Cleaning my Coop [???]

[equinehugger3]

I incubated eggs for the first time, and they hatched about 3 months ago. We bought a coop not long ago, and I spray painted it. [LOOONG before the chicks were put in it for the first time] Now it's getting kinda messy. There's not anything on the walls, but the bottom is getting a little soiled with droppings. [Remember, this is my first time with chickens] I wasn't sure If i should rake the bottom or what. I mean, the problem with raking is that I have chicken wire on the bottom to keep out predators, so I wouldn't be able to rake. Should I just put some dirt over the chicken wire so I could rake, or what? Again, this is my first time, so I probably seem like an idiot for not knowing this.

Thanks!

Pip

Peep

Yanna

-My coop from a weird angle. I woulda got it from right in front but there's a tree in the way of where I'd have to stand.

-That's the inside of my coop. All the droppings and stuff are on the bottom.

-Those are my three little chickies in the outside part of their coop. It looks kinda small, but I let them out a LOT.

 

[luvchicks8]

I use a scraper like for ice on window to clean off stuck on mess?

 

[awesomefowl]

wood shavings or sand.

 

[elmo]

Looks to me like you could just let the birds out first, then drag that little coop onto a fresh piece of ground.

 

[gryeyes]

I highly recommend pine shavings, and using the deep litter method. You only clean out the coop twice a year. In between, you just rake out the big stuff now and then, and the chickens stir up the litter/shavings just by scratching in it. Just add more shavings every once in while. You start with about four inches of shavings. By the time you do your semi-annual clean out, there's probably six inches of little. And it doesn't stink. Especially if you toss in some food grade DE (diatomaceous earth) every now and then.

 

[chikeemomma25]

I do the same thing. I filled the bottom of my coop with a few inches of shavings layered with DE. I went to kinda clean it out last week since it had been about 6 weeks and felt silly....I used a hoe to scrape at it and it was all so dry! I just scraped some of the top layer with the big stuff on it and tossed it in the compost, sprinkled on some DE and added some more pine shavings. It is amazing, it doesn't stink at all! I would probably do that in this situation. That way you only have to "move" the coop 2 times a year. HTH

 

[equinehugger3]

Thanks! I think I'll go with pine shavings, but I have one question. Do you have to order DE online, or can you pick it up at like Farm and Fleet or something?
[Jeez, I sound so stupid

]

 

[chikeemomma25]

You can order it online through different places but the shipping is usually high. You just need to check around. Make sure it is food grade. I had to hunt a lot but I found a woman who orders it for her goat farm and she orders a bag for me. I paid $25 or so for mine. You can check with a feed store. I did a search through a company online for dealers in my area. It's great stuff! I wish I could remember the company. I guess you could Google it.

 

[goatranch]

I went to all my local feedstores and begged them to order it. I offered to prepay if I needed. They finally got tired of talking to me, so I had a bag 2 days later. Be sure it is food grade. They can order it, they just won't carry it.

 

[goatranch]

Mine was $30 dollars for a #50 bag. I am in Nebraska. They didn't charge me for shipping, they just added to their regular order.