How often should I clean my coop?

[Jenna14Chicken]

I now have 8 chickens, six are almost 9 weeks old and the other 2 are almost 3 years old. They are all living together in one coop. So I'm wondering how often should I clean it out?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Some people partially clean every day, scraping droppings boards or scooping poop and do a serious cleaning weekly or monthly. I scrape my droppings boards every two to three weeks and totally clean out the litter on the floor every three or four years. There are a lot of people in between, I’m kind of on an extreme. There is no one answer for this question. If you can describe your set-up including what your coop looks like, urban or rural, coop size and run size, a bit about your cleaning philosophy, climate, and such maybe someone in a similar situation will tell you what they do.

By philosophy I’m talking about how much of a germophobe you are. Some people believe in living in a sterile vacuum, keeping everything extremely clean and sanitized, slopping on sanitizer to their hands every few minutes whether it is needed or not. I believe in exposing the chickens to their environment and strengthening their immune system so they can better handle things when they come into contact with them. Different philosophies, we are all unique in our own ways.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

It's a personal choice. However I think it should be clean enough that the chickens don't have any build up of smell. Also, since I like to let them sit on my lap and stuff I prefer not to have them walking around in poop. So I at least scrape down the roost because they poo on it while hanging out, not while sleeping.

 

[junebuggena]

Some people partially clean every day, scraping droppings boards or scooping poop and do a serious cleaning weekly or monthly. I scrape my droppings boards every two to three weeks and totally clean out the litter on the floor every three or four years. There are a lot of people in between, I’m kind of on an extreme. There is no one answer for this question. If you can describe your set-up including what your coop looks like, urban or rural, coop size and run size, a bit about your cleaning philosophy, climate, and such maybe someone in a similar situation will tell you what they do.

By philosophy I’m talking about how much of a germophobe you are. Some people believe in living in a sterile vacuum, keeping everything extremely clean and sanitized, slopping on sanitizer to their hands every few minutes whether it is needed or not. I believe in exposing the chickens to their environment and strengthening their immune system so they can better handle things when they come into contact with them. Different philosophies, we are all unique in our own ways.

x2
It really all depends on your set-up, it's size, and how many birds you have.
I use a deep bedding method, in a 10x8 shed, housing 33 birds of varying ages (about half are cockerels that will not be staying long term), and clean out the bedding every other month or so.

 

[Jenna14Chicken]

ok thanks, my coop is not very big I wish it was bigger but since I'm still a kid and living with my parents it's up to them and they don't think they need any more space. The inside is 6X2 feet I have 8 birds and the outside is really big I'm not sure it's size but they have plenty of outside space. I like things clean but I'm not a germophobe I add straw every few days but I'm not sure when I should clean it completely out. What do you think every week, two weeks, etc.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

I now have 8 chickens, six are almost 9 weeks old and the other 2 are almost 3 years old. They are all living together in one coop. So I'm wondering how often should I clean it out?

As stated above...your cleaning schedule is a personal thing, but a very important part of your flock hygiene.

I have a small flock of layers, and I use a deep litter system. I use wood shavings in the coop, nest boxes and the run. I clean my coop twice a year, once in the early fall and again in early spring. Everything goes into the garden, and I open the gate and turn my girls loose after final harvest.

I don't like messes, so I feel like I clean and pick up stuff almost daily.

Chickens are not a lot of work once your infrastructure is in place and established.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Still working on my infrastructure.... wish I could do deep litter, but feel it might be futile here in the Pacific Northwest.

Honestly, I feel like 12 square feet of coop space is terrible for 8 chickens. Even if it is your parent who decide how much space they are willing to provide, it is you who decides how many chicken to squeeze inside. While your chicks are 9 weeks old, they are going to get bigger and hormones will kick in. You may end up with feather picking and other issues, especially at roost time seems like havok breaks out for a little while when they are jockeying for roost position. Do you get bad weather? Rain, snow, heat? Does your coop have sufficient ventilation? Is your outside space covered? My chickens like to hang out in the coop by choice, but probably not if they were crowded, hot, or "cooped up" from rain & snow. Maybe if you provide extra activities and enrichment they will be fine. That small of space and that many chickens, I would be coop cleaning daily... at least poo boards, but it doesn't sound like you have the space for those.

I know chickens are exciting and chicken math gets all of us. I don't mean to be discouraging, but I would consider re-homing a few of those.

I am sure you are treating your chickens well and want the best for them. You will figure it all out.

Best wishes sincerely for you and your flock!
~Alyssa

 

[Jenna14Chicken]

Still working on my infrastructure.... wish I could do deep litter, but feel it might be futile here in the Pacific Northwest.

Honestly, I feel like 12 square feet of coop space is terrible for 8 chickens. Even if it is your parent who decide how much space they are willing to provide, it is you who decides how many chicken to squeeze inside. While your chicks are 9 weeks old, they are going to get bigger and hormones will kick in. You may end up with feather picking and other issues, especially at roost time seems like havok breaks out for a little while when they are jockeying for roost position. Do you get bad weather? Rain, snow, heat? Does your coop have sufficient ventilation? Is your outside space covered? My chickens like to hang out in the coop by choice, but probably not if they were crowded, hot, or "cooped up" from rain & snow. Maybe if you provide extra activities and enrichment they will be fine. That small of space and that many chickens, I would be coop cleaning daily... at least poo boards, but it doesn't sound like you have the space for those. 

I know chickens are exciting and chicken math gets all of us. I don't mean to be discouraging, but I would consider re-homing a few of those. 

I am sure you are treating your chickens well and want the best for them. You will figure it all out.

Best wishes sincerely for you and your flock!
~Alyssa

I no but u don't understand my life. I live my birds and yes I want the best for them and I agree that is a terrible amount of space but my parents won't make them anything bigger and i want to do it on my own but I have no material and no space. My parents bought the birds and are the ones who wanted them....I got to go I will explain later

 

[Jenna14Chicken]

...

I no but u don't understand my life. I love my birds and yes I want the best for them and I agree that is a terrible amount of space but my parents won't make them anything bigger and i want to do it on my own but I have no material and no space. My parents bought the birds and are the ones who wanted them mostly. And I want to get rid of the two older ones but that is still a terrible amount of space for 6 birds but u don't understand it's just... WE HAVE NO MONEY! I love my birds

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I no but u don't understand my life. I live my birds and yes I want the best for them and I agree that is a terrible amount of space but my parents won't make them anything bigger and i want to do it on my own but I have no material and no space. My parents bought the birds and are the ones who wanted them....I got to go I will explain later

You don't have to explain. I understand that on the outside a lot of times people don't know what's going on inside others lives. Trust me, I KNOW this.

It's like if someone is driving slow in front of you, they may have a small donut type spare tire that isn't safe at higher speeds and be on their way to the tire shop, for example. So I try to give the benefit of the doubt and in return don't suffer from road rage.

If you want to explain and get something off your chest, I'm all ears.

We all need some support sometimes. I didn't mean any judgement, rudeness or harshness. I am a caring person, not a creeper!

Whatever it is you got going on today, hope it goes well!