Keeping a clean coop...

[igorsMistress]

I'm going to chip in because folks mught be interested to hear an Australian perspective - although it's not particularly different. My coop is what americans would call combined because a run is built in, but the run and coop have the one big floor. So, the coop is not separated from the run. It's probably easier to say it's a royal rooster chicken palace, then you can look it up.

Anyway, the whole thing is littered with a 50-50 mix of pine chips and dust-extracted pine shavings, about 30cm (I think that's a foot) deep. In my v dry climate, the litter absorbs all the moisture and most of the stink in the poops. When I can't stand to look at it, I remove the old litter, put fresh in, and hose-scrape off the various roosts and ramps. Every 3-4 months. I'm in a suburban environment and the neighbours have never complained.

My coop is similar but no attached run. I love it!

 

[Pampered Chicks11]

How do you go about It?

Preferred cleaning methods, tools, or non toxic spray solutions?
Are you an herb sprinkler?
If using deep litter over linoleum, what's your favorite deep litter substrate?



So I feel like my coop is icky. The chicks in particular have pooped upon the bookcase turned into nesting boxes, which is grossing me out. There's poo on every roost surface. There's poo on the ramp and other places I can't easily take outside to pressure wash haha.
Before winter I plan to pressure wash the removable roost and coat in coop paint, wish I got to it sooner.
I feel like the nest boxes need a refresh.
I think the air smells dusty.
What do you do to tidy up?

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.

 

[trumpeting_angel]

I'm going to try this method of adding some fresh pine shavings on top with DE, and try cleaning it bi-monthly. That would make 6 complete cleanouts a year.

What @aart said. DE is marketed as a coop refresher, moisture absorber, and natural pest killer. But research shows is can be damaging to the respiratory systems of chickens (and people). Use zeolite (marketed as Sweet PDZ, Coop Refresher, or (big bag, cheaper) Stall Refresher. Little or no dangerous dust, and the chickens can even eat it without harm. It neutralizes the ammonia; wonderful stuff!

 

[ChickNanny13]

Scoop out the poop board daily, have PDZ in it. Shavings (4" deep) on dirt/clay ground, pick up the big stuff daily, add more shavings as needed. Done I live in a residential area so try very hard to keep a low profile, glad to have learned the neighbor behind me had no clue I had chickens until I gave her some eggs

 

[cluckbuttwen]

'Clean' can be highly subjective.
Yep, they poop on everything...I just scrape off the big stuff.
But it rarely stinks, unless a fresh one has just been dropped or it's very humid.
I have good ventilation and never use any liquid to clean, dry is best, IMO.

I like your coop and really apprecaite your wattering canteen for them. Very creative. I just bought some poultry nipples. So you have to fasten the nipples from the back once after you place them through your container? They didn't come with any fasteners. Thanks.

-I use poop boards under roosts with thin(<1/2") layer of sand/PDZ mix, sifted daily(takes 5-10mins) into bucket going to friends compost.

-Scrape big or wet poops off roost and ramps as needed.

-Pine shavings on coop floor, add some occasionally, totally changed out once or twice a year, old shavings added to run.

- My runs have semi-deep litter(cold composting), never clean anything out, just add smaller dry materials on occasion, add larger wood chippings as needed.
Aged ramial wood chippings are best IMO.

-Nests are bedded with straw, add some occasionally, change out if needed(broken egg).

There is no odor, unless a fresh cecal has been dropped and when I open the bucket to add more poop.

That's how I keep it 'clean', have not found any reason to clean 'deeper' in 5 years.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Mine is so easy it's stupid. Deep bedding in the coop. I changed it once in the last year because I was worried about mites. I have poop boards with PDZ that I sift daily with a cat litter scoop. I use a putty knife to scrape dried on stuff from boards and ramps. Takes such a little amount of time. My run is modified deep litter. I use dry leaves mostly, but sometimes I mix in pine shavings, wood chips, or hemp - whatever. I use a cobweb duster thing to sweep out webs/heavy dust once a week or so. If I feel like it, I stir the shavings in the coop or the litter in the run with a rake. I doubt really need to. I just like to sometimes.

My roosts are attached to the poop boards. The whole set up sits on rails in my coop so I can lift the whole thing out, take it out to thelawn, and wash it with a high powered hose. I let it dry in the sun. I've done that once in the last year.

My nest boxes are lined with nesting pads. Under those, I have recycled feed bags. I had a pullet sleep in one for a few days there. I just let dry the poop she left and shook out the pad. Totally clean.

My 4×8 coop never stinks! Yay, me! Of course, I only have 5 pullets...

 

[chrissynemetz]

I have 71 chickens. This 'clean' you speak of.... it sounds lovely. I vaguely remember it once... many chickens ago...

 

[aart]

Vertical Nipple pic

@cluckbuttwen Not sure why you quoted my post then added a Vertical Nipple pic?? Did you have a question/comment?

 

[trumpeting_angel]

@cluckbuttwen Not sure why you quoted my post then added a Vertical Nipple pic?? Did you have a question/comment?

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

 

[Folly's place]

Chrissy, I agree! Amazing how 'chicken math' happens, and how having four hens differs from having a flock!
Mary