Coop & Run cleaning

[scalci]

Hello,

So its spring cleaning time and I am getting ready to give my coop a good cleaning!

Although I’m not new to chickens, the last few years I have been learning so much more about truly caring for my girls the best way (much of what I have learned has come from you amazing chicken lovers on BYC!) Long story short, I was introduced to raising chickens by my ex’s family who were- for lack of a better term- rednecks and other than changing th bedding on a daily basis didn’t really consider chickens to need much attention or as anything more than livestock.

ANYWAY-
1. Cleaning inside the coop...
I have been seeing a lot of info on how to clean coops that are large and more of a shed type of structure that has a dirt floor and sometimes even metal walls. I only have 3 chickens in my coop so I have your typical small raised coop that can hold 6. It is wood and has a metal dropping board with more wood underneath that. I always use water with some vinegar mixed in to clean the inside of the coop but I am seeing a lot of pages that mention hosing it down... is that okay for a wooden coop? My main concern is it drying in a reasonable amount of time. I do spray it with the vinegar and water as well as spray down the dropping board, perch, and removable nesting box boards. I am also not sure how to really scrub those areas where the poop won’t seem to come off!

2. The outside run...
The town I live in doesn’t allow chickens to free range on smaller properties, nor would I allow it based on the amount of dogs and wild animals running lose on occasion. So the run has really started to stink. I am thinking of starting deep litter from now on, but other than turning over the stinky dirt, what should I do to disinfect/clean the run?! I’m more worried about the cleanliness for my girls rather than the smell, and I have found lots of info about what to do to stop the smell.

 

[chickengirl778]

You can use a coop cleaner like this: 2 cups water, 1 cup cooking oil and 1 tablespoon dish washing liquid. It will clean really well, though vinegar also works great! If you just spray it down on a nice hot day it should dry within the day. Just be sure to keep the girls out and not put any bedding in before it's dry!

 

[rosemarythyme]

What is currently in the run? Just soil? If you're thinking about doing deep litter there really isn't anything to "clean" beforehand. Just add the litter materials and the birds will work it into the soil for you.

 

[chickengirl778]

Maybe scoop it out if it's really dirty too.

 

[lazy gardener]

Deep litter will work well as long as you have decent drainage, and the walls of the run are tall enough to allow 6" - 12" of DL. You should not need to do any thing other than start adding your materials. I use garden debris, AGED wood chips, spent coop litter, leaves, hay, grass clippings.

 

[lazy gardener]

I would not want to hose down the inside of a wood coop. Generally, the only time I use water in my coop is to soften the poo cement on the perches. I spray the perches with simple green or liquid Dawn and water solution, let them sit for a bit then scrape them down, follow up with some plain water. After the perches are dry, I sprinkle some permethrin on them and on the cracks between perch and wall. I might sweep down cob or dust webs, clean out some of the old bedding, and add more. DL in coop gets refreshed in spring and fall.

 

[aart]

I would not want to hose down the inside of a wood coop.

.....or any coop...except maybe those miniature green plastic ones.

How you clean depends on how you manage your manure, IMO.

-I use poop boards under roosts with thin(<1/2") layer of sand/PDZ mix, sifted daily(takes 5-10mins) into bucket going to friends compost.

-Scrape big or wet poops off roost and ramps as needed.

-Pine shavings on coop floor, add some occasionally, totally changed out once or twice a year, old shavings added to run.

-Runs have semi-deep litter, never clean anything out, just add smaller dry materials.

-Nests are bedded with straw, add some occasionally, change out if needed(broken egg).

There is no odor, unless a fresh cecal has been dropped and when I open the bucket to add more poop.

That's how I 'clean', have not found any reason to clean 'deeper' in 4 years.

 

[jreardon1918]

One year in. Seven hens, the raised coop has pine shavings on the floor. Poop boards with pdz. I plan to clean it out November. That will be the third time in 18 months. The poop boards are the inside key for me.

The run is DLM. No smell. I add leaves,cut grass. Pine shavings from the semi annual clean out.