Cleaning the hen house? How often?

[garngang]

this is what i am doing too. the deep litter method with pine shavings. havent used any stall dry yet but im getting ready to. without it i havent had a bad smell but there have been more flies than i would like. so im headed to get some stall dry this weekend.

 

[AmyBella]

I actually do poo patol every morning! My girls are in an A-frame tractor, so the coop part is upstairs. I have an old pair of kitchen tongs and I pick up all the poop and then fluff up the hay. I change the hay once a week.

 

[yellowchickensmomma]

During the summer I use the grass clippings from the yard. I change it every Saturday when my husband cuts grass. Changing it weekly keeps the stink out. Winter time I will use hay.

 

[silky ma]

I talked to my vet.. since I was not sure wether to use sand or shavings.
He said 3 inches of sand with a change out every 6 months.
Take old and rinse and bake in the sun before using again. Adding
DE to the sand is good idea.

I asked him about pine shavings or cedar shavings. He said both were okay if watched and cleaned out if a smell starts.

I have a 4x8 house with a herculiner - over wood-floor so I can wash it out as needed. In the summer I like using newspaper.
I always have alot stacking up , equates to an easy clean up-just fold up -remove and add to the compost heap. I also shredd some for the boxes. The girls seem to luv it.

 

[jcabanis]

I am using a modified deep litter method. my coop (a former garden shed) has a dirt floor, covered with chicken wire. I put down a layer of plastic (to make it easier to pull the used litter out), then a deep layer of pine shavings. Every day I go in and toss handfuls of fresh pine shavings over the poopy spots. I also sprinkle food grade DE on the perches, nests and floor about once a month. I spray the walls, perches and nests weekly with Poultry Protector. (enzyme based product). Every six weeks or so (less often in winter) I pull out all the shavings and dump them far from the house in the orchard - not the compost heap, wood shavings are not good for that. Put down more DE, and start over. I have not had any insect problems. The coop does not smell - often I'm surprised how pleasant it is in there, esp. when I have fresh hay for the nests.
I've only had one hen die of illness and I think she might have eaten something poisonous. The chickens freerange most days: this helps keep the house and yard cleaner, and keeps them healthier.

 

[mlm1965]

I have started using the abate xp, it seems to work, you only use a tablespoon to 3 to 5 gallon sprayer. But that was too much for my little coop, so I use a 16 oz spray bottle with 1/2 tsp. seems to work for me as it breaks the poo down too. It is safe for all animals according to the website. Let me know how it works for you!

http://agritectx.com/abatefrm.html