how often do i need to clean??

[Chickensandbirds]

I have an 8 x 12 coop. -clean it every day (scoop up any waste and rake the pine shavings around). The run is scooped three to four times per day. -dirt/sand in the run is raked every evening. -just a personal preference, I suppose.

 

[Gifa]

I only have 7 hens, so it's not a big chore to scoop every morning. There's just a little line of poo under the roost, and it takes me less than 10 minutes to do it including getting my tools, putting my tools away, AND carry the scooped poo to the compost bin. It also makes it so that the bedding in my coop stays ultra dry and lasts forever. The last time I changed the bedding, was in October. There was 4" on the floor of the coop then... There's about 2" now... so, I am due for more bedding material.

After that, we till the dirt floor of the run every 4 months just to keep it loose, fluffy and aerated to aid in the composting.

 

[Dezincarolina]

Should we have a poll? ...or would that depend upon too many variables i.e. number of chickens etc. etc. ?

 

[The Kibble Goddess]

I have a 4x6 raised coop, 5 hens and a sand over plywood floor. I scoop the poop once a week with a cat litter scooper and add a 70# bag of sand about every 3rd month. The coop stays clean, dry and odor free. I don't take it all the way down and don't ever have to wash it out. My birds have no mites or worms. If anything's amiss with the girls, it shows up quick on that sand.

 

[Tatertott]

We have 21 chickens in a 20'x8' pen. We free range in a 100'x100' area. We change our bedding almost never. Now wait and finish reading before you think we're bad owners. We use sand as bedding. And have turned a pitchfork in to a kinda pooper scooper. This way we continue to use the bedding and just scoup out the bad stuff. Works great and the chickens love it. We keep it about 6" in depth and scoup it out once a week. Use it in our compost piles and berry beds. Let me know what you think

 

[Angel16]

Thank you so much everyone! I didn't know what everyone else had in there own chicken coops! Is there anything else I could use for bedding?? And I was planing to have most the run grass and in a corner put some sand. Is this a good idea??

 

[ourcoop62108]

Has anyone ever head of putting lime on the floor of you coop. We are new at this. Currently they just have a dirt floor but someone said we should put lime down?

 

[Coopnana]

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?

 

[Coopnana]

 

[roostersandhens]

I have a coop of 12 hens, and I clean their coop (keep in mind their free - range) once a week. So for a non free - range flock I'd say maybe 2 - 3 times a week.