Keeping a clean coop...

[igorsMistress]

@igorsMistress Have you had diseases in your flock that made you go to these techniques?

As you well know I suspect my flock had Marek's. Since I had to cull the entire older flock, I did change my routine...vacuuming the dust out rather than sweeping to the floor since Marek's is shed in dander, and sanitizing the coop once a year.

As I said, what works does, until it doesn't.

 

[aart]

As you well know I suspect my flock had Marek's. Since I had to cull the entire older flock, I did change my routine...vacuuming the dust out rather than sweeping to the floor since Marek's is shed in dander, and sanitizing the coop once a year.

As I said, what works does, until it doesn't.

Vaguely remembered it was possible, but wasn't sure.

 

[Hennessee]

Wow! I've been wasting too much money! I've been cleaning my wood chips out once a week, and I put down several inches. 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.

 

[aart]

Wow! I've been wasting too much money! I've been cleaning my wood chips out once a week, and I put down several inches. 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.

Skip the DE, doesn't do anything but add to the dust.
Add poop boards and you can change out floor shavings just once or twice a year.

 

[MaryJanet]

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.

 

[aart]

It's probably easier to say it's a royal rooster chicken palace, then you can look it up.

royal rooster chicken palace
Yep, that's different....open air 'coop' for hot climates.

 

[DellaMyDarling]

Aww, hot dang, thread got featured!

 

[MaryJanet]

royal rooster chicken palace
Yep, that's different....open air 'coop' for hot climates.

Thanks! I was struggling to describe it in terms other people would understand.

 

[aart]

Aww, hot dang, thread got featured!

You know that's just random picks, right?
It'll likely get thread a lot more responses tho.

 

[igorsMistress]

Aww, hot dang, thread got featured!