Must have supplies for clean coop

[West Bend]

Starbucks and others bag up their used coffee grounds and give it away. You would have to dry it out. I put in my compost. Never heard about coffee grounds ina coop. Interesting.

A. I was just going to suggest the coffee houses. I used to get some from the one in town & also put it in my compost area & directly in the garden. I'm going to look into it as well. Good luck.

 

[BYC Project Manager]

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.

Congrats @RomeoAlpha your post has been featured on our homepage. Hopefully it will help many more looking for answers to the same question!

 

[spartacus_63]

DE won't prevent or get rid of an infestation.
People who use DE and have never had mites, have just never had mites.
I don't use DE and have never had mites either.
Have permethrin spray and/or dust on hand and examine your birds regularly.
Know for sure what you have before treating.

DE has prevented any mite infestation in my coop (with an average of 25 chickens) of over a decade. I dust with DE about once a month (never more) and I mix it in the dust bath box. DE is not the best (fastest) way to treat an infestation, but it is very good at preventing an infestation. People that say other's that use DE and have just never had mites, might not be doing it right. Isn't the objective to not have mites? DE is not a poison, it is natural and it is persistent and it is not affected by UV exposure.
Permetherin is effective, it is a poison it is persistent (it works even after it is dry) and it is significantly degraded by UV exposure.

 

[spartacus_63]

What is DE?

Diatomaceous Earth.

 

[Three Little Bunnies]

I use pine shavings and diatomaceous earth for my coop, and wood stove pellets for my run.

 

[RomeoAlpha]

What is DE?
[/QUOTE]
@zgun

Diatomaceous Earth - it’s fossilized remains of marine phytoplankton. From my research chicken tenders seem to be split down the middle on the use of. Many people stand by its effectiveness to treat/prevent parasites.

I’ve also read that since the particles are like tiny microscopic glass pieces it could harm not only the chickens respiratory system but yours as well. So I prefer to look to other methods.

All preference I guess.

 

[Ladies-Eight]

If I'm not careful with drying my meager amounts of coffee that I add to the coop, it molds. For me personally I would be overwhelmed at the task of finding an effective way to dry the coffee. But if anyone has a solution, I'd be curious to try! I'm all about reusing old grounds either in the garden or the coop.

I wonder if it could be done with a dehydrator?

 

[humblehillsfarm]

I wonder if it could be done with a dehydrator?

I just got one! I think it wouldn't be super energy efficient long term just cause I'd have to use it daily. Lately I've been leaving a plate of used coffee grounds out to sit in the sun since the weather has been fair.

 

[aart]

I just got one! I think it wouldn't be super energy efficient long term just cause I'd have to use it daily. Lately I've been leaving a plate of used coffee grounds out to sit in the sun since the weather has been fair.

That's what I did recently for a friends tomato plants, spread on a small baking pan in the sun.
Humid days I heated the toaster oven then turned it off and put pan inside.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

That's what I did recently for a friends tomato plants, spread on a small baking pan in the sun.
Humid days I heated the toaster oven then turned it off and put pan inside.

I'd like to think the sun will help sanitize the grounds a bit more to reduce the chances of mold as well but that's only speculation.