Chickens are a joy to keep and with the right chicken bedding and care you can ensure your coop stays fresh all year round.
There is something magical about keeping chickens; there is nothing better than having fresh free range eggs whenever you need them and seeing your chickens roam free in your back garden or yard.
There’s no doubt that fresh eggs certainly taste better. And if you have children, keeping chickens will teach them about caring for livestock, help to develop responsibility and will also help them learn about where their food comes from.
However, one of the most off-putting things about keeping chickens is the smell in summer as the chicken coop can quickly fill up with droppings, feathers and rotten food. However, with the right care and chicken bedding you can make your chicken coop virtually odour free, regardless of the outdoor temperatures.
Chicken Bedding - click here to buy our universal bedding from our online shop.
Chicken Bedding - How to Use It
If you want to avoid your chicken coop smelling in the summer, the chickens must first have enough space to roam around the coop.
The recommended space is four square feet per bird if they have an outdoor pen and are just kept in the coop overnight, and ten square feet per bird if they are kept in the coop all the time.
This is because levels of ammonia will build up in the air of a coop that’s too small and can make your chickens susceptible to disease.
Another way to avoid smells in summer is to check your coop to make sure there are no leaks and this will prevent a build-up of dampness. If a coop is wet for long period of time it can start to smell and cause disease.
SmartBedz chicken bedding and chicken litter is advisable for use on the floor of the coop and this can also be used in nesting boxes. Used on the coop floor, it will absorb moisture and prevent odour. A good layer of chicken bedding in the nesting boxes will help keep your chickens cosy and warm while they are nesting and will protect the eggs so that they don’t break.
SmartBedz chicken litter and chicken bedding is highly absorbent as the pellets can swell to up to four times their size on contact with moisture. It is also a natural odour suppressant so it will keep your coop fresh.
The coop should be cleaned at least once a week. However, if you use SmartBedz you can cut down on this task by spot cleaning the coop daily. It is the most cost-effective way too. By using specially designed scoop with holes in, all you have to do is just trowel out the dirty chicken litter pellets (which can be identified by their size) and the clean pellets will drop right through and back onto the floor of the coop.
Chicken coops need regular clean outs as the chicken droppings can contain harmful bacteria and if this is left lying on the coop floor and eaten by other chickens, it can cause illness.
Another way of cutting down on smells is to put the food in a container instead of on the floor and clean this container regularly so the food is not left to rot. Clean, fresh water and food will help keep your chickens healthy.
Chicken Litter - click here to buy our universal bedding from our online shop.
Benefits of SmartBedz Chicken Bedding and Chicken Litter
There are many benefits to using SmartBedz chicken bedding and chicken litter, especially during summer months.
It works to keep odours at bay, which not only provides a comfortable environment for your chickens to live in, but it is also more pleasant for the owner too, especially when they have to clean out the coop.
SmartBedz chicken litter and chicken bedding is safe to use as there are no sharp stalks that can cause injuries and as your chickens are likely to peck at it, it is completely safe for them to ingest.
Another benefit of SmartBedz chicken litter and chicken bedding is that it has been heat treated to get rid of mites that can affect the health of your chickens. In addition, it has had the dust extracted during the manufacturing process so it is virtually dust free which is not only healthier for the chickens, but their owners too.
SmartBedz is eco-friendly too as you can easily get rid of the dirty chicken litter by putting it on your compost heap.
Chicken Litter - click here to buy our universal bedding from our online shop.
