Cleaning the hen house? How often?

[sbennett]

my husband has eight hens and two roosters in a 20x10 coup with a dirt floor. recently its started to smell SO BAD - what can he do for it? we had put shavings in there when he got the birds (about two months) but it doesn't seem to help the smell anymore. i had thought about cedar but from reading the board i found it will harm his birds so that's out.
what can we do for the smell? he has a smaller coup with just a hen, a rooster and a pheasant in it and it doesn't smell at all.

 

[Mahonri]

I have an 8 X 10 hen house w/ a linoleum floor and 19 chickens. It gets swept and mopped (with a little clorox added) EVERY WEEEK.

 

[Gin530]

What is DE that you add?

 

[Scoop]

When it stinks, I clean out the poop. That's usually 2 - 3 times a week. I put in clean straw as needed.

 

[darkmatter]

Quote:
My 8' X 12' Coop is over 15 years old on a self built brick foundation that has a dirt floor 12 to 18 inches below ground level. I only clean out the built up deep litter in the spring----that's because I want the compost fertilizer for my garden. After I scoop it out in the spring, I add all summer clippings, pine needles/cones, wood chips as I get them. I may turn the mulch over if I see it getting packed down with a spading fork or I may just throw in some scratch and let the chickens do it. The water is from the rain collected off the roof into a stock tank with a few goldfish in it to prevent skeeters. Moss and algae in the water just adds flavor for the chickens. I have between 40 and 60 Chickens & Guineas and I don't have a smell or sickness. I would think with just 6 chickens, a deep litter method would work well---just don't use straw or straight grass clippings--that will mat down. Use something the chickens like to scratch through and mix up. Adding sand will also help.

 

[JReedy72]

I clean mine out every couple months or so. I do use the deep litter method and DE. It seems to work well. My pine shavings are about 6 inches deep, and I turn them every couple of days. I add new shavings as needed, and sprinkle some DE when I do. The birds seem to have no fleas or other critters, and they are happy as far as I can tell. I am getting 4 to 6 eggs a day from my six RIRs. One thing I did not want was to have to clean out the coop all the time, and so I am thankful that this works. I just do no have the time to use straw and clean clean clean. The current shavings have been there about 2 months, and are fine. I think the poo just breaks down with the shavings as you stir, and the DE keeps the smell down and your ladies bug-free!

Jason

 

[toletiquesbysam]

I use Stall Dry from TSC, or you can use Food Grade DE sprinkle those around your coop and it will reduce the smell/flies/etc.
I have had my girls in their coop for a few months now and haven't "cleaned" it. I do the deep litter method and about 2-3 times a week I'll sprinkle the stall dry around and that helps with the smell, and about monthly I'll put in new bedding on top of the exsisting. The chickens do a good job of scratching around in the bedding when I throw in treats and all so they mix the bedding daily.

 

[jerseygirl1]

I do exactly the same as the last two posts, no smell, either, just add DE and one bag of shavings every week, turn it over twice a week and it's not too bad. No bugs, either

 

[ShaggysGirl]

I put my 16 EEs in our 12x10 coop the 1st of July. I Put in Lime, DE Hay and Pine Shavings. I add more as needed and toss it a bit now and then with a rake. I'm not planning to clean it all out till spring.
We'll be putting our 26 2 week old chicks in our 5x 10 coop next week to make room for our polish in the hutch. I'll use the same for them in there.

 

[#1California Chick]

I have 9 hens in a 4x8 coop. I have a linoleum floor covered with pine shavings & DE. I also have a poop board under the roosts, which I scrap off every other day (put the poop directly into my compost pile). With the way things are going, I won't clean it out until next spring.