Huge deep bedding coop clean out...job done and a lesson learned!!

[firebaughs]

Well, this week all the frozen poop from over the winter melted in the coop. It was offensive when I collected eggs this morning, and since we had a 40+ degree day today, I made the snap decision to do a big clean out. Went to tsc real quick, got 5 bags of shavings, and went to work on the coop. OMFG THERE WAS SO MUCH SOILED BEDDING. I stopped counting at 25 gorilla carts full. I didn't really take into account when thinking about my deep bedding the mass melting that was going to go on under the roost bars in spring! I am going to try to do my deep cleaning about twice as often. With a 10x12 coop that hasn't been cleaned out since September, it was really just more ammonia smelling bedding than I want to deal with in a day. The rest of the year the litter keeps up as the poop slowly is added each night. But the shavings just couldn't handle the thaw. And I have been liberally adding shavings for 5 months!
So I am going to aim for cleaning every 3 months ish. And never have that much heavy bedding in there at once. This way, the spring thaw should have literally half the bedding to change out next year. Nerxt winter, I may also add removable poop board. I will leave it til the poop mounds up too high than take it out and scrape it into the compost and put it back. Seems more manageable. Lesson learned!

I did manage to finish the job but it took me about 4-5 hours and I am VERY sore lol. I put all the fresh bedding in and the girls are lovin it. I made a new compost pile that I will use eventually for the medicine garden I have in that area. I wasn't carting all that to the veggie garden compost. It wouldn't have fit in the bin anyway!

Thanks for reading. Feeling accomplished!

I put plastic and cardboard underneath roosts then just collect that monthly or so...

 

[Rodrad]

Thank you very much. We will see how we do with deep bedding, which is how we will start. Many people are very pleased with such management of the litter.
since I am on the poop board topic, what material your poop board has on the top surface?

 

[writerskramp]

Add a layer or two of Canadian Peat.. It cuts down the ammonia.. It's chemistry.. Odds are the water is coming from beneath, unless your roof leaks.. adjust the grade to flow away. Ventilation, ventilation, ventilation will help keep it dry, or dry what is wet.. I rarely clean out the roost till it meets the bottom of the door, layering chips and occasional moss. When it starts getting objectionable. Buttoning up the coop for winter causes problems.. more than solves them.. Open early..

 

[Farmgirl1878]

I have sand in my coop and run. Takes about fifteen minutes a day to clean up after seven hens. Here’s my poop deck set up And a pic of the smaller of two long-handled wok skimmers that I use to scoop poop. We live in humid way-southern Ohio, so sand is the best option for me.

 

[writerskramp]

Add a layer or two of Canadian Peat.. It cuts down the ammonia.. It's chemistry.. Odds are the water is coming from beneath, unless your roof leaks.. adjust the grade to flow away. Ventilation, ventilation, ventilation will help keep it dry, or dry what is wet.. I rarely clean out the roost till it meets the bottom of the door, layering chips and occasional moss. When it starts getting objectionable. Buttoning up the coop for winter causes problems.. more than solves them.. Open early..

Bravo 3KillerBs..!