How often should a coop be cleaned and have the flooring material replaced

[Farmer Mike S]

I'm probably going to use the saw dust stuff, forget what it's called, for the flooring. I never really got a clear answer on how often this stuff should be scooped out and replaced. I have heard twice a year in the main coop and once a week in the nesting boxes. Twice a year doesn't sound right so I am just wondering how often the flooring should be replaced in the coop and nesting boxes. Someone also told me a technique about laying a board under the roosting bar, does anyone have more on that too?

 

[Y N dottes]

i have sand on the bottom of my coop and i clean that 1 a month...im not sure how similar sand is to what u will use, but thats what i do.

 

[cafarmgirl]

I have pine shavings in my coop over the dirt floor. I just rake under the roost every morning, the rest stays fairly clean. When the shavings start to get thin I just add more. About twice a year I totally strip everything down to the floor and re-bed with new shavings.

How many birds you have versus how much space you have will also dictate how often and how completely you'll need to clean.

 

[Cozee]

I think I'm a bit of a fanatic, but for the most part, I clean the coop once a week. I have this down to a complete method and I get it done very quickly. I have a piece of linoleum on the floor and on top of that I put a fair amount of straw throughout coop and nesting boxes. In addition, I have a 3/8 inch piece of plywood the length of the coop interior and wide enough to cover under the roosting bar. In the morning, it's an easy process to remove the plywood, take it over to the compost bin, scrap it off and but it back under the roost. Only once or twice, I failed to maintain the weekly schedule and my birds paid for my lapse by contracting a nasty case of mites. Then both the coop and the birds had to be treated and monitored for several weeks. My little ladies are always nosy when I'm cleaning their domicile and when I'm done, they love to come in and check out the new straw.

 

[Barred Feather]

We have sand on the bottom, too. We scoop poop once a week and add more sand when its needed which is about once a year. We change the nest materials once a year unless it gets soiled. Clean the entire coop with a wipe of all surfaces once a year. We average about 10 chickens.