How do you handle dust?

[Vincentville farm]

I'm certain that I'm not the only one with this problem. My coop is DUSTY. I'm wondering how others deal with this problem. I use soft wood shavings in my coop. I have two rooms in my coop and one of the rooms the bedding has turned to dirt. I used wood pellets in there for a while.
Short of taking a vacuum cleaner out there, what can I do to cut down on the dust? Any ideas would be appreciated. And the less labor requirements the better.

 

[nuthatched]

How much ventilation do you have?
Chickens are inherently dusty

 

[Vincentville farm]

I have a large window in the smaller room, a connecting door between them, and an attic vent fan in the larger room to move the air between them.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I use a leafblower and do a blow out during my annual clean out. I cover up as much as possible, all disposable clothing with pant legs stuffed in boots, goggles, N95 mask, shower cap over hair and ears. From a distance it probably looks like the coop is exploding dust out of every window and vent and door.

 

[peastix]

I'm certain that I'm not the only one with this problem. My coop is DUSTY. I'm wondering how others deal with this problem. I use soft wood shavings in my coop. I have two rooms in my coop and one of the rooms the bedding has turned to dirt. I used wood pellets in there for a while.
Short of taking a vacuum cleaner out there, what can I do to cut down on the dust? Any ideas would be appreciated. And the less labor requirements the better.

I'm one of those weird people that uses a vacuum lol.Have an old corded one with soft brush and coop close to house.

 

[Vincentville farm]

I use a leafblower and do a blow out during my annual clean out. I cover up as much as possible, all disposable clothing with pant legs stuffed in boots, goggles, N95 mask, shower cap over hair and ears. From a distance it probably looks like the coop is exploding dust out of every window and vent and door.

That sounds like fun! Hazmat suit and all

 

[perkolator]

Moisture is one of the only things that will suppress dust aside from using chemicals. Something like a deep litter/moist bedding system might possibly work if your setup allows for it, and would be the least effort on your part.

Dust doesn't bother me aside from during a maintenance session. I too have been using my leaf blower if doing any cleanout work in the coops. My Makita 18v cordless blower has a trigger lock control, which is a fantastic feature for this, allowing you to set it down and be hands-free. I first set mine to exhaust outward and create negative pressure while doing the majority of cleanout, so it doesn't generate dust with positive pressure where I'm working; then I will blow it out. Definitely mask up, you don't want to breathe in chicken funk. Tyvek painter's suit is a good idea if you won't want to soil your clothes.

 

[Vincentville farm]

Moisture is one of the only things that will suppress dust aside from using chemicals. Something like a deep litter/moist bedding system might possibly work if your setup allows for it, and would be the least effort on your part.

Dust doesn't bother me aside from during a maintenance session. I too have been using my leaf blower if doing any cleanout work in the coops. My Makita 18v cordless blower has a trigger lock control, which is a fantastic feature for this, allowing you to set it down and be hands-free. I first set mine to exhaust outward and create negative pressure while doing the majority of cleanout, so it doesn't generate dust with positive pressure where I'm working; then I will blow it out. Definitely mask up, you don't want to breathe in chicken funk. Tyvek painter's suit is a good idea if you won't want to soil your clothes.

Thank you for this idea. I will have to look into it. I clean constantly in my chicken coop with daily 'scoop the poop' tasks and go through litter this way too. I have bare plywood floors, so moisture isn't their friend.
Because of daily care, there isn't a lot to do for annual clean up. I just can't stand to see the dust all over the top of the nesting boxes and the hinged window covering.
Thanks again for the ideas.

 

[perkolator]

Ah, sorry I dunno what would work best in your situation if you're trying to keep things that clean. I try to avoid giving myself chores and just add bedding regularly with a deep dry bedding system; I only clean out once a year or less.