[Carshay]

My chicken run is fairly large - about 8 x 7m but over the last couple of months has started to smell. I have dug in garden lime and put down Stalosan but the problem persists! I poo pick as much as poss but can't get it all as some of it is runny. (The chickens with runny poo have always been like it & seem healthy)
I've read previous posts on smelly runs and it seems that putting down miscanthus may help. Would hemcore do instead and if so can I put it down while the run is very wet and muddy? Any advice very welcome!

[joyfull]

is there anyway of covering your run or at least part of it? Hemcore is very absorbent so you could put it down straight away but because of the moisture you may need to change it fairly quickly for a few weeks. If you raised sides on the run this will help to stop the Hemcore from spilling out. You can also sprinkle the Hemcore with Stalosan F to help disinfect the run.

[ANHBUC]

Put hemcore in my run and had to remove it as the hens started eating it!  They have it in their coop and nest box and don't bother with it there.  Strange birds!   

[trinamc]

I had the same problem with the part of the run that is no covered, I took the surface soil off and dug it over, well the other half did the hard work!! 

We now do this every six months

[Dominic]

for how many chooks?
Mine have 2.5x5m for 4, and that gets pretty dicey after 8 weeks, especialy with the current rain and short days preventing much free ranging.

[Fisherman]

I find a layer of builders sand every couple of months in winter improves the run conditions. Best to cover a section if you can and then move the run in spring if you have space.

[Carshay]

Thanks for your help. I have eight chooks in the run so they have plenty of room - certainly not overcrowded. Does the builders sand help with the smell? I can't move the run as it is very permanent. Maybe I'll just have to keep digging it over every couple of weeks!

[ANHBUC]

I find a layer of builders sand every couple of months in winter improves the run conditions. Best to cover a section if you can and then move the run in spring if you have space.

Sure I read somewhere that builders sand is not suitable for chickens.  Hopefully other members will advise on this.

[Sprinter60]

Iv kept chickens in the past, and have put down bark chip, or straw, sometimes both.
I to have also dug the run over when the surface of the soil pans over, as this stops the rain water draining away , hence the smell 

[Geo]

I had grass in the run which they totally destroyed. They now have a deep bed of coarse sand that gets turned over every couple of weeks.

[viettaclark]

Have you tried giving them garlic powder in their pellets or mash? It really does seem to work at making poo less niffy and they like the taste and it doesn't taint the eggs.
My run is all under cover now and dry poo definitely doesn't stink like wet stuff. It's on earth and I pile in loads of dead leaves so the poo gets dug in.
(Unless I've got used to the smell............ )

[4chooks]

Do you sprinkle / chuck food on the run floor? If so could be that (going stale)

As above also adding sand to the run is a very good idea and recently done it with mine, Children's play sand is very good as really thin and cheap to buy from B&Q e.t.c

Also as above suggestions covering or partly covering the run is a good idea.