Coop clean out

[Our6chicks]

I’ve seen a wide range of answers for this one. My coop is 6x7. I have 9 chickens. I use hemp bedding in my coop. I clean the poop every morning from under the roosts. They occasionally go into the coop during the day. These poops I leave be and just turn the bedding over. I have a good 3-4” of hemp. I had planned on completely cleaning out twice a year. It doesn’t smell. It’s dry. Is that enough? Should I clean it completely out once a week? Month? Picture of chicken and bedding below. TIA

 

[tripletfeb]

As long as it doesnt smell or get wet, its fine. I use pine shavings in my coop and only clean it out twice a year. I put more bedding down as needed and the chickens turn it for me. Its called the deep bedding method

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

I cleaned my coop out once, about 2.5 years in. I plan on cleaning it out again this fall. Deep litter method on dirt floor.

 

[tripletfeb]

Thank you! That’s what I was aiming for and then I read (from my vet) it should be once a week so I felt like a terrible mom.

If it does not smell or get wet, once a week is a waste of time, in my opinion. Especially since you scoop poop every morning. I don't even do that!

 

[Ascholten]

The biggest issue you will have, is if you have a period with a lot of rain, like we have in Florida here sometimes, we can go a week with really crappy rainy weather. In those times stuff can start to get moist and the coop can get a bit dank in there. As long as there is not any standing water you should be ok, but then it may be a bit more important to keep stuff cleaner. Id also venture to say on days like that, the birds may want to spend more time inside as well, meaning more poop IN the pen .vs. elsewhere.

You can always throw fresh hay / straw / shavings etc on top of the old stuff too if it's starting to get overly moist or worry some. While new over the top of old is NEVER a good alternative to cleaning if you truly have an issue, it can help temporarily until things dry out or you do get a chance to clean it properly if needed.

Another point of concern I'll say is, if you have a bird that is sick or got the squirts, you'll want to get that out of there, scoop that turd up and out instead of covering as that can get you into trouble fast if you let a sick birds droppings fester / mold up and possibly infect others.

Aaron

 

[aart]

Great! Now I don’t feel so bad. After I pick up their turds in the morning, I do a quick turnover for any I missed. I also use Coop Recuperate. Pictured below. It dries poop up and refreshes.

Save your money......this is basically snake oil.

I thought leaving the poop in to compost and create warmth in the winter was the point?

That rarely actually works, plus with adequate ventilation heating the coop in any way is moot.


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.

 

[RebeccaRN]

If it does not smell or get wet, once a week is a waste of time, in my opinion. Especially since you scoop poop every morning. I don't even do that!

I thought leaving the poop in to compost and create warmth in the winter was the point? I use hemp also and a hand rake to turn the bedding a couple times a week. If there is a lot of poop I scape off the whole top layer of bedding and put fresh on top, throwing the scraped off layer in the compost pile.

 

[3KillerBs]

I'm an empiricist.

I clean my coop when the poop-to-shavings ratio looks too high to my eyes and/or when I detect an odor. For my current setup this means between 4 and 12 weeks, depending on weather and exactly what I'm using as bedding. (See thread here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/winterizing-coop-and-pen-nc-sandhills-version.1431885/)

I don't scoop poop, but I'll throw some scratch in to encourage the chickens to turn the shavings a couple times a week and, if necessary, I'll use the pitchfork to break up any crusted areas.

 

[Dhkoenig]

I am like you - I go out and scoop it every morning (both the run and coop - tho I hear most people like the deep litter method I prefer to pick it out) and I do a quick once-over before sun sets. BUT....I have heard of people putting a board under the roost- I forget what it is called but it is essentially a board covered with contact paper that rests on a little ledge on either side so you can take it out. people take them out, scrape'em down and that's that! I have been too lazy to try and I creepily enjoy scooping poop in the coop because they think I am the poop fairy and the come sit on the roosts and talk to me while I do it LOL

 

[Our6chicks]

As long as it doesnt smell or get wet, its fine. I use pine shavings in my coop and only clean it out twice a year. I put more bedding down as needed and the chickens turn it for me. Its called the deep bedding method

Thank you! That’s what I was aiming for and then I read (from my vet) it should be once a week so I felt like a terrible mom.