Cleaning the chicken coop questions...

[Ourminizoo2021]

I'm new to the entire chicken keeping so I'm trying to do as much research as possible to keep our chickens healthy. We are using our shed as our chickens home and the floor is cement , can I still do the deep litter method or does that work better on soil? Do I need to add anything accept for wood shavings? Also , we have a wrap around working bench which obviously is now a chicken hang out spot so it gathers lots of poop! Once I sweep it off should I wipe it down with anything ? Lol sorry if some of these questions are silly

 

[wyochick10]

Hi! Welcome to BYC There are no silly questions! We are all here to learn how many chickens do you have? I have 21 and I have shavings on top of a sealed wood floor. I don’t really consider it deep litter because I don’t compost anything. I have poop boards that I clean daily. I do add more shavings as needed and sometimes sprinkle some Sweet PDZ on the floor. As far as cleaning the benches, I don’t really clean stuff like that. I will scrape poop off of things and wipe down anything that will clean up easily. But you can definitely scrub it if it bothers you. Hope I answered some of your questions!

 

[black_cat]

I'm new to the entire chicken keeping so I'm trying to do as much research as possible to keep our chickens healthy. We are using our shed as our chickens home and the floor is cement , can I still do the deep litter method or does that work better on soil?

The deep litter method only works on soil, and involves the bottom layer of the litter composting. The deep bedding method is different, and if you're interested in the DLM, the deep bedding method may be for you. Here's a great article by @3KillerBs
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/using-deep-bedding-in-a-small-coop.76343/

 

[Brooks_]

I agree with @black_cat. Deep bedding is what you're looking for.

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC. Where, in general, are you? Climate matters and we'll give better advice if we know what sort of weather and predator load you're likely to be dealing with.

@black_cat already mentioned my article. I hope you will find it informative.

@aart also has some useful information about cleaning -- using poop boards in a slightly different manure management system. Your workbench might lend itself to being turned into a poop board.

Is this shed the chickens' permanent home or a temporary residence until you build a coop? One nice thing about concrete is that it's safe from digging predators. But one common problem with sheds is that they need a lot of additional ventilation.

If you post photos and dimensions for your chicken facilities we'll help you figure out how best to make it a healthy environment for a happy flock.

 

[Brooks_]

Welcome to BYC. Where, in general, are you? Climate matters and we'll give better advice if we know what sort of weather and predator load you're likely to be dealing with.

@black_cat already mentioned my article. I hope you will find it informative.

@aart also has some useful information about cleaning -- using poop boards in a slightly different manure management system. Your workbench might lend itself to being turned into a poop board.

Is this shed the chickens' permanent home or a temporary residence until you build a coop? One nice thing about concrete is that it's safe from digging predators. But one common problem with sheds is that they need a lot of additional ventilation.

If you post photos and dimensions for your chicken facilities we'll help you figure out how best to make it a healthy environment for a happy flock.

^^^^Really can't be said better.

Help us help you.

 

[aart]

Yes,pics and location please.

What kind of bedding you use may depend on how you manage the manure.
This is about cleaning, but covers my big picture

-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.
- My runs have semi-deep litter(cold composting), never clean anything out, just add smaller dry materials on occasion, add larger wood chippings as needed.
Aged ramial wood chippings are best IMO.
-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 keep it 'clean', have not found any reason to clean 'deeper' in 7 years.

 

[Ourminizoo2021]

Hi! Welcome to BYC There are no silly questions! We are all here to learn how many chickens do you have? I have 21 and I have shavings on top of a sealed wood floor. I don’t really consider it deep litter because I don’t compost anything. I have poop boards that I clean daily. I do add more shavings as needed and sometimes sprinkle some Sweet PDZ on the floor. As far as cleaning the benches, I don’t really clean stuff like that. I will scrape poop off of things and wipe down anything that will clean up easily. But you can definitely scrub it if it bothers you. Hope I answered some of your questions!

Good to know ! Thanks I have 6 and will be getting 5 pullets in August !

 

[Ourminizoo2021]

Welcome to BYC. Where, in general, are you? Climate matters and we'll give better advice if we know what sort of weather and predator load you're likely to be dealing with.

@black_cat already mentioned my article. I hope you will find it informative.

@aart also has some useful information about cleaning -- using poop boards in a slightly different manure management system. Your workbench might lend itself to being turned into a poop board.

Is this shed the chickens' permanent home or a temporary residence until you build a coop? One nice thing about concrete is that it's safe from digging predators. But one common problem with sheds is that they need a lot of additional ventilation.

If you post photos and dimensions for your chicken facilities we'll help you figure out how best to make it a healthy environment for a happy flock.

Welcome to BYC. Where, in general, are you? Climate matters and we'll give better advice if we know what sort of weather and predator load you're likely to be dealing with.

@black_cat already mentioned my article. I hope you will find it informative.

@aart also has some useful information about cleaning -- using poop boards in a slightly different manure management system. Your workbench might lend itself to being turned into a poop board.

Is this shed the chickens' permanent home or a temporary residence until you build a coop? One nice thing about concrete is that it's safe from digging predators. But one common problem with sheds is that they need a lot of additional ventilation.

If you post photos and dimensions for your chicken facilities we'll help you figure out how best to make it a healthy environment for a happy flock.

I'll take some pics tomorrow ! I'm hoping to use it permanently since we don't really need it for anything else. I did notice at the very top it has ventilation but I'm not sure if it will be enough .. I'll for sure add some pics to see what you guys think

 

[black_cat]

I'll take some pics tomorrow ! I'm hoping to use it permanently since we don't really need it for anything else. I did notice at the very top it has ventilation but I'm not sure if it will be enough .. I'll for sure add some pics to see what you guys think

When in doubt, ventilate more!! A good rule of thumb is 1 square foot per chicken, but you should really do as much as you can, both to allow for chicken math and happier chickens.