what can I do to stop it from smelling?

[ForeverFree]

in and around my chicken pen, it smells terrible.
I know that animals all have their own smells, but it gets to the point that I can smell it from 20 feet away.
I clean the pen at least once a week and put DE down, but it still smells almost right after, with no exaggeration.
is there anything else I can do?

 

[CapricornFarm]

Keep it dry. The wetness makes it stink. I also spread garden lime after cleaning, and I bet you could use baking powder.

 

[Judy]

I agree, the wetness is usually the problem. I use pelletized lime (a nondusty garden lime.) Some use Stall-Dri or similar products sold for horse stalls. In the coop, adding a few pine shavings does a lot.

If you have a wet run, this may help:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1642-fix-a-muddy-run

I think Hot2Pot means baking soda, not baking powder, which I'm sure is safe to use.

 

[ChicKat]

Agreed that it needs to be dry, and the more air and space the better to disperse the smells.

If the area that they are in is covered, it will help to keep it dryer, if it is in sun, it will help to dry out and lessen the smell.

A few inches of sand, or even wood shavings to make a litter in thier pen may help to absorb moisture. A pile or bucket of sand or wood shavings may be helpful sometimes too to spread/shovel over quickly between your weekly cleanings. (in the circus, they have a person who pours a shovel of sand on elephant poo, until they have time to clean it up properly)

If a lot of animals (of any kind) are in a smaller space, the smell is greater. The more space the less smell. Using close space means more intensive clearning/cleaning on the keeper's part.


There are products designed to regulate the poop (smell and consistency). I have seen one called 'Ultra Kibble' here in the usa and in the Uk 'bokashi bran'. I think perhaps these have a partially drying effect on the droppings. I also sometimes notice a difference when I give my hens treats of raw rolled oats (old fashioned oats, which they love)

Could it be the feed or snacks they are eating?

Wost case scenario may require cleaning twice per week.

 

[oaklandmama]

I don't know exactly what your setup is, but have you thought of doing the deep litter method? Lots of threads here about it. We do it, and along with a few sprinklings of DE, we haven't cleaned the coop out once, and we've had eight chickens since March. Planning on cleaning it out sometime soon and putting it in the compost pile, then starting again.

 

[ChickenAl]

Sand in the run with a little bit of pine shavings, and pine shavings in the coop. Sprinkle both areas with DE. Throw scratch on the run and in the coop to stir things up a bit. We also use the shavings in the compost pile by taking the shavings under the roosts about once a month.