I have 7 hens and this is my first season raising chickens. I certainly am no expert but have learned quite a bit from research and trial/error. I too like a clean coop, but have to get used to the fact that chickens are messy and that's ok. Each week, I just remove the roost bars and ramp in their coop and run area. I scrape what I can off with a plastic paint scraper and a 50/50 vinegar-water solution wipe down. Vinegar helps neutralize the ph and urea smell and makes the poo softer to wipe off. Too much scraping and you can produce splinters, which could be a problem for your hens (bumble foot) or too much wet-cleaning you can raise the grain and humidity of the wood which will cause splinters as well. As for my coop, only the plywood floor is painted. The walls received 2 coats of Timpber Pro, a non-toxic wood preservative. As for the floor. I placed a sprinkling of zeolite under the pine shavings. It helps with moisture control and the ammonia odors. I just go in each week with a kitty litter scoop and pick out the larger bits or clumps of poop and then put a fresh sprinkling of pine shavings in the coop. The litter will break down as the chicken poo and urine have microbes in it that do the decomposing and the zeolite helps. No need to be hyper-vigilant in cleaning the coop floor and walls regularly. As long as the chickens have good ventilation, fresh air, fresh litter shavings on top occasionally, they will be just fine. Also, in my run I use oak chips supplied free by my neighbor. I go in each week, rake a bit off the top and put another wheel barrow full layer on top. No smell so far, even in this heat. The chicken's scratching works their waste into the chips which breaks down into future compost for the garden-bonus.
