Must have supplies for clean coop

[ErnieBerley]

My run is probably 100x30ft and covered...although the netting catches birds and other creatures so beware - snakes, turtles, a small screech owl - obviously i try to get whatever is caught out, which can make for an interesting day. And blue jays bite ! I have a wisteria vine growing in the run and the chickens love to eat the leaves...its a good herb to use and actually in that AirBorne product advertised for immunity. grasses (they love the seeds), bamboo is a favorite and very nutritious. Chickens love chickweed, so those early spring plants like that and dandelion etc...should be fed to your chickens if they cant get out to roam. And buy some live fly larvae or mealworms (organically grown, on amazon too) and feed those to the chickens..they'll love you 4 it !! of course feeding your chicks high protein dried worms is a good thing but again make sure not from china and organically raised if possible. Give the females cabbage and cruciferous veggies it helps estrogen metabolism. Cilantro is great for detoxing them and they love it. binds pesticides, metals, etc..they may get from the ground.

In my coop i make sure to have COOP REFRESHER. i get on amazon. I'm not affiliated w/ them in any way, but i'm telling you this stuff works. no smells, all you do is keep piling up the coop refresh and pine shavings (use larger shavings so no dust and chickens wont try to eat it). I tried another brand but this one is the best hands down. I scoop big piles of poop up daily just to stay on top of things, but only change shavings maybe every 3 months or so... remember not changing the coop can result in ammonia buildup and very noxious gasses that will harm your chicken's lungs and immunity...If you open the coop door and smell poop, change it. I never smell that odor....ever now that i use coop refresher! peace, happy chickening !

 

[aart]

In my coop i make sure to have COOP REFRESHER

You can buy Sweet PDZ in the horse size bag at your local farm store for much less cost.

 

[Jenthehen127]

Yes I do deep litter in the run, and the wood chips from the coop go into the run's litter to supplement the materials there. When I first started I had to build up layers of chips in the run (we had a massive mud and odor issue) but once it was resolved I really didn't need to add chips all that often, so the chips from the coop are plenty to keep the deep litter working in run.

Interesting. Thanks RT!

 

[Jenthehen127]

Anytime! If you have the space around your coop and run it never hurts to grow some perennial herbs. Mint will grow just about anywhere, but can be pretty invasive in some areas, so its something to watch out for, but in my particular set up it works perfectly and on the warmer days it's much more noticeable than the run. If you like the fresh straw smell but don't want the soggy awful mess that straw creates, I occasionally use Straw Boss, a shredded straw stall bedding sold at most TSCs and some feed stores, at least here anyway, and I was shocked to find it breaks down surprisingly quickly. The ladies do a really great job of turning it into the soil of the run and in every softer, moister area I had, it broke down with the help of chickens in about a month and a half to two months enough that the grade of the ground was changed significantly enough to stop collecting water and grow greenery!

Thats great! I am growing herbs for the girls, but in pots. Although we had mint in the ground at our old house. Smelled great when mowing! I think I will try the bedding in the smaller run!

 

[Sasha-chickens]

I have 3 chickens and 18 in the brooder I'm about to add to the coop. I'm still new and learning a lot. What are the best supplies to keep a clean and pest free coop?

Let me know your best management practices.

wood chips are good. DE powder or mite spray to take care of mites.if it’s a coop that can be moved i would rake out the bottom and or move the coop to fresher places in your yard.

 

[Andie32]

Here is my coop and run. As you can see, they’ve eaten all the grass out that we built it on. The top of the coop is covered, as are the boxes. But we live in Florida and it does get very damp in coop floor when it rains, especially when it’s windy. I don’t have poop boards because this is the first Ive heard of them. If you can see my roost poles, what do you suggest? And it my box, I use hay. And right now, because it’s been raining everyday for nearly a week and doesn’t look like it’s going to stop, even with the doors closed 24/7, it’s pretty damp in there. Typically I rake the floor out about once a week, but the weather can be a bit much and is even washing the dirt from one side of the structure to the other. Any ideas and recommendations are appreciated, thanks.

 

[DEChickGal]

I’m in love with my new method in the coop. I got cheep linoleum and put down in my chicken coop floor. Mostly just lefts overs from the local store (they even let me have some messed up sections). Then I put a layer of pine pellets like we use in horse stalls and topped that off with pine chips. It works great! The pellets absorb any moisture and wick it away while I can easily scoop up any poop off the top layer. I occasionally add more pine chips when needed. The linoleum makes it super easy to clean out when necessary. I use a tiny plastic pitch fork and a dog poop scoop that makes picking up poop easy.

https://www.chewy.com/dogit-jaws-grass-dog-waste-scooper/dp/149885?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=hg&utm_content=Dogit&utm_term=&gclid=Cj0KCQjwoPL2BRDxARIsAEMm9y8uyYaLN_HJnEtr_i0CJ8Q2t76wmCLIz-vhjhSyks0V6_j2Q9X_aR4aAsNcEALw_wcB

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[24279102]

I use Sweet PDZ under the roosts. I use a cat scoop every day and it works great!

 

[Shadie77]

Hi there. I've only kept chickens, Easter Eggers, for 14 months now but I use DE. I rub it into all perches, dust it under all bedding in nest boxes, on interior walls of coop, sprinkle in all sand areas so they get it in their feathers during bathes.
Our run is 12'x12' plenty big enough for 3 hens. I use construction sand and PDZ under roosting bars. Scoop poop daily and put poop in a bucket with lid that I've put some PDZ in. Dump that weekly in back corner of property. By the dump pile we release fly predators as here in FL flies could be a problem but last year no problem with them. I also sprinkle some around the exterior of their run.
It gets HOT here so they also have a wading pool. A shallow plastic bin with a paver in it filled with water just above the paver. They stand on it and keep cool. This I change daily too as they do poop in it. I also dampen a sand spot in the shade and they dig down and lay in the cool sand.
I have a leaf take and what I call a hard rake. I rake the sand almost daily to bury poop.
I recommend DE. Used it since day one and no mites. It also helps with other bugs around the run.

 

[24279102]

I don’t have poop boards yet, so want to add those. And I’ve heard a lot about sweet pdz-can you get that at tractor supply or Walmart?

I get mine at Tractor supply. Make sure you get the one with the picture of the horse on it. I bought another variety when they were out and it was the worst, dustiest mess!