Where to buy DE and coop odor

[magoo4me2]

Hi,I've only had chickens a year.I have 31 ,mixed.My coop is aprox. 15 x 15 with a dirt floor.I let them out in the amm until dusk.My coop is starting to smell terrible! How can I get the ordor out,and what to use to help control it until I can make a dropping board.Also,can't find any info on DE...where can I buy this and whats the proper name?I appreciate your help greatly!!!

 

[elmo]

DE is diatomaceous earth. You can buy it online or at your feed store, but you don't want the kind they use for pool filters. You need the food grade kind.

http://www.randallburkey.com/5-LB-Diatomaceous-Earth/productinfo/10894/

However, I don't think DE is going to be a solution for your odor problem. A poop board will help going forward, but I'm afraid you'll need to clean out all the old bedding on the floor and start over with fresh. Do you use shavings? How's the drainage? Moisture plus droppings equals bad odor.

Is your coop adequately ventilated? That might be part of your problem if moisture is building up inside the coop.

 

[dkosh]

For the odor you can use Sweet PDZ. You can get that at the feed store also. It is an ordor controller that can be safely eaten by chickens. It works great. I use that with the DE and I use pine shavings also.

 

[purpletree23]

Sweet PDZ works well. I'm not sure why you are asking about DE but it doesn't help with odors. I know it's a pain but you might have to clean out the coop. Too much ammonia can hurt their respiratory system and cause ammonia blindness. If you can't take all the bedding out at least take 1/2 of it out and replace with new bedding.

Depending where you are in the country you can open the windows and let the chickens out into a run if you have it. Flip over the bedding and let it dry out. Try to flip it a few times a day. It might buy you some time.


Do you use bedding????

 

[lunarfound]

I got stall dry at the feed store. It seems to help. I use the deep litter method but my outer coop needs to be shoveled out at least twice a year. The inner coop is more like once a month.

 

[Judy]

Agricultural lime also helps. I prefer the pelletized kind, costs just a little more but is much easier to handle, doesn't leave white dust everywhere.