Must have supplies for clean coop

[countryladyNH]

I honestly think I spend less time cleaning poop than I ever have before. It takes me about 1-2 minutes, honestly no more than that, to scoop and remove the poop from the entire coop and I do it daily. No more turning, ever! I don't leave the water in the coop to avoid spills as coffee will mold.

We have always used builders sand in our coop and run. We would never use anything else. Clean everyday with a kitty litter scoop and mini rake. We do change the sand a couple times a year. NEVER smells and we never have poop sitting there since we do our 20min. clean everyday. Highly recommend!

 

[Beach Chickies]

I know some people say DE is useless, but I'm one who swears by it. I've never had a mite issue, touch wood, and I've had chickens for years. I dust about once weekly around perches, corners and nest boxes and include it in my hens dust bath with some wood ash. I keep a clean coop and wipe down areas routinelywith a cleaning vinegar solution, and only use the deep litter method in the winter, so that might contribute, but DE is something I wouldn't skip.

. Beach Chickens Rock. I use the DE weekly, pine shavings bedding and a great watch cat that keeps all the pests away. I add Pine shavings under the perch twice a week.

 

[Beach Chickies]

Definitely get poop boards. We made ours and covered them with remnant of sheet vinyl we got at local flooring store for under $10.

Beach Chickens Rock. I put a piece of hardi-board which is concrete infused, in the floor of the henhouse and 6 years later I shovel it clean, leaf blow DE all inside and keep it dry and it's like new. Perfect.

 

[mtinney]

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.

I place smooth boards under the roost every night. In the morning I remove them and scrape the poop into my compost bin. They poop at night mostly. This keeps the coop dry. I sprinkle diatomecious earth on the floor of the coop and nest boxes to keep mights at bay. I top it off with the large flakes of pine shavings. Works well.

 

[munchkinlover]

I started my coop with straw.....yuk! Too much poop buildup on the floor under it. Then I switched to pine shavings. Better, but it still left a lot to be desired. And then I put sand on the floor. The best decision I've made yet. My coop floor is about waist high on me and I can open half of the wall to have access to the inside. Having sand on the floor lets me rake everything with a small rake to the front and then I have the biggest kitty litter scoop I could find to sift the sand out on the floor and trash the poop. Eventually I'll have to add another bag of sand, but not for a long time. Once a year I'll clean it all out and wash it and put it back. I clean it up every morning after I let them out, so it only takes a few minutes and everything stays clean. I don't know if they are happier, but I am.

 

[Vicker]

My regimen is guided by what I'm smelling. During wet weather, I'm cleaning more often. Deep litter and DE in the coop. Add more of each about once every 1-2 weeks. DE on the roosts and in the nest box for mite prevention. Scoop the larger droppings sometimes with a manure rake that sifts the flakes out when necessary. Sprinkle DE on top of wet droppings inside the coop and in the run where they tend to congregate when needed. Wide putty knife to scrape the roost when needed. Rarely do any scrubbing. Occasionally spray down with vinegar. I wash the nest box mats whenever there is an accidental egg break or someone decided to deposit a poop in there.
I've tried putting boards or plastic under the roost to catch droppings but cleaning that out just added more time and effort than I want to deal with.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

We 'clean' our coops and runs every single morning, 365. This means scooping out the poop and washing off the poop tray etc. They always look clean and NEVER smell. We do the huge 'spring clean' in May. We take everything out, and take the old sand out of the run. We use 2 fantastic products that we can't do without. First we hook KENNEL WASH up to the hose and clean everything. You then rinse with just water from the hose. Next you spray everything with HEALTHY PEN (do NOT rinse off---safe for all). We replace the sand with new fresh sand and we mix in DE and wood ash from our woodstove periodically We have never had any pest/health issues with our flock. We have a coop and run for 2 ducks and a goose and one for 8 hens. Here is a photo of our chicken coop taken a few days ago after the 'spring clean'. (LOL, I made the spring 'seed pack bunting'!)

KENNEL WASH:
https://www.revivalanimal.com/product/kennel-wash-all-purpose-cleaner/all-dog-and-cat-supplies

HEALTHY PEN: (make sure you get these items for hose attachment---we also then get the big refill sizes and have them on the chicken shelf).
http://www.carefreeenzymes.com/products/agriculture/poultry-products/healthy-pen/

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PS It's a lot easier to keep a really clean coop if you do the 15 min. each day. We do the big clean with the products above in spring and fall.

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Nest boxes---We use the turf pads and some dried herbs!

I love it! I essentially do the same as you, but started using Grounds (coffee grounds) bedding because it’s lighter and more manageable for me, and I can compost it when I want to replace it. I’ve always been so proud that I can give my girls a good clean home. I even wash their curtains every few months! I don’t have a picture of the Grounds bedding but it smells like breakfast in there.

 

[OlympicChick]

My coop set-up/situation: Very small fully enclosed city backyard with one outside hose bib.

As far as my must have supplies go:
Coop and Run:
Pointed shovel
Pitchfork
Wall mount nest box
Hanging feeder
Bags of pine needles and pine cones gathered in the Fall
Bags of maple leaves gathered in the Fall
Bags of spent coffee grounds picked up from coffee places
Store bought pine chips
Flock Fresh (to make everything pretty and nice smelling if company comes over, I just personally like it)
Metal can for chicken feed
Scoop for chicken feed (DIY or buy one)
Old Easter basket for egg collection
Garden hose dedicated to the chicken area
Plastic
Brooder:
Cat carrier
Some sort of electric heat plate (I use Premier 1)
Chick feeder (longer than you think, the teenagers will eat you out of house and home)
Chick waterer
Store bought bedding--Pine chips again
Chick grit
Chick food

If I edit this post in the future I will post that I updated this and link to this.

 

[countryladyNH]

I started my coop with straw.....yuk! Too much poop buildup on the floor under it. Then I switched to pine shavings. Better, but it still left a lot to be desired. And then I put sand on the floor. The best decision I've made yet. My coop floor is about waist high on me and I can open half of the wall to have access to the inside. Having sand on the floor lets me rake everything with a small rake to the front and then I have the biggest kitty litter scoop I could find to sift the sand out on the floor and trash the poop. Eventually I'll have to add another bag of sand, but not for a long time. Once a year I'll clean it all out and wash it and put it back. I clean it up every morning after I let them out, so it only takes a few minutes and everything stays clean. I don't know if they are happier, but I am.

Sand is all we've used in coop and run. Our coop about the same height. We use a mini metal leaf rake that we found at a hardware store and a metal kitty litter scoop. We use damp washcloth to just wash out coop---poop boards, walls if needed, nest box top and edges, etc. Cleaning everyday takes only 15 min. or so and we have a coop/run that never smell and always look good. Never have had any pest issue.

 

[countryladyNH]

I love it! I essentially do the same as you, but started using Grounds (coffee grounds) bedding because it’s lighter and more manageable for me, and I can compost it when I want to replace it. I’ve always been so proud that I can give my girls a good clean home. I even wash their curtains every few months! I don’t have a picture of the Grounds bedding but it smells like breakfast in there.

So cute!
Yes, I wash the nest box and wall curtains whenever needed too. We are proud of our coop and the way we take care of it and our girls. Lol, I don't like coffee so not sure I would like that smell in coop, but sounds like a good idea. The sand has worked so well for us since we got chicks in early 2016.