Just wondering how often everyone cleans

[U_Stormcrow]

Deep Bedding + Deep Litter. Straw in the nesting boxes.

Seems I replace the straw every month, the chickens keep kicking it into the house, onto the deep bedding. It gets raked onto the (deep litter) floor about once a season or so and replaced (which I need to do this week - must rake more leaf litter).

The deep litter slow composts. I've removed shovel's full to make it easier to open and close the door, or to add to the garden soil between plantings, but otherwise have not "cleaned". Its about 14 months on the current build up.

 

[CEO]

Yeah I do once every week or two

 

[3KillerBs]

I wrote an article about it: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/using-deep-bedding-in-a-small-coop.76343/

Short form is that the coop gets cleaned roughly every 6-12 weeks depending on conditions.

The run gets raked now and then to recover lost roast bones and fill in dustbath craters that are threatening to break my ankles. I haven't actually cleaned it out in the 11 months that I've had this flock on that ground.

 

[CEO]

Thanks I’ll check it out!

 

[Jenjens]

I have 3 perches, with only one that has a poop board (hate to sound mean, but....lazy husband hasnt made the others after a year I asked) I clean up the poop board, and pick up the droppings in the other spots every day. I mop the perches and poop board once or twice a week. S oooo pretty much, its poop free every evening.

 

[MTR]

Kind of random but how often does everyone clean droppings in the coop and run?

Coop two or three times a year - run never.

 

[elefloyd]

I scoop off the boards and the floor every day. The run is hay. I scoop out every few months for the garden and replace with fresh hay.

 

[gtaus]

Kind of random but how often does everyone clean droppings in the coop and run?

I use deep litter in the coop, primarily wood chips, and clean it out twice a year. The old coop litter gets thrown into the chicken run and I let it compost in place along with all my grass clippings, leaves, and wood chips. I never clean the chicken run per se, but when I need some chicken run compost, I'll harvest some from the chicken run and screen it out with my cement mixer compost sifter.

My system requires minimal effort and the goal is to make chicken run compost over a long period of time. I don't do any daily cleaning. I don't have any poop boards that require daily scraping. In the past, I have tried methods that did require daily cleanings. However, I find the deep litter method better for the chickens and certainly less work for me, cleaning it out maybe twice a year. Turning the chicken run into a composting system after the chickens scratched the grass down to the dirt was probably the best option for me.

 

[annejoh]

I clean coops, runs and garden daily. If I am off work it's constant pick up all day I just spend all day with my girls
I have Silkies and Pekins so I think it's more important to keep their lovely foot feathers clean!

 

[Maggie13]

Daily!