Unsecure chicken perches

[Misscherryskull]

Hi guys,

Despite cleaning, picking up poo, putting Stalosan F down, using Citronella oil everywhere, garlic in their food, bokashi bran aswell..................you name it i've done it to stop my chickens pen smelling

 

The smell is driving me bonkers Any suggestions on what else i can do?? Their on stone chips which are turned often also with the chips i didn't want to go down the Jeyes route as it wouldn't dry out, would a very weak solution work n not hurt the chooks?? At this pont i'm willing to try anything but remove all the chips coz the o/h has refused point blank to replace the chooks bit with slabs

 

Anyway thanks for any suggestions

 

Sam x

[The Dogmother]

Get rid of the chips, slab it and put down Aubiose; that'll do the job.

 

A friend had the same problem as you when using those rubber chips.

[Mercedes55]

I can't think of anything else you can try, hopefully someone else will. Mine is also a bit smelly when the weather is hot, despite me trying my best to keep it clean. One thing that doesn't help with mine is that I can't get right inside the Eglu run to get all the poo out and it tends to blend in with the wood chips, so not easy to actually see it. I've been plagued by flies in the hot weather too, despite having one of those red fly catcher things, although I haven't had it up for long.

 

I clean out the poo trays on my Eglu every day and the inside of the coop is clean too. I also use the Stalosan F but haven't noticed any difference since putting it down

 

However the last few days the weather has been cooler and I haven't noticed any smell at all

[Mercedes55]

Get rid of the chips, slab it and put down Aubiose; that'll do the job.

 

A friend had the same problem as you when using those rubber chips.

 

I keep meaning to get some of that Aubiose, just waiting for other half to go get me some as the nearest place they sell it is about half an hour away. Can you use that in the run too? Mine is the Eglu run but it seems to keep dry even in the rain as I have the Winter shade on it all the time

[The Dogmother]

I use it in the housing, nest box and run. Bear in mind that a run needs to be covered (at least in part) with a waterproof, clear cover to keep it dry. Wet litter will breed disease and smells.

[Mercedes55]

I use it in the housing, nest box and run. Bear in mind that a run needs to be covered (at least in part) with a waterproof, clear cover to keep it dry. Wet litter will breed disease and smells.

 

Would you think the Omlet Winter shade fits that criteria

[Jools]

Hi guys,

Despite cleaning, picking up poo, putting Stalosan F down, using Citronella oil everywhere, garlic in their food, bokashi bran aswell..................you name it i've done it to stop my chickens pen smelling

 

The smell is driving me bonkers Any suggestions on what else i can do?? Their on stone chips which are turned often also with the chips i didn't want to go down the Jeyes route as it wouldn't dry out, would a very weak solution work n not hurt the chooks?? At this pont i'm willing to try anything but remove all the chips coz the o/h has refused point blank to replace the chooks bit with slabs

 

Anyway thanks for any suggestions

 

Sam x

 

I see you live in a sideways rain part of the country too so I suspect that even roofing the run won't make a lot of difference. I have a covered run with the sides covered to about 2ft all around the base and it still gets soaked and sometimes doesn't get the chance to dry out properly, which does seem to make smells even smellier.

 

So, bearing in mind you can't slab the area without a divorce, I'd suggest adding a layer of something else which you can s"Ooops, word censored!"e off and replace regularly, something like Easibed should work okay-ish. I'm only talking about a thin layer which you'd change weekly, or when it gets too wet or smelly.

 

HTH

[The Dogmother]

I use it in the housing, nest box and run. Bear in mind that a run needs to be covered (at least in part) with a waterproof, clear cover to keep it dry. Wet litter will breed disease and smells.

 

Would you think the Omlet Winter shade fits that criteria

 

It would make it too dark, try a clear shower curtain or a clear tarp.

[Mercedes55]

I use it in the housing, nest box and run. Bear in mind that a run needs to be covered (at least in part) with a waterproof, clear cover to keep it dry. Wet litter will breed disease and smells.

 

Would you think the Omlet Winter shade fits that criteria

 

It would make it too dark, try a clear shower curtain or a clear tarp.

 

Yes it is a bit dark under there, didn't think that would be a problem as they come out every day. Any reason why it's better having a clear cover

 

I have ordered a WIR which will have a roof, but it won't be ready till the end of August, which seems a long way away

[The Dogmother]

They need the daylight; it increase laying - mine FR all day but still have a clear cover on the run in case it rains and they are in it all day.

 

Daylight also helps to kill off any bacteria and worm eggs in the litter.

[craftyhunnypie]

Hiya - I've got 32 chickens & they don't smell. Perhaps it's because we turn over the ground in hubby's enclosure a lot. Also the others are on slabs - which we can sloosh down. We also change the easibed in the runs regularly. It must be the chippings? The only thing that sometimes pongs is the nest box , if a cockerel has slept in there. Their wee is a bit strong. But a good clean soon sorts it. I've never ever found my chooks to be smelly, except for the curry poos.

 

Emma.x

[C&T]

Garden Lime?

 

Might help. A sprinkle over the area can help. But agree with others re a horse bedding in the run and keep it dry. I notice a smell when it has been very very wet in winter, and the ground is saturated. Other than that, there isn't normally a problem.

 

 

Good luck with getting it sorted!

[Egluntyne]

Garden lime will make a difference,. It is only calcium carbonate, so won't harm the chickens.

[Mercedes55]

Garden lime will make a difference,. It is only calcium carbonate, so won't harm the chickens.

 

Need to get some of that then

[sparkysmum]

Sam, Hi. How many chickens to what size of run The reason I ask is that I think when it comes to farm yard whiffiness size does matter. Our ladies WIR (slabbed, roofed & hemcore) can occasionally be a bit pongy in warmer weather( remember the sun ) but our almost 20metre chicken garden doesn't pong at all. It's bare earth with shrubs & rhodies & rocks & the bantam house. The only thing I do in this run is sprinkle some stalosan around from time to time.

Hope it all works for you. A&Hxx

[Misscherryskull]

Thanks everybody..................the garden lime will be worth a try

Claret, the o/h came downstairs this morn & i was like "Claret says......." think it might have worked coz there woz none of the usual moans jst a "its a big job but we'll see"

 

No idea bout size of run, rubbish with sizes but the house does not smell at all its just round about that whiffs and seems worse when your on the outside of it for some reason when your in there its fine till you start raking

 

I'll give the lime a try, failing that the good auld shovel & slabs will be making an appearance

 

Thanks

sam x

[The Dogmother]

It will be smelly if it gets wet; the bacteria gets to multiplying and there's not stopping the whiff. A roof with a gutter and water butt would sort your problems and give you extra water too.

[Mercedes55]

It will be smelly if it gets wet; the bacteria gets to multiplying and there's not stopping the whiff. A roof with a gutter and water butt would sort your problems and give you extra water too.

I never thought about a gutter and water butt, we have ordered a WIR and had the option of having the roof sloping and having gutters fitted, so maybe I should add that, any thoughts

[The Dogmother]

I just mentioned it because my friend has that set-up on her walk in run. Seems a shame not to if you have the option.

[Mercedes55]

I just mentioned it because my friend has that set-up on her walk in run. Seems a shame not to if you have the option.

It's a good idea. I have just emailed the company who are making our WIR to ask about slanting the roof and adding a gutter and then I can add a water butt when I am ready

[Jools]

Gutters will help stop rain that drips down from the roof from blowing back inside the run, I have them on one side of my aviary for that very purpose (and to collect the water of course). They're a bit like a chocolate fireguard when it comes to anything but vertical rain though.

[Mercedes55]

Gutters will help stop rain that drips down from the roof from blowing back inside the run, I have them on one side of my aviary for that very purpose (and to collect the water of course). They're a bit like a chocolate fireguard when it comes to anything but vertical rain though.

 

Yeah I hear you, I can see us having to put something on the sides of the run if the weather gets very wet. In this country you can never tell from one day to the next what it's going to be like. Our hens all got wet earlier when it just poured down and now the sun is out again, typical

[hunkydoory]

My classic run is home to 3 big girls they are on earth covered by wood chip with an additional (non fox proof, so daytime area) run extension of 2x2.5m earth and grass. I haven't had an issue with undesirable smells - even over the very hot period. I pick up what I can see/reach then hose the chips and everything else down each evening.

Seems to work

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Mercedes, have a look at the link for my WIR in my signature . It shows my sloping roof, guttering and water butt. Rain blinds too .

[BarbaraJ]

Mine outside area with woodchip has been whiffy this year, i think i will have to start hosing it down more often. The inside area with aubiose is not too bad though.

The flies in the very hot weather have been bad, my 2pint bottle fly trap is full of flies in a month gross!! last year it was there all summer and never got full