Coop cleaning when coop has cement floor

[Raincitykitty]

Hi! I'm new to this site and have had my backyard chickens for about a month (got them from a friend who couldn't take care of them any more). I only have two at the moment, in a new custom-built coop with a cement floor. I'm using pine shavings on the floor. My question is, how often should I clean it, and how? Should I just scoop the poopy bits out, or clean everything out and replace with fresh? I do scoop the poop from their hutch/nesting box/sleeping area every day or two (that has a wood floor) but I've been letting the main floor alone, just redistributing the shavings that they like to pile up around the edges.

Thanks in advance for your advice!

 

[Chicks Galore3]

Welcome to BYC and the world of chickens! My coop is built within the barn, and it all has a cement floor. With only 2 chickens, you won't have to all of it very often at all, especially if you are scooping out under the roosts already. (Adding a dropping board would help too.) When I used shavings, (I now use sand, and I love it.) I would scoop out under the roost weekly/when needed, and cleaning out everything two or three times a year. Look into the deep litter method if you haven't already, it makes managing the coop easier. Happy chickening!

 

[csaylorchickens]

I'd say scoop out poop daily on poop board, weekly in run, and wash floor and change shavings every 6 months with only 2 chickens is good. Even this for up to 4 is good.

 

[aart]

Welcome to BYC!!

Like many chicken care questions.....it depends.

I use pine shavings on a vinyl floor, starting with an inch deep and adding over the year....totally change them out 1-2 times a year.
But I also have poop boards under the roosts and sift the poop off those every other day.
I never, ever use any liquids to clean...my goal is to have the inside of coop as dry as possible at all times.

 

[thornhill]

How good is your ventilation? The poop gives off ammonia gas, so if you're not cleaning often and your ventilation isn't that great, the gas will build up which isn't good for the chickens (just one of the reasons why good ventilation is so important).

Is the poop also landing in a place that the chickens walk through to get to the nesting box? That's another consideration for the cleaning frequency.

 

[Howard E]

To the OP RC Kitty, can you share a photo or two of this coop? Inside and out?

Did you say you are having to clean poop from the nest boxes? If so, some tweaks might be in order.