how aften do you clean your coop

[Theda's Mom]

I like the idea of the mini-manure scoop. Equus50, which one and where would one go to get one?

I use my nose. Since my flock spends a lot of time free-ranging, I clean on a need-to basis, hence the sniff test. Like today: it's cleaning day.

 

[Sjisty]

My flock free ranges during the day, so there's not so much to clean. There are four coops, all with dirt floors. I use the deep layer method - sprinkle sweet PDS first, then DE, then lots of medium/fine mixed pine shavings. The boxes all get fresh hay whenever they need it, usually once weekly. Any surface that is poopy gets scraped daily and I do pick out soiled hay daily in the boxes. Every weekend I rake the coops, really just stirring things up a bit. I will add more DE or sweet PDS if needed and sometimes more shavings. Every now and then I will shovel down to packed dirt and start again, but I do that only a couple of times a year. Whatever gets shoveled gets spread around the back yard which is really making the grass (and weeds) grow well.

Before I tried the deep litter method, the pens stank even with a weekly shovel-out cleaning. Now with the pine and sweet PDS, nothing smells plus the DE keeps the flys to a minimum.

 

[tulie13]

I have a dirt floor coop, so I find it hard to get out "all" the poop + shavings. I'm thinking hay might be better for me, to keep the poop "on top" more for easier cleaning.

I'm also thinking about getting some 8' wide linoleum and laying it on the floor in my coop to keep everything on top...

 

[Mahonri]

We sweep and mop the coop floor every week. When you put DE down with the shavings, it makes for an easier cleanup on a linoleum floor.

 

[eggsforsale]

Some of you may not agree but...
I have a dirt floor in my coop (wouldn't change it for anything) and use the deep litter method with pine shavings. I love it!!! I just rake it around a couple times of the week. It all seems to be breaking down just fine. No moisture problem at all. I haven't replaced the shavings all summer and hope to keep them there through the winter to create some heat and change it out only once or twice a year. I add some new shavings now and then. We have 8 chickens, 8x10 coop plus a run and they part time free range. Almost no smell, very few flies, (lots of ventilation). Here in Idaho we have almost no humidity. Very dry. I think that makes a huge difference in how you manage your coop. It is not a sterile atmosphere in there but it is working great and is an attractive and healthy setup.

 

[tulie13]

Quote:
I live in Florida, so it's not very "dry" here.

I don't think the deep litter method is good to use in humid environments. But I would definitely think about trying it if I lived in a less humid place!

 

[LizzyJo]

Whay is PDS?

 

[lavacaw]

I think I have stumbled on the largest OCD enclave in the country! You guys do not talk to my chickens! There is no way with the cows, horse, dog, cats, turkeys, rabbits, I have that kind of time to clean. I throw in a little extra wood shavings from time to time and thoroughly clean out the coop about twice a year. I put DE in with the fresh litter. There is rarely a smell and I live in hot humid south Texas. Flies have never been much of a problem because things generally stay on the dry side unless we have one of those rare years with lots of rain. My nesting boxes are lined with hay and wood shavings and I only change them out if the chickens decided to use them for poo instead of eggs - but that doesn't happen much. My eggs are clean and my chickens are healthy (in 18 years, I haven't lost one to disease). I figure that's the best I can hope for anyway!

 

[stephhassler]

wow - seriously - I was beginning to feel like some kind of slob until lavacaw's post. I clean twice a year - spring and fall. I put sawdust in the nest boxes and those get cleaned as needed. wood shavings on the floor. I did have to add more ventilation last winter, but otherwise I've had no problems. I can't imagine cleaning more than that. However - my chickens do free range all day everyday. last fall's coop cleanings went on the garlic patch. i just harvested the garlic last week - it looks great. all that chicken poo mixed with wood shavings was great compost/mulch!

 

[cmom]

I have a poop pit under my roosts where my birds seem to poop the most while they are roosting. I rake it out once a week and it goes into a compost pile. I don't have any litter in the hen's house during the summer so I do go in ever day and give it a quick clean. In the winter when I have litter in the hen's house I don't clean as often. I do sprinkle a little DE around every day. I do have litter the pullets coop and once a month I change the litter and also sprinkle DE in it every week.