How should I clean my coop?

[bluehillfarm]

I have been reading about the deep litter method and at first I loved the idea of it and then I read about it and I dont like it any more I dont like that you have to stir it up so the poop goes to the bottom and I dont like that it can be 10'' deep before you are supposed to clean it. I wanted something where I could clean the coop every other week or maybe even once a week I just dont like the idea of only cleaning your coop once a year. So I would like to know what you do to keep your coop clean and if there is "method" for how often I am wanting to clean my coop....I want to use pine shavings but I dont want them to get 10'' deep lol...any suggestions?

 

[karlamaria]

A poop board helps a ton and unlike many I completely clean out the litter and put new in every other week. My chickens like it and I'm happy. Clean poop board every week, and coop every other week. The day I clean poop board I lay some new litter on top of old until I change it the next week.

 

[karlamaria]

A poop board helps a ton and unlike many I completely clean out the litter and put new in every other week. My chickens like it and I'm happy. Clean poop board every week, and coop every other week. The day I clean poop board I lay some new litter on top of old until I change it the next week.

 

[bluehillfarm]

A poop board helps a ton and unlike many I completely clean out the litter and put new in every other week. My chickens like it and I'm happy. Clean poop board every week, and coop every other week. The day I clean poop board I lay some new litter on top of old until I change it the next week.

thanks that is probably what I will do...so you just put the poop board under them where they roost? and how many inches of litter do you put in after you have clean the coop out?

 

[NC ChickenKate]

I have an opening in the floor under the roosts that is covered with screen so the poop drops to the screen, dries and falls through to hit the ground under the coop, where I rake it up about once a month. I use a sanding block on the roosts themselves to clean off the dried poop. I started with 3" of shavings on the floor last September and have added handfulls this winter now and then to get it to about 6 inches of shavings on the rest of the coop floor which I stir with a ptchfork about every weekend. My 8 banty chickens stomp down and compact the shavings by the end of the week to about 3 inches deep. The coop will get a "spring cleaning" the end of March where I'll rake out all the 6 month old shavings and put in new about 3 " deep and will sprinkle a handfull over the top of the old, newly stired shavings after each run through with the pitchfork. Coop stays fresh smelling, no flies...wouldn't know the hens are there except for their happy chatter.
I live a bit South of you in Wilmington, NC but we have quite a few nasty nights and days of Winter where they don't get out of the coop that much.
All in all I find I spend about 10 minutes cleaning/ freshening the coop every Saturday and do the really thorough cleaning every 6 months where all the used wood shavings go to the compost bin.

 

[bluehillfarm]

Thanks

 

[ChickenCrazy4ever]

In our coop, we left a hole below the roosts, and made a frame with half inch slats to put in it. This way the poop falls down through. Beneath that, we made a drawer that we pull out ever 2-3 days and we use a shovel to scoop it out into a bucket.