Coop cleaning

[LN2008]

Hey! I need advice. I built my coop to be about three feet off the ground, on stilts if you will. I see that type of coop all over this board. I'm just wondering, how do you get in there to clean???? I have the hardest time doing it. I get about half way in and then I get stuck. Granted, I am almost six feet tall but.. yah know. Anyone have any tricks?

 

[kuntrygirl]

What type of cleaning do u do?

I have hay bedding in my raised coop, so I have to get in to remove the old hay, clean the roosts and clean the walls. I get a milk crate or chair and step in on the boards that are running on the side of the coop and the boards that are running across (about 1 or 1 1/2 foot spaced between them. I just bend down and pick up the hay and throw it out into the wheel barrow that I place on the side by the door or I will just throw it near the door until all hay is removed. Then I step on the cross boards to get out and step on the milk crate and then step on the ground. To clean the roosts, I do the same thing to enter and then I scrape the poo off of the roosts if there are any. I also wipe down the walls while in there.

It's not the best method but it works. When I first wanted the coop built, I explained to the person that I wanted a secure "trap" floor for cleaning purposes and this is why I wanted a floor that I could unlatch and drop down so I could easily remove all poop and hay. They laughed at me when I told them my idea. Now they understand why I wanted a drop down floor. Next open air raised coop will have a floor that i can unlatch to drop all bedding on the ground.

 

[chezpoulet]

I just finished cleaning out my 4x4 coop today. The human door is 3 1/2 feet wide, taking one side of the coop, and the nest boxes open from the outside , so clearing the pine bedding from the floor of the coop and nest boxes is easy- using a dustpan as a scoop, and empting the bedding into a trashcan. I actually prefer the coop raised as the floor is at waist level for me - I am 5'4. The only challenging part of doing a thorough clean is scrubbing the walls. I swept the floor, vacumned all the dust and bits of debris that are still left, used soap with a little bleach and wiped down all surfaces using a washcloth, and then rinsed it with water, THEN I half get into the coop reclining on the coop floor which is now really clean (linoleum) (yeah, at this point what is a lttle head to roost contact- just plan for a shower after ) while I finish scrubbing and rinsing the walls. By the time I was done this afternoon, the coop looked liked new ! Maybe a sponge mop/scrubber (with a long handle) will help, if you can't physically get into the coop?

 

[vclark321]

I have a chicken tractor you can see on my page and on one side of the coop the lower half of the wall is a door I pull up and keep open with a hook and chain. My girls have been very neat and only seem to poo poo in one area of the coop. I put on some disposable gloves and grab the area of hay and shavings that is covered and toss it into a bucket. I take a rake and churn the other hay and shavings, add more, sprinkle a little DE and close it back up. I only do this about once a week.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

I usually scoop out the top dirty area under roosts then add few more shavings for maintenance, and change the straw in external access nest boxes. For a deep clean twice a year I use a short handled square shovel and a hoe to pull the pine shaving toward me. Then hose out pushing remaining chips to corner with hole.

 

[Capvin]

As you can see, my coop is also off the ground and it is 8ft X 4ft. The two square doors you see in the back are my access doors and from those I can reach anywhere into the coop to clean.

 

[TN_BIRD]

A few things come to mind:

1. shorten the hen house. 3 feet off the ground is pretty darn high
2. put those cinder blocks to use and use em as a steppin stool so you can reach all the way in there
3. build some roosts so your birds roost n poop in the same spot