What can I do to make my brooder not smell so bad.

[RW19290]

My brooder smells horrible. I don't want to change the whole thing every day. Is there something I can do to make it smell better? It has perfumed the downstairs of our house with an awful pee smell.

 

[silkiechicken]

Are they getting water in the litter? That is one good way to stink the place up. Products to keep litter dry may help out, such as DE. If it's due to water getting into the bedding, try raising the water up on a brick.

 

[RW19290]

Quote:
No it isn't. they're brooder is quite dry.

 

[BeardedChick]

25 is quite a lot of chicks (and chick poo)... I'd bite the bullet and change litter daily.

How old are they?

 

[PurpleChicken]

What is your brooder setup? I find my guinea pig cage brooders
smell a lot less than when I use the big plastic bins.

I do sprinkle in a little Stall Dry or SweetPDZ to help with smell too.

How many chicks are in there? The more chicks, the less chance of
drying out the poop has and wet poop stinks.

 

[silkiechicken]

25 eh... how long do you plan on having them inside? I keep 25 in a 4x8 foot tractor/brooder from week 1-6 before dividing them up. With that large number, they will get stinky and grow FAST!

 

[aiwetir]

lol i had 4 and had to hose out the whole thing every day past a few weeks.

 

[RW19290]

Quote:
Well, as soon as they're all feathered out. Coldness is not a problem in Southern California. Here we still get 82-95 F.

 

[RW19290]

Quote:
My brooder has a brooder guard pictured here:

http://www.welphatchery.com/otr%20prdcts/brooderguard.asp


I have a trash bag on the bottom and newspaper on the top of that. I have pine shavings on top of that.

 

[RW19290]

Quote:
They're 6 days old.