Sorry you're experiencing this. We've had it in two different houses & in our last home, we started having flies so I read on the internet & apparently that can happen after the critter has died...ick, huh?!!

we had to have someone come and spray into our attic as they never could find what died, but that took care of things.

The smell is very specific and very bad. I couldn't find anything that would get rid of the odor. Let us know if your DH finds anything. It was weird, because I could smell it most in the dining room wall, next to a coat closet...thought I was losing it at first, until we figured out what was going on.

Good luck!!

Jen, You know what is kind of weird is that last night I had a strange dream about being in a friend's house (the dream was fuzzy and I can't remember who the friend was) that had the smell of a dead animal in it. I have never had a dream about anything like that before. do do do do, do do do do (Twilight Zone music)

Uh...hmmm...I think you should canvas the neighborhood for a very small child...offer him/her candy...or a video game...or something all small children want...then lower said small child down in the chimney. Unique idea I know but still...can't have a "ewww" odor ! Sorry...I am so bad.

It might be chimney swifts. We had them in our other house. There was a whole nest of babies. They did not die in the chimney...DH was able to get them out first. We then capped it with the metal wire mesh thingy that you should have over it. Works like a charm and allows you to use the fp. We used ours all winter. Why don't you use yours ? If they are coming anyway have them fix it so you can use it. Very romantic :) c

Heavy plastic, duct tape, and spray Lysol (or similar). Cover the opening with the plastic and secure it with duct tape to help stop the odor from entering the room. Spray the room with something like Lysol to overpower the dead-animal odor. Call a chimney sweep.

A couple weeks ago while walking the dog I heard a bird thrashing around a sealed downspout of a house. No answer to my knock at the door. Went home and grabbed some tools and went back and cut open the downspout and gave the bird a hole to fly out. There is no way I could listen to an animal thrashing around and not do something.

Metal mesh things rust out eventually and allow critters access...
I have oepned my flu and had a dead bird drop out....and in cleaning out the ash bin in the basement, there were several skeletons in the ashes!
As for now....burn a fire....lots of wood and burn it for a while....and the smell will be gone!....also anything else living in there or thinking of living in there will be gone as well.
It could easily be a baby raccoon....
Don't ask!!!
Linda C

I'm with Linda, burn a fire. If it's a bird it might smell like chicken (wink), but that's better than smelling like death.

I know this is a fairly common occurrence, but that doesn't make it any more pleasant! I rather like C's idea of bribing a small child to do the job. Heh. ;-D

Terriks, that is a strange coincidence indeed! And now I have the Twilight Zone theme stuck in my head ... ;-)

Will see if we can somehow do as Graywings suggests and seal the opening with heavy-duty plastic (believe we've got some around here somewhere).

I'm surprised that the stench has lingered for so long, but I suppose it just takes awhile for something to fully decompose. Yuck. Oh, and we don't use the fireplace because we have no idea when it was last used - it actually has gas logs in it that were there when we moved in 8 years ago, and we were told by a plumber that they didn't look too healthy. I'd really like to have the chimney professionally swept and then either buy new gas logs and have the hook-ups inspected for safe usage, or take the gas logs out so that we can use it as a wood burner during chilly months.

...smell like chicken... Ewwwww! ;-)

I hope you weren't planning on chicken for dinner Jen. Ha ha ha.

Too bad, the chimney sweep won't do the little animal any good now.

You know how there are threads over on the old house forum and here too and kitchens where folks find cool things in their old houses and then they post pics of the "cool" thing. Then everyone always tells them they should save the " cool" thing and frame it or memorialize it in some way so the next homeowner can enjoy it too...even put it back if they want.

I think you get what I am saying you should do :) c

Jen - I wouldn't even think of starting a fire until the chimney is thoroughly cleaned and inspected. If there is any deterioration you could be flirting with disaster.

Yes, the smell is awwwwful. Sealing it for now is probably the best way to go, and open windows to get the room aired out as much as possible.

Oh my, that is sad... How about charcoal? A few bowls here and there, so long as you don't have any pets who would partake:-). I've also heard of baking coffee beans?

I don't think I would cut a neighbor's gutter open. graywings, may I ask if you offered to repair the cut? My gutter system cost me a small fortune. Just curious.

best of luck and be careful up on that roof.

I've got one of those odor-absorbing jars just sitting in the fireplace now, but it's not that effective.

Double or triple up. ;) I'd suggest 3 in the living room alone. Once had tenants leave a rental and the cooking odors that remained knocked you down when you walked in the door, no way could I show it. Instructions say one tub per 400 sq '. In an 800 sq ft area I had 4 Natural Magic tubs. In a week it was dramatically reduced, in ten days, nothing. (They do better next to air flow, too, like near a front or rear door that's used or register, etc.) It should at least keep the odor neutralized till you can figure out what to do next. Good luck!

w-i-p08, I don't make a practice of destroying property, and I knocked on the door before I started. But there was some urgency to the issue, the poor thing was flailing around trying to fly up 15 feet of pipe. The setup was a long metal downspout that met up at about 4 feet off the ground with a ceramic pipe that went into the ground. They were connected by a plastic downspout connector. I cut open the downspout connector. They cost about $3. It was great seeing that head come out, then the body. He sat on the edge of the opening for about 30 seconds and then flew away.

I did not return and offer to pay.

Too bad, the chimney sweep won't do the little animal any good now.

And, this is helpful to the present situation how? I did not begin this thread anticipating to be chastised for not "doing something." There was no way we were opening the flue to let whatever was trapped enter our house. Not with six indoor cats. No way.

Obviously I intend to take steps to ensure that this does not happen again. Or if it ever does, perhaps I can call on anyone who feels they would have "done differently" to pay the costs of extraction.

You know how there are threads over on the old house forum and here too and kitchens where folks find cool things in their old houses and then they post pics of the "cool" thing. Then everyone always tells them they should save the " cool" thing and frame it or memorialize it in some way so the next homeowner can enjoy it too...even put it back if they want.
I think you get what I am saying you should do :) c

Ha! I don't think so! I was watching an episode of Hoarders last night in which a man had saved a hawk that had "committed suicide" by flying into his house. The thing had been lying on a table for the past year. Yeesh.

Chimney Caps people. They'll prevent "things" from getting in the chimney and not able to exit.

Ugh, so sorry to hear this Jen. I think the sealing then chimney sweep is the best option, too. I first thought, light a fire, then realized...uhhhh....nooo.

Once I had a smell like mildewy wet rags in the laundry room of our old house. The LR was an addition subfoundation next to the kitchen. I'd get a whiff every time I was in the kitchen, and it was worse in the LR. So one day I peeked behind the washer and saw some rags, so I used a broom to push them out. Well, they appeared to be stuck, so I moved the washer away, knelt down and poked at the pile. URK, uncovered what was either the worlds biggest rat or a young nutria that had died back there. DISGUSTING. DH was even afraid to move it, but I could not live knowing there was a dead rat thing rotting in our house!

I feel for you, hope it goes soon and the chimney sweep can help. This is a good reminder, too...I need to get one out to do our chimney, we don't use it, but that doesn't mean something can't get in there.

Since you are not using the fireplace, could you stuff something up it...like newpapers, plastic bags or something like that. Then if possible, duct tape a piece of cardboard over the stuffed chimney hole. Leave it that way, until you are ready to use the fireplace. I would think that would seal out the odor, at least most of it. We have had birds fall in our chimney and unfortunately we have not been able to save them in time. We open the flue and they fall out. We fixed the chimney cover as soon as we could.

Ah jen: chicken !