Is anyone else having to clean their coop in the dead of winter?

[Olive Hill]

If you don't have a dirt floor you can add just a couple of small shovels full of soil to the litter and mix it in to "jumpstart" the bacterial decomposition. Personally, here everything is frozen solid. It couldn't smell if it wanted to and I couldn't shovel it out if I wanted to -- I tried a couple weekends ago and then even had DH try thinking he is stronger than me. No dice.

 

[patandchickens]

If one does not want to clean the whole coop out yet, the first thing to do IMO is to remove just the most egregiously damp or pooey parts, and then add a buncha fresh shavings, and keep adding fresh clean shavings as needed (likely every few days or week). That often helps a lot.

That said, as I keep saying on these deep litter "method" threads, there is no ONE deep litter method there are a whole variety of different approaches each with their own pros and cons, and they are not all workable in all situations. So what works for one person is liekly not going to work at all for some other person. You just have to experiment around til you find what's best in your particular coop. And IMO there are really not very many people whose situations (climate, coop, flock, etc) make it possible to do damp composting-style deep litter management over the whole winter (largely because it requires so much more ventilation than most have, or a very dry climate)

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[pattgal]

Quote:
yeah well it's the dampness that bothers me. It's usually a nice temperature in there. the water doesn't freeze, the chicks are fine (I had a broody hatch 7 eggs in Dec.)
but when it starts to get damp it feels colder. I've got a hole in the ceiling for ventilation but it's not controlling the humidity as I would have expected

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
If your coop is stocked to the kind of density that most backyard coops are stocked, then unless it is being electrically heated to keep it that warm (and maybe even if it IS being electrically heated) you for SURE have way insufficient ventilation if it is above freezing right now in a coop in NB.

I've got a hole in the ceiling for ventilation but it's not controlling the humidity as I would have expected

Unless it is quite a LARGE hole, no, it might well not. Can I ask, what are your coop dimensions, number of birds in it, and size of the ventilation hole?

You would almost certainly find it much more effective to open (maybe a lot) more intelligently-located ventilation, and deal with the water freezing issue separately (either with an electrically heated waterer or base, or by simply bringing out fresh water once or several times per day, perhaps in an insulated container). Better air quality, less risk of frostbite.


Pat​

 

[Dogfish]

They track in more dirt and wetness in the winter, so I clean mine out every 3-5 weeks, even though I use the deep litter method in the coop. They seem happier. I think it depends on where you live, what your run is like, and how much rain you get.

 

[sourland]

I have 5 pigeon lofts set up with deep litter. I would like to completely break down and clean all of them, but am not up to pushing a wheel barrow through 2' of snow.

They are dry and working well, but I feel the need to clean them. I'll just have to wait and then push the wheel barrow through the spring mud.

 

[crazyhen]

I clean mine out quite frequently snow or no snow.

I use a calapsable hugh leaf bag.

It slides over the snow or down hill easily to my compost pile. Sometimes it is too heavy

to put inside so I have to shovel a bit out first to lift it. I have poop trays and they get cleaned bunches and new chips put on them. The floor is sheet floored and then covered with wood chips. It does not need to be cleaned quite as often but still gets cleanned out at least once a month. I love my leaf bag. It has tough handles on it too. Gloria Jean

 

[wsdareme]

My girls are staying inside a lot more in the cold weather, and the metal roof sweats, so my coop is a lot more damp than I'd like. I'm stripping it about once a month and refilling with fresh shavings.

 

[pattgal]

Quote:
No rain here just 15-20 cm of snow almost every 2 days. they haven't been outside since November.
we have had exceptional amounts this season though. I think If I let them out they would sink and be lost forever haha

 

[pattgal]

Quote:
If your coop is stocked to the kind of density that most backyard coops are stocked, then unless it is being electrically heated to keep it that warm (and maybe even if it IS being electrically heated) you for SURE have way insufficient ventilation if it is above freezing right now in a coop in NB.

I've got a hole in the ceiling for ventilation but it's not controlling the humidity as I would have expected

Unless it is quite a LARGE hole, no, it might well not. Can I ask, what are your coop dimensions, number of birds in it, and size of the ventilation hole?

You would almost certainly find it much more effective to open (maybe a lot) more intelligently-located ventilation, and deal with the water freezing issue separately (either with an electrically heated waterer or base, or by simply bringing out fresh water once or several times per day, perhaps in an insulated container). Better air quality, less risk of frostbite.


Pat​

the coop, i think is 6x9, the ventilation hole is roughly 4x4 inches and is straight into the ceiling and the window that opens into the shed stays open too
I think I have 14 hens by now...and 5 chicks. no frostbite at all though, and the water never freezes