Coop maintenance for small shed

[Rockergirl]

We just moved our 4 (19 week old) chickens to a small resin shed that we bought, their pre-fab wooden one just didn't seem big enough. The shed is a walk-in, 4x6 . How would you handle the clean-up/maintenance? In their old small coop, it was one of those with the slide out floors. I used to put a pee pad on the floor and cover with straw, then about every 2-3 days I would roll up the pee-pad and throw it away and start over. With this new shed being a walk in with much more floor space it seems a bit expensive and time intensive to cover the floor lay chips/straw on empty it out every few days. Would you treat it more like the the run? We have the coop attached to the run and with the run we do the "deep litter" method with hemp. We just periodically flip the hemp to cover the poop and sprinkle new hemp on top. Plan to do one a year deep clean of the run. The method seems a little stinky for an enclosed shed/coop though....any suggestions, recommendations? I'm thinking of doing a smaller version of the deep litter method in the shed/coop but how often would you fully clean out the hemp and put in new hemp? My goal is low maintenance but healthy for the girls.....

 

[Tookie]

That prefab was definitely too small! Their new coop is much better, nice and roomy!
You might want to look into poop boards, their very easy to clean.

 

[rosemarythyme]

A few options: 1) poop boards, 2) deep bedding (where you'd layer dry litter over the poop as needed for X period of time, then clean out), or 3) you could spot clean the area right under the roost regularly and leave the rest of the bedding in place until you do a big clean out.

Your run maintenance sounds more like deep bedding (#2 above) so if you like that, you might try it in the coop.

I do #3 above. I have 10 birds in a 6x10 coop and clean out bedding once a year. Used bedding goes straight into the run where I do deep litter (multiple types of layered organic matter, moist composting, no need for clean out).

 

[aart]

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.
- Large flake 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 9 years.

 

[Folly's place]

Our coop and small roofed run are on an old concrete foundation, so it's all done as deep bedding, with mostly bagged shavings, and cleaned out maybe twice each year. Easy!
I don't do poop boards because there are so many roosting places it would be useless. Because the concrete is cracked in several places, we have rubber stall mats over most of it under the shavings. Easier to clean out, and keeps the floor dry.
With good ventilation, and waterers not leaking, it shouldn't be wet in there.
Last year i finally bought a couple combination thermometer/ hygrometers, and it's been good to see how the inside humidity compares with outside.
Mary

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC. Where, in general, are you? Climate matters.

I'm a fan of Deep Bedding and Deep Litter: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/using-deep-bedding-in-a-small-coop.76343/

 

[henless]

My current coop is a 6x8 storage shed with an 8x20 attached run. I cover the floor in shavings and have a poop board under the roost with sweet pdz. Occasionally there will be some poop on the floor, but not very often. When that happens, I'll just scoop it up and add to the poop bucket which goes into the compost. The coop never gets "dirty" unless I'm raising chicks under the roost, then I'll do a clean out when they graduate into the coop. When that happens, I'll toss it all into the run.

My chickens spend most of their time in the run. They only come into the coop to roost, lay eggs or see what I'm doing. The run has shavings, leaves, pine straw and garden leavings for litter. I never clean it out. Since it has a tin top, it never really composts down. I'd have to water it a lot for that to happen.

 

[Happy hen lover]

I also do number 3 poop boards and deep litter . I put mini pine shavings in poop board and sift it out with cat litter scoop when needed. Coop floor is same shavings and only emptied once a year. It doesn't smell. I love the poop board as once they are grown most all of their poop is in a line under roost.

 

[Rockergirl]

Welcome to BYC. Where, in general, are you? Climate matters.

I'm a fan of Deep Bedding and Deep Litter: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/using-deep-bedding-in-a-small-coop.76343/

Thank you! I live in North Carolina (Raleigh). Summers are typical 90 degrees and upwards. Winters are cold but not often below freezing during the day - very rarely see snow, have the occasional ice storm. We started the deep litter method for the run (although I think I just learned it's more likely the deep bedding method) and I'm hoping to do something similar in the coop - but probably do a good clean a little more often than I would for the run. The poop boards do seem intriguing....I just have to figure out a way to put them up without hurting the walls of the shed....I just feel like it will get steamy inside the coop/small shed if I don't clean it up a little more often....

 

[Folly's place]

If it's steamy, there's not enough ventilation! The resin sheds I've seen do work well for the birds, but they need more window openings and venting.
Pictures?
Mary