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deep cleaning coop--tips??

post #1 of 3
Thread Starter 

I'm ready to deep clean after a season of DLM.

 

After I remove everything, what's the best cleaner to use?  I was just going to get a little dish soap & hot water & scrub the insides down with a scrub brush.  Any other tips for cleaning?  I have vinegar around; I know that stuff is good for everything. 

 

Thanks!

My daughter & I have easter eggers, plymouth barred rocks, and a welsummer in my backyard in the suburbs of Denver.
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My daughter & I have easter eggers, plymouth barred rocks, and a welsummer in my backyard in the suburbs of Denver.
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post #2 of 3

I too need some tips. First time using it and I LOVE the DLM! My chickens layed at least 3 eggs everyday over Dec and Jan. Then started laying like crazy in Feb. :) Now getting up to 11 eggs a day.

"Breeding Quality Rhode Island Red's and Black Sexlinks"
Mother to 19 chickens, 1 dog and 1 cat. 

Getting 1 to 3 eggs from my girls! Cannot wait to get off those nasty store eggs.

 

 

 

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"Breeding Quality Rhode Island Red's and Black Sexlinks"
Mother to 19 chickens, 1 dog and 1 cat. 

Getting 1 to 3 eggs from my girls! Cannot wait to get off those nasty store eggs.

 

 

 

Reply
post #3 of 3

Now, I am a newbie (coop is arriving today), so take this with a grain of salt. 

 

From what I've read, the idea of the DLM is to let the bedding do some composting all winter, with the chickens "turning it" when they scratch, and let the good bacteria (few bacteria are really harmful) break things down.  It would probably be best not to do a very thorough cleaning, or you are just removing all the good bacteria that you got established over the winter.  Some things I've read suggest only removing only part of the deep litter bedding at a time, leaving some to keep the good bacteria established.  

 

While I am new to chickens, I am a biologist and I used to run a lab where we had many saltwater and freshwater tanks.  Knowledgable fish owners never remove all of the water, but keep some of the old to keep the good bacteria at work.  The animals are different, but the principles are the same.  There are billions of bacteria around all the time, trying to eliminate them only throws off the natural balance.  Let the good ones work for you.  

 

That being said, vinegar is great to clean things that must be cleaned (poop covered roosts, food dishes, etc.).  It is really safe and not over-kill.

Owner of: 1 Great Dane, 1 Yellow Lab, 2 house cats, 4 barn cats, 4 horses, 2 calves, 21 chickens, and 1 very patient husband 

 

By day we are both family nurse practitioners.  By night we run Nutwood Farms in NE Ohio, a small hobby farm and horse boarding facility.

 

Expecting our first, long-awaited child in December 2012!!!!!  

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Owner of: 1 Great Dane, 1 Yellow Lab, 2 house cats, 4 barn cats, 4 horses, 2 calves, 21 chickens, and 1 very patient husband 

 

By day we are both family nurse practitioners.  By night we run Nutwood Farms in NE Ohio, a small hobby farm and horse boarding facility.

 

Expecting our first, long-awaited child in December 2012!!!!!  

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