of tree trimmings from the power company that had been aged(6 months). I collect dry leaves in the fall (stored in feed bags in a shed) and add them occasionally, and other garden trimmings. I let my grass grow tall, mow and spread it out with discharge pattern, leave it to dry a few day, then push it into rows with the mower discharge, rake it up and add to run.

Here's a great description of contents and how to manage organic 'bedding' in a run or coop...and there's a great video of what it looks like.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1037998/muddy-run-help-please#post_16017992

 

[User395221]

There are different types of lime, you need to get the right stuff. Just garden lime, dolomite. NOT ordinary lime.
http://www.walterreeves.com/landscaping/lime-different-kinds/
There's a thread on the forum about using lime in the chook run which explains the difference.

EDIT: Found it https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/is-it-safe-to-use-lime-in-the-chicken-coop.47639/

 

[AnnieSantiago]

I agree with the above post. I get free woodchips from the city. They deliver truckloads. Just call. I put about 4 inches onto my garden and in my run. No smell at all.

 

[dunnmom]

Very interesting idea! I already occasionally dump organic materials in there for them to scratch at or eat. But I have shied away from putting much actual litter because of mold. I live in an area where mold is a real problem during wet weather. I am highly allergic and I hear it can be bad for chickens respiratory systems as well, which is what led me to use sand in the run. So, how would I combat mold using the dry organic method?

 

[aart]

Very interesting idea! I already occasionally dump organic materials in there for them to scratch at or eat. But I have shied away from putting much actual litter because of mold. I live in an area where mold is a real problem during wet weather. I am highly allergic and I hear it can be bad for chickens respiratory systems as well, which is what led me to use sand in the run. So, how would I combat mold using the dry organic method?

Having good drainage in your run and using a good mix of dry materials.

 

[L2fly]

I would like to hear from folks that have dirt and/or sand in their run, since it's what I have. I do understand why the DL method is popular, however I'm too paranoid about mold to even try it. My mold allergy can be debilitating. I can't even eat blue cheese. Lol!

I just started raising chickens this year and have 3 standard hens in my smallish coop/run (about 9 sq feet of coop & 27 sq ft of run). Because I'm a little shy of the 'ideal' sq ft per bird recommendations, and in town with somewhat close neighbors, I'm also nervous about the DL method, so use pine shavings in the coop & sand in the run. I do spread some PDZ under the shavings in the coop, and scatter a big scoop of PDZ and diatomaceous earth over the sand in the run, once a week, which they quickly work into the sand themselves. I also use a child's size rake to rake the sand, moving the clumps into a pile, then sift the clumps of poo out using a kitty litter scoop, and scoop out the pine shavings under the roost, daily. Its only 10 minutes of work a day, and I do it when I let the ladies free-range for an hour or so before sunset. Once a week I replace all of the pine shavings in the coop and do a deeper cleaning of the run, scrapping poop off any surfaces, etc, and I add fresh PDZ and DE at this time. This has kept it pretty clean!

I'm also in a pretty hot & dry area of the country. It does rain more in the winter time, but most of my run is covered, so I'm hoping it won't get too mucky this fall/winter. We'll see!

 

[yyz0yyz0]

One thing to be aware of with DL is it works best with a level run floor. my coop/run is on a slight slope so all the organic matter i throw in the run ends up piles at the low side of the run and the high side is bare. I didn't even realize it was a slope until the setup was already installed and I found them scratching everything to the lower side by default.
So now I just add to the high side and remove from the low side, I use hay mostly but other things as i get them.