4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[kaylis1980]

"ugh it smells like a farmyard" etc etc. is wearing me a bit thin, what can i do????? please help me hes wearing me out every day is a battle and we have only had them a month- i feel like giving up

[AJuff]

I had the same from OH. I upped the amount of garlic I gave them, gave the run a massive clear out and replaced woodchips with 10 bales of Easibed which smells lovely. I set up two fly traps, poo pick every day and . . . . and then I ordered a new eglu and four new chooks! He can't complain now!

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Don't give up . There is a way .

• Lots of garlic powder
   
  Lots of bokashi bran
   
  Citronella in the poo tray (and I suppose in the run too if you're desperate!)
   
  Hemcore
   
  Stalosan F when you clean out the run
   
  Garden lime ditto (don't know if that helps with smell though )

[chelsea]

the key is to keep on top of it.

 

I poo pick daily and a couple sprays of a citronella/eucalyptus oil/water to make it smell nice and keep the flies away

 

Stalosan f is good on clean out days to sprinkle in the run before you replace your new bedding

 

Aubiose/hemcore/easibed type bedding is excellent in the run.

[Egluntyne]

Keep everything as dry as possible too.

 

I find that the run only gets smelly if things get wet.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Ooh, yes, corrugated plastic sheeting, how could I have forgotten?

[chelsea]

Ooh, yes, corrugated plastic sheeting, how could I have forgotten?

 

mmm, what does that look like ANH? It sounds a great idea!

[xScrunchee]

My hubby hasn't actually complained about any smells (oddly enough as he complains about most things ) but-every time there are a few flies about he asks if they are coming in because of the hens

 

I tell him that they must be as I'd never seen a fly in the house till the chickens came!

[Keanie Bean]

It's not just because of the chickens, it's the weather as well. We had flies last year and we didnt even have chickens then. The chickens eat the flies in my house so they actually help. It sounds as if he's got a dose of the Victor Meldrews, mine does that every now and again

 

The citronella can be burnt in the form of joss sticks in the garden, or you can get some of the big garden candles as well. They keep the mozzies at bay too.

 

Sarah.x

[kaylis1980]

thanks everyone for the replys- i have chipped bark down there at the moment, so i am thinking that could be the first thing to change... and the citronella- what form does that come in??? the oil?? how do i use it and how much??

 

i use garlic, but i read only a teaspoon for a grub full? that doesnt seem very much to me? i dont use bokashi bran yet as wanted to give the garlic a go.

 

i think hubby was standing outside when one of my chooks did a ENORMOUS curry poo which covered an entire paving slab- and the smell wafted over... that hasnt helped.

[Snowy]

Oh dear - those curry poos are very pongy aren't they?

 

Try some citronell essential oil - 10 drops added to a spray bottle of water (can also add a few drops of tea tree or eucalyptus as well) and give everything a good spray. I think the bark chips can get whiffy as well - do try aubiose or hemcore, definiely sweeter smelling for longer.

[Olly]

I put a scoop of garlic in per Grub, which is more like a tablespoonful. I'd try adding two teaspoons, then three etc until you find it's working - it won't do them any harm to have a bit more than usual.

 

I reckon changing the bark chips for hemcore/aubiose/Easibed would help as well.

[superjules]

Lock the back door and hide the key to stop him going out in the garden.

[Egluntyne]

I reckon changing the bark chips for hemcore/aubiose/Easibed would help as well.

I agree with this. You will need a cover on the run though, to stop it getting wet.

[kannie]

And let them free range a lot if you can: means the poos are more dispersed!

[frenchlayer]

Thanks for all these good ideas. My run is next to patio so I can see them when having a quick coffee and when the wind is in the wrong direction it can be a bit wiffy.

 

I think I need to pick up the poo in the run too, I do it in the house (their house ) everyday.

[chickenanne]

Don't use bark chips - wood chips are OK, but not bark chips... they smell... they're slimy... they look ugly.... and there are always stories of them contaiing fungal spores etc (don't know how bad that is really though).

I think waht I'm saying is that I don't like them so no-one else should either...

[Valkyrie]

When we first got ours I did put some garlic powder in with the pellets and apple cider vinegar in the water. Obviously not enough because the run did pong and there were lots of flies around (hence flystrike panic for me). The next day I upped the garlic and added a little bokashi. Certainly reduced the pong - in fact couldn't smell a thing, although the flies were only attracted to the poos that had been s"Ooops, word censored!"ed up by me and there were little damp s"Ooops, word censored!"ings left on the grass. I poo pick every day, and yesterday they were allowed into a bigger area. The flies have all but gone - but then it did rain a bit yesterday.

In the poo trays on top of newspaper sheets I have a couple of handfuls of aubiose, shredded paper, bokashi and a liberal sprinkling of red mite powder - it smells so nice in there (its the eucalyptus in the powder that does it for me). I gather there is some citrus oil in the aubiose that helps. My poor hens - such a lot of perfume to assault their noses!

[chickencam]

Mine are on a thick layer os bark chips on soil and we have never had a smell problem except the 'curry' poos when first done

 

Have you had any eggs yet? maybe that will change his mind, so long as he doesn't see one with poo on

[Hen Watch]

I poop pick their free range area daily to reduce smells (although the curry type poos will alway honk).

 

In the run I find an inch of Auboise on the ground helps soak up poos and reduce smell. Need a run cover. I change it once a month.

 

Worst smelly days are warm, wet drizzly days. A bit of warm rain makes it smell a touch farmyardy but not too bad.

 

I use loads of Garlic Powder in their feed and I just upped it gradually over time to make sure they don't turn their beaks up at the food.

 

For flies (rather than poo smell) a put 2 drops of citronella oil in the poo tray. Or you could put some on kitchen roll tucked high up under the run cover where they can't eat it. I get it online from Neph.

http://www.neph-aromatics.co.uk/essential_c.htm#citronella

[Seagazer]

I was worried because there seems to be so many flies around this year (I don't think I can stomach the Flitrap and was worried that the neighbours would complain but my mum said she has loads of flies in her garden and she doesn't have any pets!

 

I found that having straw in the nesting box really made it smell farmyardy. I've tried shredded paper, didn't like that because it wafts around everywhere. I'm now trying auboise.

 

I have found that I don't really smell them anymore, which is handy

[Yolky]

Thanks for the link Hen Watch, just got 50ml of citronella for £3.99 delivered, bargain.

[jomaxsmith]

I get it online from Neph.

http://www.neph-aromatics.co.uk/essential_c.htm#citronella

 

Thanks for that - paid with Paypal, like getting it for free

 

The Bark issue is that the white threads you see on the bark is Botulism which can cause paralysis and death in chickens. I was told this by an expert at my local poultry centre. Unfortunately I've been unable to get woodchip locally for my run so have had to use bark. Hopefully by the winter I'll be able to find some woodchip.

 

Jo

[Yolky]

Perhaps you could trade the husband in for a cube

[adeandsu]

Hi all

 

Been away a while (happily getting on with chicken-keeping) but I'm afraid that as the chicken-mad husband (with a slightly more sceptical wife) I just had to click on this subject

 

I was just wondering why everyone who uses Aubiose/Hemcore in their runs was saying that you must have the run fully covered ... ? We've used Aubiose for about 6 months now, with just the standard rain cover, and haven't had any problems.

 

Ade