Coop cleaning

[JOSEPHC]

I have a 4’x 5’ coop, with a side door at waist height. I open the door and remove the droppings every 3 days using a small kitty scoop. The pine shavings are 2-3 inches deep and there are three roosting poles. I have been sick for two weeks and could not do the cleaning. The droppings and the pine shavings are now hard as a rock. The nesting boxes fortunately were not affected. I am wondering if there is any other cleaning methods such as liter linings, pans, and other techniques (beside the deep liter method) that I can use as part of the regular cleaning. I am fanatic about keeping the coop clean and want to continue to maintain it droppings –free as much as possible. Thank you!

 

[cavemanrich]

Just use a stronger tool like a small shovel, get rid of the hardened, caked on layer, The go back to your old routine.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I keep a small garden hoe (the kind you would have to be on your knees in the garden to use) in the coop to use for those stubborn spots. It works very well.

Glad you are feeling better.

Babs

 

[donrae]

Sounds like you need to read the threads on poop boards. Basically a removable board that goes under the roost and catches the majority of the poop, you take the board out of the coop and clean it, then put it back. Several good threads here on them.

 

[Mtn Laurel]

I'm guessing your problem is frozen poop. I do deep litter so poop is not normally a problem for me but I do remove poop from the roosting boards and throw it into the litter on a daily basis. Right now it's frozen solid and won't budge.

The only way to resolve the issue is to watch the temp and run outside the minute it hits above freezing. Sometimes you can get lucky if it's being hit by sunlight and remove it while it's still slightly below freezing.

The good news is that it doesn't smell while it's frozen.

 

[TalkALittle]

If you don't want to (or can't) install a droppings board under the roost, consider putting a floor liner in your coop. Slide some plastic trays that are used for wire dog crates into the coop. Then when it's time to clean, just slide them out and scrape into a wheelbarrow or trash barrel. Because they are plastic and somewhat flexible, it's easier to chisel any frozen/dried poop off of them. Weather permitting, you can hose them off too.

Or you can use a couple of those plastic boot trays that are about 24" long and place them end to end under the roost with a light covering of whatever bedding/litter you use. Each morning empty the poop/litter into a bin, put them back in place, and replace the light covering of litter. Again, they are flexible plastic so you can flex them to help loosen any frozen or stubbornly dried poop. Their smaller size lets you just bring them into your basement or garage for a few minutes to thaw if needed. Removing the nightly deposits of poop will drastically cut down on how often you need to do a total coop clean. Also, removing the majority of the poop each morning will prevent them from walking through it and tracking it around the rest of the coop and onto the roosts and nest boxes.