Patridge bantam chicken poorly foot?

[Kit]

Hi

 

I know I am posting loads of questions...my 3 hens only arrived yesterday morning and already I can smell 'chicken poo'

 

Please can you very clever people educate me on how to keep the smell away....

 

1st, is this normal that there is a little smell? Was rather hoping that it would not smell too much or at all. My DH who is a clean freak is not happy!

 

2nd I am cleaning the poo tray out daily on the eglu but am struggling to poo pick the run (wood chippings) and its convertor. How are people doing this? My rake is only so long and cannot reach all the way to the eglu.

 

Perhaps as advised by many I should have used 20mm gravel instead.

 

Does citronella work? it it the citronella oil that most people use?

 

Kit

 

ps my hens are more clever than I thought...we came home late this evening and I was worried that they would sleep in their run. Was very pleased to find them sound asleep in the eglu even with the door opened.

[Redwing]

Congratulations on your new girls

 

I am far from expert but I have read a bit that garlic powder in the chicken food makes the poo smell less.

 

I am afraid I dont know in what proportion the powder needs to be compared to the food though. Sorry.

 

Some one far more expert will be along soon I expect.

 

Good luck and I hope it doesnt put you off having your chickens

[Seagazer]

You can also use Bokashi Bran in their food. This helps to make their poo less smelly. I also put some in their poo tray with some hemcore.

 

I also put a spoon of garlic powder in their grub.

 

Its not a nice smell but you sort of get used to it.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Congratulations on your new girls .

 

Bear in mind their poos may be a bit squitty and smelly to start off until they settle into their new home. Even then, they will do yucky splatty poos every now and then, but don't panic, there are quite a few things you can do. I've had my 3 girls a year and have never been bothered by any smells (and I don't even poo pick the run unless it's right at the door, the poo just dries up and disappears in the bedding/soil ) .

 

1. Put garlic powder in with their pellets. I add a few good scoopfuls to a large box I keep the pellets in. You can get it at horsey supply places. Don't get supermarket stuff, a large tub of horse stuff costs about £5-6.

 

2. Give them bokashi bran with their pellets. It aids their digestion, firms up the poos and helps keep smells down. Wigglywigglers.com is a good place to get it.

 

3. Dig over your run every few weeks (I do mine every six). Remove the top few inches of bedding/soil (to compost or flowerbeds). Sprinkle down Stalosan F and garden lime (neutralises the acidity of the poo and helps keeps pongs away) before putting down new bedding. Horse bedding is great for the run - I use Hemcore or Easibed, both of which smell nice.

 

4. Sprinkle a few drops of citronella oil in the poo tray after you clean it out.

 

You'll have them smelling sweet in no time at all and your OH will be won over .

[Janty]

I feed mine layers mash with bokashi in it from Wiggly Wigglers. They love it, it good for their tummies and it neutralises their poos. Bonus!

[Snowy]

Funnily enough mine have just started smelling a bit whiffy - had them 2 years and it's never been this bad before. The cube is sparkling as I've just cleaned it out. But I put woodchippings into their run the other week - I'm convinced they are to blame. The run is covered so it is not because it is too damp. Previously I had aubiose down - it definitely smelled better. Maybe a change of bedding is in order

[Sandychick]

Garlic powder works for mine. The run can get a bit smelly when it rains and gets wet. A cover over the run helps a lot.

[Egluntyne]

Bokashi bran and garlic powder in their feed, Aubiose beddiing material and garden lime sprinkled on the earth every so often does the trick here.

 

Damp bedding can get very whiffy.

[Millihelen]

How much bokashi bran do I need to add to their food to firm up the poo? After this morning's "offerings" - I'd like to give it a try - but I don't want constipated chickens

[Egluntyne]

How much bokashi bran do I need to add to their food to firm up the poo? After this morning's "offerings" - I'd like to give it a try - but I don't want constipated chickens

 

 

It won't constipate them

 

The recommendation is 5% of the feed. A handful per grub is about right.

[enzed]

Hemcore can be very good - it's very absorbant, and has a citrus smell which can help. For the eglu, each week when we clean it out, we sprinkle red mite powder on the roosting bars and into the hem core in the poo tray - its has a lovely smell of tea tree oil which can help mask the poo.

 

We also put garlic powder into their pellets, but i personally have never been convinced that it makes much of a difference.

[chelsea]

we have an old rag hung up in the run.

 

I have dotted the rag with a combination of citronella oil, eucalyptus and lavender oil and it gives a lovely fresh smell in the run area and keeps the flies away too.

[Hen Watch]

When my girls arrived they pooped like crazy for 2 weeks and I was changing the poo tray ALL the time and I wondered what I had let myself in for. Please don't worry it will settle down.

 

Garlic Powder is a real help and I use it daily in their feed.

 

If you can't poo pick in the run (and it can be tricky) either move the run every few days to new grass and blast poos with a hosepipe. Or have one site, put Auboise (or Hemcore) horse bedding on the ground, but must have a run cover. This soaks up poos amazingly, smells reduce and you just change the Auboise once a month. It really is good stuff.

[Redwing]

we have an old rag hung up in the run.

 

I have dotted the rag with a combination of citronella oil, eucalyptus and lavender oil and it gives a lovely fresh smell in the run area and keeps the flies away too.

 

 

That's a great idea Chelsea. Run fresheners!

[Mumpty]

we have an old rag hung up in the run.

 

I have dotted the rag with a combination of citronella oil, eucalyptus and lavender oil and it gives a lovely fresh smell in the run area and keeps the flies away too.

Is that oil from the body shop or boots ? They're expensive aren't they. How often would you douse your rag?

[chelsea]

we have an old rag hung up in the run.

 

I have dotted the rag with a combination of citronella oil, eucalyptus and lavender oil and it gives a lovely fresh smell in the run area and keeps the flies away too.

Is that oil from the body shop or boots ? They're expensive aren't they. How often would you douse your rag?

 

 

I bought my oils online through a specific essential oils shop (cant remember who) but if you googled it , it came up on there!

 

I dot the rag (its a duster actually) once a week only with a few dots of each scent, you dont need much.

[chelsea]

this is the site I got my oils from.

 

http://www.enaissance.co.uk/acatalog/Essential_Oils_C.html?gclid=CK6_sJHz45UCFROI1QodjWxzeg

[Mumpty]

Thanks for that will goole now.

[Egluntyne]

I sprinkle a few drops of eucalyptus and citronella into the Aubiose I put in the poo trays.

 

I like the idea of the rag.....I shall be doing that from now on.

[Mumpty]

Sprinkle down Stalosan F and garden lime (neutralises the acidity of the poo and helps keeps pongs away) quote]

Have googled Stalosan F and it costs £8 for delivery, where could I buy it off-line. I've called our local equestrian/animal suppliers and they've never heard of it? Would a garden center sell it?

[MedusA]

Great idea to use the rag, chelsea.

 

I will try that myself. I ordered some oils from the site you recommended. Seem very good prices. Thanks for the link.

 

I already use citronella in the poo tray and that really helps with niffs.

 

Bokashi bran is great for firming up poos.

 

I'm afraid I don't use garlic powder as garlic makes me

[Ain't Nobody Here]

This thread has been discussing where to get Stalosan F.

 

I have to say I can't now remember where I got mine . I suspect I must have just swallowed the high postage as it was a one off big purchase. The 8kg box will last for a few years, I suspect.

 

I've not seen it in a real shop, having said that, I've not been looking for it .

[alison]

They call it equi dri in the horse place where I got mine, it is pine scented too.

 

A huge bucket cost me £11.99 and will probably last about 2 years!!

[sparkysmum]

Hi, The rag idea is brilliant. I don't have a smell problem or a fly problem, I just like the run freshner idea. Will sort it tomorrow. Thanks Allisonx