cleaning the coop

[T Johnson]

I have recently turned or dog kennel into a chicken coop it's very large and wide. It's sits on concrete however my husband had placed a large long tub like structure in there which I filled with dirt. My concern is the cleaning up of the concrete usually I go in and kind of scrape and agitate the died poop and the sweep it up. However I was considering scrubbing and washing the concrete down this morning before daylight while the chickens are still sleep. Would that scare or disturb them you think ,And cause them to come down from their nesting?

 

[theoldchick]

Yes, you will wake them up. I perform all my cleaning/sanitizing when the chickens are out for the day. That way everything is pretty well dried by the end of the day when they come in to roost. Please remember to protect yourself while handling/scraping dried feces. Wear a mask that will prevent you from inhaling the dust and shower after doing those type of chores.

 

[T Johnson]

Thank you very much And I also appreciate those friendly but very important reminders.I just recently bought some face masks I think I will go by some more just to be certain not to run out and gloves.

 

[theoldchick]

You're welcome. And Welcome to BYC!

 

[T Johnson]

Thank you it is a pleasure to be here. I have noticed that people really know their stuff when comes to the type of chickens that they have. It was just a few years ago that I realized how ignorant I was when it came to chickens and many different types of chickens that there are, and how beautiful they can be. Today I am still a far cry away from being able to tell what type of chickens I have and I don't have a clue of where I can go to find out. It seems really complicated to me.

 

[theoldchick]

I agree-there are so many breeds of chickens and I was flabbergasted to learn people now breed chickens which are smaller than my Amazon parrots!

 

[DesertChic]

Thank you it is a pleasure to be here. I have noticed that people really know their stuff when comes to the type of chickens that they have. It was just a few years ago that I realized how ignorant I was when it came to chickens and many different types of chickens that there are, and how beautiful they can be. Today I am still a far cry away from being able to tell what type of chickens I have and I don't have a clue of where I can go to find out. It seems really complicated to me.

Learning about the various breeds has been one of my favorite things about starting my "chicken adventure". Like you I'm a newbie, now enjoying my first flock of ten chicks comprised of three breeds: Australorps, Barred Rocks and Silkies...all chosen because of their temperaments, egg production abilities and broodiness tendencies. There's a lot of wonderful info on this site under "Breeds" and you can also see color photos and great descriptions on sites like www.mypetchicken.com and www.efowl.com. The My Pet Chicken website even has color photos of the chicks. Enjoy your search!