How often to clean coop?

[klevesque]

We have a 10 x 10 coop with 25 chickens in it. (They are 15 weeks old. The average temp outside is 32 during the day so they stay inside all day.) We use pine shavings to cover the floor. We clean it once a week because the poop builts up and it starts to smell.

Do we need to clean it that often? What can we use to help with the smell?

Thanks for your advice!

 

[annie3001]

i clean ours everyday!

 

[klevesque]

What do you use on the floor?

 

[Kansaseq]

I clean mine when they start to look not so clean. Probably once a month or so, depending on the weather and how much time they are spending inside.

 

[teach1rusl]

Do you use dropping boards? That makes daily clean-up SO quick and easy. There's no set answer to your question. Unless they're doing the deep litter method, I think most folks clean maybe 2x week. I clean daily (scrape dropping board and pick up soiled bedding). IMO, with that many birds, I'd rather clean daily, because they're going to create a lot of waste, especially if you're keeping them in for days. That means a LOT of moisture is being created in the coop (between their droppings and their breathing). I would think cleaning daily would only take a few minutes, whereas if it piles up for a week, it would take quite a while with such build-up???

 

[Nava]

got to clean more often u got too many chickens 25 in a 10by10 coop no wonder it smells make the efort to clean daily it won't take long

 

[klevesque]

Gosh! I thought people were going to tell me to clean less often. Now I feel bad! There is a lot of moisture in the coop. There is frost on the windows. I'll definately have hubby clean it more often now! (I'm taking a 9 month break from cleaning!)

 

[lesterlu]

hi mainer!

i dont know about chicks, but for my grown 7 month olds, i scoop soiled and wet areas and stir up the pine shavings everyday. and add more litter if it ever smells when i am out there. we use the deep litter method in a 4' x 5' coop with five hens. since mine are older hens, i usually leave the doors open for an air out an hour a day when its dry outside, then close up except the pop door.

since chickens have delicate lungs, if you can smell ammonia, it is time to spot clean and add more litter and/or air out, and if that doesnt help, change the litter. our ag guy said when you change the litter, (and your chickens are all healthy), leave some of the old litter as a "starter" to keep the good organisms.

i am a newbie still, but thats how i do it. i am interested in hearing how often others clean.

 

[Nava]

this helps me a lot when cleaning since they poop a lot at night so all i do is scrape the poop and i'm done i have 4 pens like that so 1 should be easy for u try it.

 

[Tala]

Quote:

You have too many chickens in there that's why it smells!

I have an 8x8 coop and I wouldn't put more than 10-12 chickens in it! Mine free range in the daytime too, they are only in the coop from dusk till about 10am.
Right now it has 5 chickens and I clean it just whenever I think that it needs it. I add more bedding about once a month, I think. It doesn't smell.