How to Make a Chicken Coop Smell Better Fast-5 Simple Tips

Does your chicken coop smell?

There’s nothing worse than a smelly chicken coop. If you open up your chicken coop and smell ammonia fumes or a strong manure smell, this means that it needs either additional ventilation and/or the addition of fresh bedding. A chicken coop should never smell.

It is possible to keep a fresh smelling chicken coop, eliminate chicken coop odor and only have to clean it out 1-2 times each year. This article will show you how to make a chicken coop smell better using 5 simple tips.

1. Ventilation Tips for a Better Smelling Chicken Coop

How Much Ventilation Does a Chicken Coop Need?

• You should have at least 1 square feet of venting for every 10 square feet of coop floor space.

• So, if you have a coop that is 4 feet wide and 10 feet long, that is 40 square feet of coop floor space you have (4′ x 10′). If you need 1 square foot of venting for every 10 square feet of coop floor space, your coop would require 4 square feet of venting (40➗10=4).

• This can be done by providing 4 windows that are 1′ x 1′ on each of the 4 walls or 8 vents that are 6″x12″.

A WELL VENTILATED CHICKEN COOP WILL:
BRING IN FRESH, OXYGENATED AIR
ELIMINATE HARMFUL AMMONIA FUMES
DECREASE THE TRANSMISSION OF AIRBORNE DISEASES.
REMOVE EXCESS MOISTURE
REMOVE HEAT FROM THE COOP
REMOVE HARMFUL DUST PARTICLES

Best Place for Vents on a Chicken Coop

1. Place vents above your highest roosting bar in your chicken coop. You don’t want a draft on your chickens at night when they are roosting.
2. Place vents on opposite sides of the chicken coop for best cross ventilation.
3. Cover vents with 1/4″ or 1/2″ hardware cloth to keep rodents and other pests out.

2. Best Bedding to Use for a Fresh Smelling Chicken Coop

Why are Pine Shavings the Best Bedding for Chickens?

• Pine shavings are super absorbent.
• They smell good.
• They don’t clump up and matte down in the coop.
• Pine shavings compost well with manure and can be used to make garden soil.
• They are easy to clean out of the chicken coop.
• Pine shavings are readily available at most feed stores.

Chicken Run Smells After Rain

If your chicken run or coop smells after it rains, this means that it has too much moisture. I find it best to put a tarp over the top of my chicken run during the cold and rainy months.

I like to add additional pine shavings to the coop and run during the rainy weather.

During the windy and rainy months I will even put a tarp up on one of the sides of the coop to stop rain from getting inside.

3. How to Use the Deep Litter Method for a Fresh Smelling Chicken Coop

The deep litter method consists of letting the bedding and manure build up and decompose on the chicken coop floor.

It’s like having your own composting system inside of your own chicken coop. It makes owning chickens much more simple and if you do it right, your coop doesn’t smell!

How to Use the Deep Litter Method in a Chicken Coop

Step 1: Start with a clean chicken coop floor and make sure the coop has good ventilation. If the coop doesn’t have good ventilation, this can lead to increased moisture. Too much moisture will mess up the decomposition process.

Step 2: Add 3-4 inches of pine shavings to a clean, dry chicken coop floor.

Step 3: Your chickens will take care of this step. They will poop onto the bedding and then peck and scratch the bedding, turning it daily. If you find that they are not doing their job, scatter some scratch in there to encourage them.

Step 4: On a weekly basis, or if the coop begins to smell, add a thin layer of pine shavings to cover the manure. Your chickens will mix the new layer of bedding into the compost.

Step 5: 1-2 times per year, remove the bedding and manure and put it in your garden compost pile. Chicken manure mixed with pine shavings becomes liquid gold for gardeners! 1-2 times per year, remove all of the composted bedding and manure from the chicken coop.

Read my article, How to Make Garden Soil Out of Chicken Manure to learn how to do this.

PRO TIP: If you have a smelly chicken run or your chicken run smells after it rains, try adding a few inches of pine shavings to absorb the extra moisture. This will not only help to eliminate odor, but also keep your chickens from walking in the mud.

4. Using Neutralizers to Keep Your Chicken Coop Smelling Fresh

Chicken Coop Smell Remover – Neutralizing Chicken Coop Smells

• What to Put in a Chicken Coop for Smell: You can use baking soda, diatomaceous earth or lime for chicken coop smell. Sprinkle a little on the coop floor and before adding your bedding each week.

• Adding neutralizers will help to absorb moisture, decreasing the ammonia smell. They also help to eliminate lice, mites, fleas both in the coop and on your chickens.

• Moisture breeds bacteria, so less moisture in the chicken coop means less chicken illnesses!

• Chickens lungs are very sensitive, making them prone to respiratory illnesses.

• If you smell ammonia in their coop, just know that they began to smell it way before you even did. They are locked up in their coop all night, so it is important to keep the coop smelling fresh.

“Diatomaceous earth, however, can be used as a natural chicken lice and mite treatment. DE works effectively to exterminate the lice and mites but remains a safe pesticide to have come in close contact with chickens.”

Diatomaceous Earth

PRO TIP: Don’t add neutralizers when your chickens are in the coop. Wait until any dust particles have settled before letting them back in.

5. Using Herbs for a Chicken Coop Deodorizer

You can use natural herbs that you grow in your garden in and around your chicken coop. There are several that work as excellent coop deodorizers. They not only help to make your chicken coop smell good, but they also have many other benefits for your chickens too!

HERB	BENEFITS
LAVENDER	AROMATIC, ODOR CONTOL, CALMING
MINT	AROMATIC, ODOR CONTOL, CALMING
THYME	AROMATIC, ODOR CONTOL, ANTIBIOTIC, ANTIBACTERIAL, AIDS IN RESPIRATORY HEALTH
BASIL	AROMATIC, ODOR CONTOL, INSECT REPELLANT
LEMON BALM	AROMATIC, ODOR CONTOL, CALMING, INSECT REPELLANT
FENNEL	AROMATIC, ODOR CONTOL, BOOSTS EGG PRODUCTION
ROSE PETALS	AROMATIC, ODOR CONTOL, ANTIBACTERIAL, ANTISEPTIC
ROSEMARY	AROMATIC, ODOR CONTOL, RESPIRATORY HEALTH, INSECT REPELLANT, ANTIBACTERIAL, ANTI FUNGAL, ANTISEPTIC

Chicken Coop Odor Control

I have found that the herbs that work best for chicken coop odor control are the one’s that I have included in my Nesting Box Blend. I sprinkle the herbs in their chicken run, chicken coop, dust bathing areas and nesting boxes.

1. MARIGOLD
2. ROSEMARY
3. FENNEL
4. CHAMOMILE
5. PEPPERMINT
6. PARSLEY
7. MARGORAM
8. DANDELION LEAF
9. LAVENDER

CONCLUSION: How to Make a Chicken Coop Smell Better Fast-5 Simple Tips

1. Make sure your coop is properly ventilated. A chicken coop should have 1 square foot of venting for every 10 square feet of chicken coop floor space.
2. Use a bedding that absorbs moisture and also smells good. Pine shavings works best!
3. Try using the “Deep Litter Method” to help keep your coop smelling fresh. It not only is less work for you, but it is healthy for your chickens and you can use the used bedding and manure to make nutrient rich garden soil!
4. Use neutralizers such as baking soda, diatomaceous earth or lime on your coop floor and also weekly when you add additional bedding to the coop. These neutralizers not only will help your coop smell better, but they are also beneficial at killing mites, lice and fleas!
5. Use herbs to help your coop smell fresh. They not only smell good, but they also have many other health benefits for your chickens too!

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How to Make a Chicken Coop Smell Better Fast– https://www.backyardchickensmama.com/how-to-make-a-chicken-coop-smell-better-fast/