cleaning advice needed!!!

[rhodered10]

i have 10 girls who have been in their coop for about a year now and it needs to get a good cleaning, i replace their bedding about once every month or 2, the floor is just ply wood and the walls are covered in wood panaling and so is the ceiling and im afraind it might be hard to clean and nothing is painted so any advice on how to clean it and if i should paint it or not would be greatly appreciated!

thanks!!

 

[Erebus]

I'm completely guessing, but in my unqualified opinion, if it's not rotting and it stays mostly dry you probably don't need to paint it.

Clean it out and see if there are any problems with rot. If there is you can't paint over rot because it's inside the wood. You may need to replace any wood that is structurally damaged and when you replace it do so with painted or covered wood. I think a lot comes down to the humidity of the coop and its design.

I'm by no means an expert but that's what I suggest. What do you think?

 

[Animalian]

My coop has been unpainted for two years, just oiled to help repel moisture. I used sunflower oil so it wouldn't matter if the hens ingested some somehow.

Just recently I decided to paint the inside white because I heard it can help you identify mites if they ever get them, my hens haven't. But it was looking a little scruffy in there and painting it made it look so much better and will probably give me more years of use out of the coop. Prevention is better than a cure! I also used high gloss which should help with cleaning.

But then again my hens also have a 'porch light', lavender oil in their nests for relaxation and purple 'curtains' in front of the nest boxes so they're darker (apparently purple is calming). The hens love it and it helps keep the straw where it's supposed to be (the rest of the inside flooring just gets covered with newspaper), so maybe I'm just spoiling them lol but if you're into that then paint away!!

 

[bryan99705]

Painting will extend the life of the wood and does help next time you clean. Also paint lightens the interior, helps identify problems inside the coop like bugs and critter activity, and it makes it nicer to be in for your birds and yourself. Scrub it down with bleach and water or vinegar and water and let it air out. If you have poo smell after the cleaning and airing out, you may need to seal it with Kilz if no smells then suggest painting it with a couple coats of a light color or white High Gloss Exterior latex paint, this includes nest boxes.
You'll be happy with the change paint does, makes it seem brand new

 

[rhodered10]

thanks for all of your help, it stays pretty dry in our coop except for the floor wich can get pretty wet sometimes im thinking now that i should paint at least the floor to hopefuly end this problem our coop isnt very old so i dont think painting it now would be too much of a problem as long as i scrub it pretty well, im amazed at the places they can fling their poop!! just wondering should i paint their roosts and their nesting boxes too?

 

[the Pollo Loco]

while on the subject of cleaning... what would be good to apply to the run to keep it clean and healthy for the birds?

 

[Erebus]

Well you could always use vinegar which will deodorise and provide an environment that pathogens don't grow well in. Some would recommend Apple Cider Vinegar but it's more expensive and the only real difference is the taste.

 

[Yonaton]

Why are you only cleaning "once every month or two"? There's one of the problems right there. Clean it at *least* twice as often as you're doing now and it won't be nearly as bad. If getting the "bedding" is hard or cleaning it more often is too much, then chickens might not have been a good idea. I'm 100% disabled with two crushed discs and every tendon and most muscles torn on the left side of my back. I live on a paltry disability check (darn illegals get more than me!), but I manage to have all the hay I need for the floor and change it, at the *most*, every 5 days.

And yes, if the wood needs to be replaced (I'd replace it, according to the info you've given us), paint it. Paint it on both sides and the edges also. Paint the paneling at least two feet up from the floor.

What are the roosts made of? If they're a plain 2x4, then a flat paint can help. A 'gloss' paint will make it hard for them to grip and slick when they poop on it (think grease on a brass doorknob). It's easier to just replace the roosts if/when they start to get rotten than to paint them.

What are the nests made of? If plywood, then yes, a gloss paint won't hurt them at all and will make them last a heck of a lot longer.

 

[KDailey]

How bout some linoleum or tile of some sort on the floor of the coop? The poop and stuff can't soak into the wood. You'd put the pine shavings on top of course but at least nothing would soak into the wood.

We're going to go to home depot or lowes this weekend and see if they just happen to have some extra of whatever that they can sell us cheap because it's not enough to sell in other circumstances. All we need is an 8x4 piece.

 

[rhodered10]

thanks for all of your help, i clean the coop about once a month because of our coop size and because we use an inch or two of bedding so whenever i feel that bedding is too dirty i replace it all, the roosts are just 2x4 and there are 2 of them the nesting boxes are also ply wood with a 2x4 on the outside on as a ledge (4 of them total all of them are off the ground). i am not sure if my dad would like to buy flooring for our coop (he is kinda cheap) he would rather have me paint the floor instead of having to buy more stuff and having another project to do.