I need another coop cleaning method

[sunshine ducky]

Hey everyone, I've been using the deep litter method in my coop but it hasn't turned out all that well. Is there a way I can clean my coop because I'm use to cleaning a coop on a daily basis, and I want to clean it out every week but is that too fast? It would be great if you guys could recommend a cleaning method for me because I'm a very clean person and I'm used to cleaning things oftenly. Thanks!

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Too fast? No. Expensive maybe depending on the size of the coop and how much bedding you want to go through. I personally love deep litter but I know it isn't for everyone. My coops are 8x10 and 6x8 so that new bedding every week would get expensive quick.

To decide how often to clean, look at how quickly its getting dirty and judge from there.

Something you might consider is poop boards. This will give you something to clean every day, like a cat litter box. You can also dust cobwebs and refresh the nest boxes as needed, especially if anyone is wanting to sleep in them or throw the shavings or straw everywhere! Rake the run and clean up feathers and anything else that needs picking up. Or if its straw, flip it over so it can air out and not become moldy.

 

[ejcrist]

Hey everyone, I've been using the deep litter method in my coop but it hasn't turned out all that well. Is there a way I can clean my coop because I'm use to cleaning a coop on a daily basis, and I want to clean it out every week but is that too fast? It would be great if you guys could recommend a cleaning method for me because I'm a very clean person and I'm used to cleaning things oftenly. Thanks!

Is once a week too fast? Unless you have a very small coop with too many birds I'd say it is. I have 8'X8' and a couple of 6'X6' for various size flocks and I don't clean any more often than once a month. I also have a pen for Cornish Crosses and they're a special case. The first three weeks w/Cornish Crosses the pen doesn't need cleaned, but after that I'll clean on week four, and then about every other day until six weeks old when I butcher. But regular birds in a large enough coop doesn't need cleaning that often.

I suggest like SunHwaKwon said, if you have the time and feel like cleaning maybe dust inside or clean out the fertilizer that was laid the previous night. But to change out the bedding every week would get cost prohibitive in a hurry.

 

[3riverschick]

Hey everyone, I've been using the deep litter method in my coop but it hasn't turned out all that well. Is there a way I can clean my coop because I'm use to cleaning a coop on a daily basis, and I want to clean it out every week but is that too fast? It would be great if you guys could recommend a cleaning method for me because I'm a very clean person and I'm used to cleaning things oftenly. Thanks!

Hum,
well you could put river sand in the cop nd scoop the poop daily with a homemade scoop made of hardware cloth. The kitty litter scoops seem to let the poop fall thru. 1/4 inch hardware cloth seems to catch the poop.

Is your deep litter getting wet,hard, and stinky? Here's how I floored my coops with deep litter. Get a small bag of food grade diatomaceous earth (FGDE). Get a bag of Sweet PDZ stall fresher for horses. Get a white bale of wood shavings from Tractor Supply. The White bale not the yellow one.
1. you've cleaned and swept the coop floor til you can easily see the texture of the floor.
2. Put in a simple face mask and spread the FGDE over the floor until you cannot see the texture of the floor any more. a bit extra in the corners and along edges where walls meet the floor.
3. Now take the Sweet PDZ and do exactly the same thing in the same amounts.
4. Take your shavings and carefully put them in the coop , not disturbing the FGDE and PDZ as much as possible.. You want the shavings 4-6 inches deep. Ok you are good to go. The FGDE will help keep the floor dry and nick the exoskeletons of any harmful bugs which tunnel down there, killing them. The PDZ will absorb moisture ad help keep the coop smelling nice. The shavings are soft and restful and deep enough that the birds usually don't scratch all the way down to the floor ad if they did, no problem.
Best,
Karen

 

[SunHwaKwon]

That sounds more like deep bedding not deep litter (often confused). You don't want DE in deep litter. Also, the lower layers need moisture for composting to occur. The key is making sure that waste and moisture stay down near the bottom by flipping the top and keeping it nice and deep, and not disturbing the deep layers. Keeping it too dry or turning it all over lets the poop dry out, which is great as far as smell goes, but it will not decompose and you will just keep building up poop. That is deep bedding.

I add leaves, lawn clippings, pine needles, dirt, weeds, etc to my deep litter. Keep adding organic stuff with low nitrogen to balance out the poo and you are good to go.

Some people do really like sand. To me, it seems like it would be too cold in winter if you live anywhere cold (like Maine).