Large Coop Cleaning

[MaritimeFlock]

Those who own a large coop who do you go about cleaning it? We have a 10x12 ft shed with 10 chickens. It would be impossible to take a litter scoop to the whole coop daily, so we have been changing out our bedding every couple weeks. Just wondering if there is anything more we can do?

 

[red horse ranch]

I have a 12 x 16 coop with 42 chickens and guineas. A lot of my birds sleep on 1" x 8" shelves and they are scraped 3 to 4 times a week. The floor is covered with pine chips and I will add new chips every week or two to absorb the smell, especially under the roosts. Four times a year I will use a scoop shovel and wheelbarrow to remove all the bedding and start fresh.
My chickens and guineas free range so in the summer the manure doesn't build up much inside but in the winter when they are confined a lot it can be a major project.

 

[3KillerBs]

I use the Deep Bedding or Deep Litter method (there is a difference, explained in this article), according to whether the coop has a floor or not.

This only requires cleaning at infrequent intervals.

 

[StinkyAcres]

I also use the deep bedding method with straw. I clean out the bedding at least twice a year (spring and fall). I keep trays (concrete mixing tubs) underneath the roosts to easily collect most of the poop and keep it from sticking to the floor and adding moisture to the bedding.

 

[DobieLover]

I clean the coop bedding out once a year.
I clean the poop boards daily.

Having a predator proof run with a solid roof attached to the coop makes a big difference in how clean the coop litter stays because it permits the birds to go straight out to the run as soon as they come off the roost in the morning.

I always say I'll take a leaf blower to the coop quarterly to keep the dust under better control but never do. Just once a year.

 

[Raptor Chicken]

I don't have a large coop by any means (6x6) but we use straw and change it all out every weekend.

If the darned birds didn't move half of the straw out into the run we could probably go 2-3 weeks.

 

[BonBonCoop]

Those who own a large coop who do you go about cleaning it? We have a 10x12 ft shed with 10 chickens. It would be impossible to take a litter scoop to the whole coop daily, so we have been changing out our bedding every couple weeks. Just wondering if there is anything more we can do?

I layer our 8X10 w pine shavings 6-8 inches deep. Then I put a thin layer of hay on top- we have horses, so hay is always there. I remove the layer of hay every Saturday, my coop always smells like clean hay, no odor, and it takes 5-20 minutes. In the spring I remove it all and power wash our converted resin shed and replace. I have never had an odor, and very healthy chickens. A bale of hay lasts a long time. My chickens free range so they are only in the coop at night. We live in Oklahoma.