Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[Emz24]

We have had bark in our run, however it was really beginning to smell strongly so we took the bark out, now there is just earth and roots, a few small stones and some pieces of bark still in there. Thankfully the smell and decreased considerabley, however it is still there.

Is it just the poo smell that naturally comes with keeping chickens, or is it something else. I have noticed that half the food I have put in their feeder is on the floor, could this have anything to do with the smell. Any tips or similarities?!?!?!?

 

Also had the largest egg every today, a wopper of an egg!!!

[Guest]

dig in some garden lime, that'll get rid of the smell but make sure it's GARDEN lime

[The Dogmother]

Sprinkle the run with a mix of garden lime and a powdered disinfectant like Stalosan or Biodry, then pour in a dry litter like Aubiose and they will love it. The Aubiose will absorb any poos and is so easy to compost. You won't have a smelly run any more.

[Jools]

If they're spilling their pellets and not eating them, they will smell absolutely disgusting! They also go mouldy very quickly and are quite a health hazard. Any chance of putting something under the feeders to catch the spilled food so you can throw it out every day??

 

I'm careful not to overfill my feeders and if I notice they've chucked their food around, I take the feeders away until they've cleared it all up! I know. tough love!!

[sandyhas3chucks]

plastic carpet runner is cheap aboy £5 . can be put under the feeders also stops the groubd being hollowed out under them

[Gelbel]

I forked out for some Stalosan when I changed to Easibed the other week. It's amazing stuff - seems to make poop dissolve and vanish (I hardly need to spend any time poo picking now) and used sparingly once a week over the covered and 'outer' runs has totally removed any hint of smell (not that I thought there was one but you know how you think there is - but I now KNOW there is not a smell at all ) - so much so that the citronella spray is redundant.

 

I use a very cheap cocktail shaker to spread it about as a little goes a long way (just as well at the price). For info I use a cocktail shaker for Diatom dosing.

[sandyhas3chucks]

I have been looking for a cheap actualy ANY cocktail or flour shaker.. soooo someone please tell me where I can get one!!!!!

[Lewis]

Ebay

 

Have a look here

[Dappy Chick]

Silly me - when I read the subject I was expecting something else

 

But glad I read it - I had forgotten all about Garden Lime

[Guest]

we just a poultry spice container with holes punched in the lid.

[Gelbel]

I have been looking for a cheap actualy ANY cocktail or flour shaker.. soooo someone please tell me where I can get one!!!!!

Cheapy pound-type shops - might have to buy a set with some glasses but I still paid £2 for mine and use the glasses for the odd cocktail (or 5).

[chick wiggle]

Agree with all above but wondered, do you put garlic powder in their food too? That will also help stop pooey smells

[Jools]

I've heard that it does but I'm not speaking from experience as I've never tried it with my chickens.

 

The best way to avoid the problems with droppings is to clear them regularly, or to change the surface more often. It may look like droppings magically disappear into woodchip or aubiose or the like, but it's an illusion, particularly if they are kept dry and it's not washed through by rain. If they have disappeared, the only place they've disappeared to is back into the chickens as they peck around in it. I agree that Stalosan is a great product, I use it when I clean out my houses at this time of year as it's so good at absorbing moisture, but I'm not sure that even Stalosan can neutralise the contents of faeces. Using garden lime a couple of times a year to reduce the acidity of the soil caused by droppings is a good idea and one that's recommended in all poultry books and forums.

 

If the bark had become waterlogged, then yes it would eventually smell stagnant. Add to that the accumlated droppings and spilled pellets and you have a disgusting smelling cocktail - have I been there? Oh yes!

[The Dogmother]

Agree with all above but wondered, do you put garlic powder in their food too? That will also help stop pooey smells

 

I've just started using a new product - garlic and mint by NAF (in their new naturals range for chooks) it smells far less garlicy and the girls seem to love it too. It's supposed to be good for their digestion and to deodorise poos.

[Emz24]

yeah sounds like i need some garden lime...

i will try and get some from our local hicken shop and see if that works, ( will keep you posted).

what do you recommend to put underneath the feeders to stop the food from going on the floor???

[chick wiggle]

Agree with all above but wondered, do you put garlic powder in their food too? That will also help stop pooey smells

 

I've just started using a new product - garlic and mint by NAF (in their new naturals range for chooks) it smells far less garlicy and the girls seem to love it too. It's supposed to be good for their digestion and to deodorise poos.

 

Ooo sounds interesting, keep us posted as to how it works with the poo smell. My girls have always had garlic powder in their food and their poo doesnt smell and their eggs do not smell or taste garlicky either

[Emz24]

Hi,

Have discovered the sorce of the smell....

 

!WET FOOD!

 

Have been watching the girls and they are very messy eaters. The food that fell on the floor became wet and mouldy, which made the run smell horrible.

So now we have put two flat bacon trays under their food. The food is now falling onto the trays and the smell seems to have stopped...

I crawl into the run on my hands and knees to get the poo out...

How do keep your runs clean????

[Hen Watch]

I crawl into the run on my hands and knees to get the poo out...

How do keep your runs clean????

 

Oh no crawling in runs here...... I absolutely swear by Auboise (hemp based horse bedding bought from horse Tack shops or it's UK equivalent Hemcore).

 

You can see it in this picture on the floor of my eglu run. Run must be covered though to stop it getting wet. So I don't poo pick the run at all, I just change the Auboise once a month.

 

 

 

My lot went through a phase 2 years ago of throwing their food on the floor and making a terrible mess. It went on for about 4 months and even trays under their grub didn't help. But then one day they just stopped chucking it about and no longer make a mess. No idea what changed.......

[The Dogmother]

Mine sometimes manage to get their feed out of the gravity feeder and onto the floor - I just remove the feeder until they've eaten up all the debris on the run floor.

[Redwing]

Mine sometimes manage to get their feed out of the gravity feeder and onto the floor - I just remove the feeder until they've eaten up all the debris on the run floor.

 

I do this too, it works!