cleaning my coop

[auntpeep]

I was cleaning my coop weekly. Scrapping all the Pooh and straw out and putting fresh straw down. Then I talked to the man I got my EE's from. He said cuz its getting close to winter, I shouldn't take the messy straw out. Just put fresh straw on top to build up a nice thick layer to help insulate for the winter. It sounded like a good idea. What do I know? Now my coop stinks really bad. Dah! My worry is, I took a roo back to this man. This time I went to his actual "farm". I did not like what I saw. There were animals every where. Pened up, a dozen here, 2 dozen over there. Big pens with dozens of animals in them and then smaller pens inside with a dozen or so animals inside those pens. Not a thread of grass left anywhere. It was sad. I only left the roo cuz he allowed them to run free. He went into a barn, we weren't allowed to enter and brought me a dirty pullet with twisted toes who couldn't hardly stand. I felt so bad for her! (She's doing great now. All shiny and runs around the yard with my other chickies) anyhow my question is.......how often SHOULD I be cleaning my coop. And is there truth to leaving the dirty straw for the winter to help insulate? I want to do what's best for my chickens. All advise is greatly appreciated! Thank you.

 

[Caseman]

I clean my coops every 2 weeks 3 birds to a coop..when it starts to getting cold I just add or use more straw to start with.. I believe in keeping them clean - no smell - no sick birds either..

 

[OregonChickenGal]

First, if his guy is a hoarder, for the animals sake, I would turn him in. Secondly, if you use the deep litter method, I wouldn't use straw. Use pine shavings and DE.

 

[BHyder1]

clean your coop. you will be much happier. I too use DE.. no smells and no sick chickens in 6 years. I also use pine shavings instead of straw. It is a little more expensive though.

 

[FlashPointFarm]

It sounds like this man uses the deep litter method, but I wouldn't recommend using straw for this bedding method. Pine shavings would work best. If you want to use straw, you would be better off cleaning it out more often.

 

[Tracyfeltsmills]

Oh how sad, First i can say i keep my coop spotless becpz i chose too, and my birds are happy and very healthy. I put alot of saw dust i get at a saw mill along w all my shredded paper, My poop board has a cheap tarp under it so only cleaning i do really i hose off tarp. and sweep, My bedding does'nt get dirty so i add to it and that is my insulation Never have to take any out, how said for them birds,

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

How sad for his birds! I feel so sorry for them! I use straw and clean it out every few weeks, if I dont like how it smells why should I make them live in it??

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

i just hate hearing about places like that. Some people don't think that chickens have feelings or get stressed, so just treat them like property. Glad you got that pullet from him. And, if your local SPCA or Animal Control is responsive, you might want to turn him in.

On coop cleaning, i have 7 chicken coops and pens, then a turkey coop and pen, and 2 duck pens (one with babies). For the chickens, i scrape down all the sleeping boards and tops of nest boxes every evening before they go to bed. My silkies mostly sleep in the nest boxes so i scoop out the poop and top with fresh shavings every night. With my birds that roost, i scoop out the shavings on the floor and add poultry dust and fresh shavings about every week.

i can go longer with the turkeys as i only have two. i'll add fresh straw on the coop floor every couple of days, then scoop everything out and add fresh every couple of weeks. On the ducks . . . well, that's a daily chore as they are super messy, especially those babies!

i would think, especially in winter as you will have windows closed and less ventilation in the coop, it is really important to keep things clean and keep the odors down. i've never tried the deep litter method, so can't comment on that. It's just easier for me to keep things clean on a regular basis.

 

[bigoakhunter]

I clean coops every 2 weeks. About Nov. I go to the deep litter method, using pine chips with DE sprinkled on. If you do a search on here for the words "deep litter", it will give you lots of info.

Dave

 

[PepsNick]

Depends on coop size. With my little thing, I have a "4 day clean rule" where i clean the bottom out every 4 days, and then the nest boxes every 10 days. CLEANCLEANCLEAN! don't risk cocci like I did