Four Ways To Keep Your Coop Clean And Clean-smelling

[gsim]

Regarding the linoleum, I put mine down before I framed the walls. Much easier and for sure will never turn loose and peel inwards from the corners as linoleum can do if exposed to enough water or not installed correctly.

Regards the grass clippings, I just use the deflector on my big mower and run opposite directions to create wind-rows of clippings . (I cut around 5 acres) Then I simply rake them into piles and put in plastic garbage drums. Length does not matter. Just be sure to not put really wet clippings in the coop. They could become moldy which is a really bad thing. The normal moisture in clippings has not been a problem, since I spread them well and uniformly. In my case, I never add more than two drums full at a time, unless it is springtime and I am just putting down all new litter after my annual cleaning. IF you are in doubt, simply add it in layers. Leave some clippings on the ground overnight and pick them up the next day. Do not store them any time in a container. Mold will start. Who needs that?

Regarding pics, I have uploaded pics of my entire operation, coop, run, and even my drawings for run layout and coop design. I have not yet figured out how to put them in my page or how to add explanatory text. I can email them directly to anyone who wants them . They are stored in 'My Pictures' on my computer, so just email me and ask.

Gerry

 

[gsim]

I use an 8" stainless steel drywall knife. I also keep a 3" stainless steel putty knife and a plastic dust pan, all hanging on nails in the coop, over the nests. I keep an old broom out there too and sweep the wooden decking of the stoop each time it rains to remove poop.

Regards the poop board mounting, I just framed horizontal support arms around 2 ft long, with dead-leg braces extending downwards at an angle back into the 2x4 wall. The poop boards themselves are not anchored, but simply rest on the arms. I used a miter type cut and screws to join the two 2x4's together. It does not have to be terribly strong what with only needing to support some chickens and a piece of OSB. In the corners, no downward dead-leg brace is needed, only a horizontal 2x4 nailed to the wall studs. I have roosts at 48" ht in all 4 corners, and the poop boards on the long roosts are at 24" ht so the chooks can easily hop up to the roost in two hops. In the rear corners, there are two overflow roosts around 2 ft long each for latecomers so no pecking and fighting for space ever happens. They are accessed from the nest shelf walkway so the poop boards for those two are just 24" X 24" OSB and are easilly slid out. They are only 6" or so below the roost in these two overflow roost areas. All four roosts are at 48" ht.

Removable boards are best for small coops that you cannot enter.

Gerry
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