how often do i need to clean??

[roostersandhens]

Bedding: I use Pine shavings for bedding, hey works well too.

 

[earlybird10842]

It depends--when does the coop get dirty. You shouldn't clean out the coop every single day if it takes two weeks to get dirty. You should genrally clean it in half the time it takes to get dirty--if it takes four days, clean it every two days.

 

[thebrianbarno]

Where would you get pine shavings? as stefan333 said?

 

[DuginMT]

Growing up on the farm, I remember cleaning the coop out about twice per year, usually as a form of punishment, and the manure was several inches deep! And, we never used bedding. This time around, I will use a 6" layer of straw for bedding and the deep litter method. Cleaning out once per season or twice per year sounds reasonable to me. Will see how it goes. They have a good sized run too, and I only have 13 birds.

 

[newburt]

I use hay as bedding, and I plan on shoveling out the straw once a season, hose down the coop and then put new straw in. I am new to this, so am still on my first straw...The coop is 18x20 ft and I only have 10 chickens right now, and they all free range all day unless it is raining, and sometimes even then, but they stand under things. Lol. Chickens do not like the rain. At least mine don't. I am planning on adding 30 more chickens before the warm weather is gone...so then we will see how it all goes. I feel like the coop and straw the way it is might be able to go forever..Lol. Still smells more like hay, then like chickens.

I have heard and read that hay tends to be dusty and cause sneezing as chickens are very prone to respiratory problems. pine shavings seems to be the best thing. I am currently in the process of building a HUGE chicken tractor style coop so I can move it once a month to clean the spot that it sits in. It will be 8x16 and sitting on gravel. I hope it works out the way I have it planned. I want to bring some of my chickens in to this coop for the winter so I can run a light for several hours a day to get plenty of laying light for my hens. anyway, back to the subject at hand. I have heard and read that pine shavings work better and if hay is going to be used to use broom straw.

 

[lauranickerson]

I have a few coops. I've had 20 birds in my 8'x10' coop and give it a daily pick up under the roosts every morning after I let the birds out. I use pine shavings also. If I were to leave these shavings in there, adding more up until cleaning once a year, it would be a dusty environment with mites. I do a cleaning once every three months, removing all old shavings from floor and nests, shop vac the whole coop, spray Oxine disinfectant, let dry, then spray a good coat of Gardstar or Ravap over roosts, nests, walls, floor, cracks, and crevices. After it dries and new shavings are added, the birds are allowed back in the coop. Since I started this program years ago, I never have mite or louse infestations or coughing birds.

Where can you get those sprays from? That sounds like a really great way to keep the coop clean. Though, I might have to replace the shavings sooner, since I have a few ducks, too, and those are just messy!

 

[lauranickerson]

Also, is there any wood shavings that aren't safe for chickens and ducks? We trimmed all our red pines, and plan to put it all through the wood chipper, but we have plenty of other trees that we could put through it. My dad and his siblings all have land on my grandparent's old 160 acre 'farm.' It's hardwoods, with trees like maple, apple, ash, beech, oak (I'm pretty sure that's no good, since it hurts plants), cherry, basswood, poplar, then also cedar, hemlock, and pine in other spots. We also have TONS of red and white pines on our own land, lots of poplar, and some birch (we are surrounded by water

, birch love us).


I figure it will be waaaay cheaper than having to buy a bag of pine every week or so. It will save me ~$30/month...every little bit helps! Just don't want to hurt them with certain wood chips if they're bad for the birds.

Thanks!

 

[Michael Apple]

Where can you get those sprays from? That sounds like a really great way to keep the coop clean. Though, I might have to replace the shavings sooner, since I have a few ducks, too, and those are just messy!

Gallon of Oxine here: http://www.revivalanimal.com/Oxine-Fogger-and-Oxine-AH.html
Ravap EC here: http://www.jefferspet.com/ravap-ec/camid/LIV/cp/A9-R2/

I just use a 2 gallon hand pump sprayer to administer them.

I grew up around geese and ducks. My father always used straw in the confined areas and just forked it out when it began to mat, then replaced it with new straw.

 

[Michael Apple]

I am also new to this. We have a covered run (attached to our shed as a lean to). Then our coop is on the inside of the shed. I am planning on putting a deep layer of pine shavings in the coop itself, but should I also put them in the covered run?

I've always had large outside runs with grasses and soil, and a few bushes growing in them. I'm trying something outside what I've practiced for years, and that is sand. I'll add it mainly for drainage and fluffing up the soil here. In a run the size you have (thanks for that pic), I think sand would work well for you. Easy to scoop out and keep the fly population down so I hear.

 

[cluckcluckluke]

I agree deep litter. But when mites come...it's an arduous task.