[jt5824]

Hello,

I have kept two hens for the last year.

Their coop and run sit on a small piece of land which backs onto a neighbours garden. Thier garden is very small and so in the warmer months they literally sit next to our hens.

They recently complained that the hens are a tad wiffy but also noticed it last year too.

The wider area is covered with bark.

The area within the coop and run was not covered with bark and I recently turned this ground to freshen it up and spread the bark over this area too. I too noticed the smell more so having done this.

Can anyone suggest how we could try to keep the ground smelling fresher.....

Thank-you in advance.

JT

[Caralou]

Get some Stalosan F and treat the ground with it. It is a powder and safe for use with hens. It dries up the area, is anti-bacterial and will help to remove the smells. Dig it over into the bark chippings and if necessary do the same 7 days later and the smell should be sorted 

[batcatz]

Also try wood chip from a tree surgeon as it lasts longer and smells lovely and fresh.  It does not go so smelly when wet.  I know this from experience and now use wood chip and stalosan F.  Also if you put garlic powder in their feed it makes the poo smell free.  It's just when it rains that it goes smelly underneath the wood chip. I just shovel out the soggy stuff then throw some stalosan F down.  :-)

[Aunt Sally]

With only two hens it should not be difficult to keep them smelling fresh.

I've had two (now three) hens for about 5 years and their run and housing never smell.

Their run is on earth covered with the woven type of weed suppressant fabric fixed down around the edges.  On this is a 4 inch deep layer of large bark chippings.  The run is roofed over so that it stays dry.  The poo dries and disintegrates to dust which has no smell as it's dry.  Once every couple of weeks I rake it all to one end and with a grass rake I rake all the lumps of bark back to the other end leaving the dried poo to be scooped up and put into the compost bin.   Nothing ever goes through to the earth. 

The hens free range about half the time and I poo pick the [small] garden each day (I tread in it otherwise).

I use aubiose or hemcore in the coop which dries and deodorise poos and I poo pick that every day.

It takes me about 5 mins to pick up poos each day and about half an hour to clean the run every couple of weeks.

Easy Peasy

[azubah]

Garden lime might help to get rid of ammonia smells.

[Mrs S]

I also use BioDri disinfectant sanitiser powder in the hen house.  Check out http://www.flytesofancy.co.uk/chickenhouses/BioDri_Disinfectant_Sanister_Powder.html
It's not so much an issue now they the weather is nice and the days are long, but I imagine in the winter their house might otherwise be wiffy 
 

[jt5824]

Thank-you all for your suggestions, we really appreciate it.

We will get started with them straight away and hope that something will work for us....otherwise it's good bye to Pearl and Betty (we're Emmerdale fans!).

Thank-you again.

JT

[Ribbit]

I tend to scoop the poop (like you would with a dog) and put it in the compost or veggie patch, we have a fairly big garden though!

[Maccbean]

Definitely use garden lime on the run every week.  This will keep it smelling sweet!