Lime - which one? Smell / Bug control

[jjaazzy]

I ordered Lime from my feed store last week. It's been a wet year this year and my chicken coops are starting to get a funk inside even tho we added clean layer of sand a month ago. I guess the birds have been chased inside by our daily rains and this has caused the coops to stay more on the wet side and more droppings inside rather then out.
The feed store sent me Hydrated Lime and after doing research here it says. Hydrated lime is Not the right stuff, it causes burns and respiratory problems. so I called another feed store that what they had in stock HL. So now I am getting in the car to drive 1 hour to my not so local tractor supply., to get the Ag Lime, calcium bicarbonate.
In my research I found someone say lime kills roaches too. I just moved into a house with this problem and I am desperate for a solution to that as well. I have hired an exterminator after my efforts were not 100% effective, and now his aren't really any better then mine. So some guy posted he dusted his entire yard, under and inside his home with agriculture lime and got amazing results. But no where do I read backs that statement up.
Everyone is telling me you have chickens and animals your going to have bugs. I don't believe this or was it true when I had animals in the past.
So is someone here an Lime guru? Should I use the Hydrated under my house and around my house and some inside, hope the chickens stay clear of it, and we don't have issues. And use the agg lime for the smell in the back? Or do you think the Ag lime with deal with the bugs too and in that case it's going to look like it snowed in Florida...: ) Yea I'm that desperate.

 

[Sara Ranch]

I don't have an answer for the lime. I lime my fields. I did notice a reduction in bugs in those areas. But around here, every year is different. (There are no animals in that area.)

I use the sand method in the majority of my "houses". I clean out the houses daily and don't have a smell the houses. For the spaces that have windows, I open them a bit during the daytime. Not enough to let in the rain. I also prop open the nesting box outside hatch and the people door for ventilation. Not every "house" has windows or outside nesting box hatches. -- When I first put in the sand, there was a bit of an odor until the sand dried out. But after that, nothing. --

During wet spells - a few days of rain - there might be a little wet chicken funk smell, but it's not bad or overpowering. I tend to have generous spaces for my animals (more than the recommended space per animal).

Do you clean out the coop daily?

Use a kitty litter scooper pooper picker upper?

Do you prop open the people door for ventilation?

Do you prop open the nesting box hatch for ventilation?

Do you open any windows for ventilation?

Regarding roaches - the pest guy should be alternating between pesticides when he comes. Roaches can easily drown in pans of water left out. I hear they like, really like beer, even if it's warm and stale. They "nest" in warm places, like electrical outlets, dishwashers, electronics...gotta get rid of the nest to be effective. Between having renters that brought roaches in and my folks complaining about not being able to get rid of "bugs" and a friend living in aNYC roach infested apt, I have learned a lot.

** changing pesticides works
** a cake pan with beer works (even if it's cheap beer - the roaches still drown)
** finding the nest and destroying it
** cleaning (renters were NOT the cleanest tenants; my folks don't wash the dog's food dish after the dog has eaten a wet meal...)

Please let us know what kind of lime you do use and the results.

 

[jjaazzy]

Thanks Sara for your time and tips. I have open kennels here, chain link, we don't get a winter anymore so cold isn't an issue but heat is. Yes coops are sand and water runs right through. I'm going to order more sand tho, and add it to the coops. I went to tractor supply and got the ag lime. They had 3 types. We will see how it goes.
The bug guy uses a product called suspend I think? it's a bait system. Bring to nest and they all die. The beer thing is interesting. I will tell DH I can't do it I am completely afraid of them like a maniac and I'm really exhausted by all the spraying and bombing. It's an old raised house we're working on it getting it sealed up. Never imagined it would be so hard. I think I might have a mental breakdown in the process

 

[Sara Ranch]

Naw, you'll gain experience and have stories to tell as you get older!

The house I bought was ten years new. Ya'd think it'd be sealed up tight with no problems, right? Uh, no. Every week it seems to be a new problem discovered, on top of everything else! (And yes, I had a home inspection. It didn't catch any of these problems. Stuff happens - I deal with it. Life goes on.)

I am a big fan of duct tape. I use it until I can do the repair properly. And I am a big fan of doing things correctly, the first time. Sounds like it's at odds with duct tape, but not really. Duct tape will temporarily solve the problem until I can fix it correctly.

Hang in there. Roaches will exist, inside and outside the house. Best way to keep them out is to clean. And clean. And clean. And block entrances. The poison works too, but rotate what is used. Ya know, duct tape works well to seal roach entrances & exits. *wink*

Remember - YOU GOT THIS!

 

[B Redhawk]

The only safe lime to use is Agricultural Lime, hydrous or anhydrous limes are caustic and will eat wood, burn all animal feet. If it isn't Ag lime then it is actually meant for construction use as in making mortar stronger. If you want it to go on soil or any organic material like wood, you want to be sure it is Ag lime.

 

[User395221]

What B Redhawk said above...
Don't start spreading hydrated lime anywhere.

As for the bugs, the "bug guy" sounds like he's got it covered. The best is the baits that also stop them at the nest. Having said that, if you're in Florida, you might just always have them, or be constantly having to use the baits. I used to live near Sydney Harbour and they were a fact of life. They'd run about in the streets. They just love damp places and Florida sounds like the climate they love, warm and damp.