Cleaning the Coop

[smdcleland]

Hello! I have read some conflicting things regarding cleaning the coop. Some say to do it weekly because it is not sanitary for the chickens to be in their own waste, but I've also read that building more hay on top of the waste can create good insulation for the winter. Right now it's been a week since cleaning. Should I just add more hay, or shovel the soiled hay out?

Shannon

 

[azygous]

There are reasons why cleaning a coop regularly is beneficial to your chickens. Chickens poop prodigiously overnight, and accumulation of even a few days will elevate ammonia levels and cause respiratory irritation.

And it also smells awful.

Installing poop boards under the roosting perches was the first and best tip I ever got from BYC. It allows me to easily scrape them and wash all the poop off each morning, and the coop remains poop free all day.

And it never smells bad.

 

[Sally PB]

Poop boards are coop cleaning game changers!

 

[smdcleland]

I am not familiar with them. What are they? Just boards of wood that go underneath?

Shannon

 

[Sally PB]

Essentially, yes, they are a board under the roost. This is a picture of mine. The roost is about 8" above the board, and there's about 1/2" of sweet PDZ on it.

PDZ is a granular form of zeolite, and you can get a bag of it at TSC. It absorbs moisture, and therefore ammonia and odor. The poop dries out and is easy to scoop off. Fine for organic gardening, too, if that's a concern.

 

[smdcleland]

Oh! Thank you! I will try this!

Shannon

 

[3KillerBs]

I wrote an article on my method: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/using-deep-bedding-in-a-small-coop.76343/

There are multiple ways that work.

 

[WallyG74]

You get conflicting stories because it’s all a matter of preference. If you did everything that someone on BYC said you had to do, you’d go broke.

 

[azygous]

My poop boards are made from eighth inch wood paneling, light weight but sturdy.

 

[6BeachChicks]

Can you post a picture of your coop? The poop boards sound like a great idea though!