A1983 Posted July 11, 2022 Share Posted July 11, 2022 Hello, my 2 chickens are in an Egglu run with patio slabs on the floor of the run. When I clean the coop I use a hose (as poo gets quite stuck or very runny) and wash it away where it lands to the sides of the coop on the grass. I sprinkle garden lime etc. However the smell from the soil at the sides of the coop is now very smelly and I can smell it from different areas of the garden! Does anyone have any tips on jow to get rid of the smell from the soil? I have sprinkled lavender oil on the soil but the smell wins!! The girls free range in the day. Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tillsy Posted July 13, 2022 Share Posted July 13, 2022 Your lawn would be super happy with that fertiliser - ut you're certainly ending up with quite the concentration where it is washing. Personally I shovel it all out once a month and spread it amongst the garden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted July 16, 2022 Share Posted July 16, 2022 On 7/11/2022 at 9:14 AM, A1983 said: Hello, my 2 chickens are in an Egglu run with patio slabs on the floor of the run. When I clean the coop I use a hose (as poo gets quite stuck or very runny) and wash it away where it lands to the sides of the coop on the grass. I sprinkle garden lime etc. However the smell from the soil at the sides of the coop is now very smelly and I can smell it from different areas of the garden! Does anyone have any tips on jow to get rid of the smell from the soil? I have sprinkled lavender oil on the soil but the smell wins!! The girls free range in the day. Thank you You can get ground sanitising powder, that does also get rid of smells. You can also try putting wood chips on the paving slabs. I have wood chips on my paved bit of the run and it never smells. I just clean out the chips every 4 to 6 weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted July 17, 2022 Share Posted July 17, 2022 I think the only way you’re likely to solve this problem is to stop the concentration of poo where it washes under the edges. You’d probably be better off slabbing a slightly larger area if possible so you don’t get the same problem. Or using a method other than washing to get rid of the poo as it’ll be the mucky water gathering at the sides that’s the problem (I appreciate nothing else will be as easy as hosing though - particularly in wet weather). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajm200 Posted July 18, 2022 Share Posted July 18, 2022 Build a frame round the slabs and fill with a deep bed of hardwood chips. The chips don’t go mouldly like softwood or bark. We have a deep bed of woodchips in our 6x8 converted greenhouse run. We water the chips once a month with poultry disinfectant and sprinkle ground sanitizer once a week when we rake the chips over. The poo just disappears and the run doesn’t smell We kept 8 bantams in there throughout avian flu restrictions and they only smell was from the poo trays 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
