How often do you clean out your run and coop?

[mrbstephens]

Quote:
I do just about the same exact thing. The sandy soil works for us. I just rake the run and rake everything into a pile in the corner of the run. There's really no smell or flies. This is my first year and I plan on removing the bedding from the hen houese and giving it a good cleaning in the fall and spring. I also plan on removing the raked up stuff twice a year as well and tossing it in the garden. My chickens are mainly in the run during the day, but I'll let them out to free range for a couple of hours. They spend the night in the hen house.

 

[mmtillman]

Quote:
Yes....I noticed that too...I guess when the summer comes and the heat brings on the intense oders...then 2x a year is not nearly enough

....I found that to be true in my case, anyway...

So since April I have cleaned twice already. I shovel out the entire thing... then shop vac from top to bottom....
( my girls were NOT happy about that , let me tell you !

Then I use DE and more clean pine shavings ..
(adding clean shavings each week under the roost. )
Also another tip I might add....I use 4x4 sheets of cardboard that my DH gets in the warehouse at work...I line the floor with them so removing the last of the litter is easy..I just fold the cardboard in half and pull it all out ...then vacume. This fall I believe I will use the water hose and really sanitize the entire thing before winter.....I loved that idea!

All my shavings go to the compost pile and the cycle is complete!!

 

[weaveagarden]

Quote:
Thanks for the idea. I was just sitting here wondering what to do about the floor. Cardboard would be a great way to make the task of cleaning just that much easier.

 

[kandoos]

I clean my 12-square-meter coop every 2 weeks

 

[RockyPhoenix]

i clean my coop once a month and thats with 44 chickens in an 800 square foot coop (it takes forever!!!!!)

 

[Deussendaleranch]

Range Management:
Creating a natural environment by growing Grass methodically...

I set up a programmable misting system with PVC across the top of the Pen on timers, for pens lacking good foraging grass. When the ground surface is soft, I till 6" deep, and add grass seed. I rotate the hens from Pen to Pen in order to allow good root deveopment to occur. Insects in Grass is a natural protein to the chicken, helps with their immune system, and overall health. In occupied Pens, the misting is also great for hot temps, but programmed accordingly to be dispersed at such intervals to refresh the area with just enough moisture for the Hens to enjoy.

I have installed Wood Boxes for each Hen with ladder access.
Collection of eggs made easy.

Cleaning Method:
I use 2" layer of wood shavings and costal for bedding, so that it's easy to change the old with the new each week. 1 x week, I add Bleach to water in a tank sprayer and pressure wash everything.
Then add new bedding.

Water and Food:
Water is placed in containers, checked every 2 hours to make sure it's not in the direct sunlight. Food is dispersed accordingly.

 

[cmom]

I have a poop pit under my roosts. I rake out the poop every week or two. I use a little hand shovel to clean off the roosts then sprinkle them with DE and take a brush and brush them good. My top roosts stay pretty clean but a little poop get on the lower ones.

 

[newchicksnducks]

I'm still new to this...only had the "girls" in the coop for a little over 2 months. I've yet to clean the coop, but have cleaned the droppings board under the roosts on a weekly or twice a week basis (depending on how long they've been inside). We started the 8x8 coop with 6-8 inches of shavings. It has since compacted to probably 4 inches. It gets stirred up periodically (mostly by the chickens themselves). I plan to add another bale soon. We'll be removing the divider that is keeping our 6 week olds separate from the 14 and 9 week olds, figure that will be a good time to add more shavings. I'm also considering adding DE,as we will soon be getting to the fall season (already!) and that always means things will be moist. There has not really been any smell. Of course, ask me how things are come spring!

 

[crazyhen]

I use long clear plastic boxes about 6 inches high with De and pine shavings in them under each roost. I add more shavings as needed. They are about 5 feet long. When they get full, I empty them in a special compost area. I know the pine shavings will not compost guickly but they will eventually. the rest of the coop I clean out about every two months. I scrub with clorox. Then add a little sevin to the dirt floor followed by lots of fresh shavings and a little DE. The hens are healthy at this time. I also clean out their nest and add chips as needed. I actually enjoy the time I spend cleanning. Odd I know. It always is nice to see it clean. The hens on the other hand fuss the whole time. They do not like changes. Gloria Jean

 

[tdkmom]

Every 2-3 days. We put sand in our coop and I definitely recommend it. Much more economical than pine chips. Just use a kitty litter scoop and scoop up the droppings into a little bucked and throw it into the garden on the end where we already harvested the beans and just have the pulled out plants composting. On cleaning day I clean off the ramp, clean the waterer & it's pan it sits in unscrew the roosts and scrub down. It really doesn't take long and the coop never smells since we switched to sand.