Keeping a clean coop...

[BrendaJune]

Look inside her quote. She wrote her question in there.

I don't see her quote or question.

 

[noisegeyser]

I just scrape any poop accumulated under where they roost overnight into a shovel, add more pine shavings if it's needed . They're outside most of the day, so the coop itself doesn't really get dirty. I only have two birds right now though, so I'm sure that helps.

 

[Velma Mae]

I only have 7 hens & so I have a waist high coop with 3 nest boxes. They usually all like to use the same one. I have a shredder for newspapers and use that in my boxes. I also use full newspapers for the coop floor and change it every morn. The hens can then walk on clean papers to get to their nests. My chore only takes less than 10 min.

 

[jreardon1918]

I scoop the poop boards once a week. Complete replacement of the shavings on coop floor 3 times in 2.5 years. Add a bit if shavings to the nests once in a while.

I feel a bit guilty that i spend so little time cleaning.

 

[aart]

I scoop the poop boards once a week. Complete replacement of the shavings on coop floor 3 times in 2.5 years. Add a bit if shavings to the nests once in a while.

I feel a bit guilty that i spend so little time cleaning.

If it doesn't need it, no reason to feel guilty.
How many birds?

 

[cmom]

Hi. I'm just new to the forum. I got my first batch of girls in Feb. Built our own coop. We put rubber floors in with de powder under them & lined walls with kitchen splash backs & put an Upstairs/poop deck under the roost bars. Really easily cleaned & I use poultry shield & kg poultry wash for all cleaning plus I've spray cleaner to wipe down walls between times. Seems to b working fine. All girls healthy & happy. I have dengie fresh bed in coop & easy chick in run & lift droppings few times a day & freshen with a powder disinfectant. Seems to b working great. Posted some pics.

 

[cmom]

I have enjoyed reading this thread. I am also an owner of fairly large flocks of birds. I do a thorough spring and fall cleanings where I take my pressure washer into the coops and pressure wash the inside of the coops. I have wire under my roosts so I am able to rake out the poop pits from outside the coop. I realize climate and the size of the flocks dictates many of the different setups. I do have some floors in some of the coops that I put pine shavings on.

 

[townchicks]

I have a small, raised coop and only a few birds, so I don't know if it's even relevant to your question, but here's my routine. I have vinyl tiles on the floor, a poop tray with PDZ, and pine shavings on the rest of the floor and in the one nest box. I scoop out the poop tray every day or two into a bucket, along with the poop on top of the nest box, because. in spite of the slanted top, Harper prefers to sleep there. If there are big poops in the pine shavings, I'll scoop those out too. The pine shavings get scraped out directly into the run, as needed. Usually about every month or so.I painted the inside of the coop, so once in a while, I'll use an old paintbrush to sweep the dust off but that's about it. When I built the coop last year, I painted inside, thinking it would make it easier to hose out, but I haven't felt it's needed that yet. It's sure not the pristine white it was when new, but it's not gross either. And the girls don't care. I have to admit, I was one of those that was really taken aback at the stink of their poops, but I have had pet cage birds, of many species, for years and their poop does not stink like that, so I thought chickens would be the same. Maybe it's because they are not strict vegetarian, so more like dog poop? I have deep litter in the run, a combo of wood chips, leaves, dried grass from the lawn and the aforementioned pine shavings from the coop. That doesn't smell unless the weather is really damp, like if it's foggy. As soon as the fog burns off, the smell dissipates.

 

[Attila the Hen]

I use an essential oil spray to clean roosts. Takes the poop right up. Please just google which oils are safe for your chickens and then you can decide which "smell' you like the best.

Please tell me more. Do you spray it on dry poop which it loosens? I assume you mix it with water. I have neem oil I could use for mites as well as other oils. Thanks

 

[Cryss]

I have enjoyed reading this thread. I am also an owner of fairly large flocks of birds. I do a thorough spring and fall cleanings where I take my pressure washer into the coops and pressure wash the inside of the coops. I have wire under my roosts so I am able to rake out the poop pits from outside the coop. I realize climate and the size of the flocks dictates many of the different setups. I do have some floors in some of the coops that I put pine shavings on.
View attachment 1867672 View attachment 1867677

I love that second picture, very clean and classy looking. The chickens look like they were posed for the shot.