Official BYC Poll: Do You Wear a Mask or Respirator When Cleaning Your Coop?

[Smokerbill]

Mine live in a 10x12 foot run, with deep litter (wood chips) piled directly on the dirt floor. There's no need for regular cleanings other than ocassionally scraping poop off the roost bar.

Chicken poop starts composting soon after it hits the woodchips, so there's very little offensive odor. A big cecal poop dropped on top of the chips stinks pretty bad, but once it's turned into the chips there's no smell.

Eventually I'll remove all the woodchips and replace with new ones, maybe this fall.

 

[Jakemedic]

Neither by bride or I wear a mask, but probably should. I have a nice respirator for when I’m in my wood shop that would function well. Timely, good post promoting safety.

 

[RebelEgger]

Mine live in a 10x12 foot run, with deep litter (wood chips) piled directly on the dirt floor. There's no need for regular cleanings other than ocassionally scraping poop off the roost bar.

Chicken poop starts composting soon after it hits the woodchips, so there's very little offensive odor. A big cecal poop dropped on top of the chips stinks pretty bad, but once it's turned into the chips there's no smell.

Eventually I'll remove all the woodchips and replace with new ones, maybe this fall.

Our hoop coop is set up like this, it’s a great system! And you’re right, never smells except for those icky cecal poops.

 

[RebelEgger]

Neither by bride or I wear a mask, but probably should. I have a nice respirator for when I’m in my wood shop that would function well. Timely, good post promoting safety.

I used to wear just a medical mask when I first got chickens. That slowly faded out. I have a really nice respirator mask my father in law gave me but I have yet to wear it when cleaning. I keep thinking about it everytime I scoop out their poop board. Maybe someday soon.

 

[BantyChooks]

Nope. Given the colour of the stuff I cough up afterwards, it would probably be a good idea.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I have a supply of N95s for the chicken coop - they get super gross with dander and dust, which is a constant reminder that that could all be in my lungs instead. Hubby makes do with plain medical masks since he doesn't do any cleaning, just for when he walks in there, as he's had a history of bronchitis so he's very paranoid about anything that could impact his respiratory system.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Even though my coop is quite large as far as backyard coops go and has many large windows I open the dust is no joke.

While I SHOULD mask up every time I change the shavings I tend to just open everything up.
I do mask up when sweeping down the walls.

We only have 2 lungs. We should take care of them. After a nasty bout with the flu this year I promise my lungs to do better with masking up.

 

[MGG]

I wear one when I'm getting wood chips or putting them down, so I picked the only while deep cleaning option since that's the only time I use wood chips. They're very dusty and it's definitely helpful. Before I would blow so much brown dust out of my nose. I could taste it sometimes even. Yuck.

 

[RebelEgger]

Nope. Given the colour of the stuff I cough up afterwards, it would probably be a good idea.

Perhaps!!!! Please avoid the post coop black lung and do so!!

 

[RebelEgger]

I have a supply of N95s for the chicken coop - they get super gross with dander and dust, which is a constant reminder that that could all be in my lungs instead. Hubby makes do with plain medical masks since he doesn't do any cleaning, just for when he walks in there, as he's had a history of bronchitis so he's very paranoid about anything that could impact his respiratory system.

I really should invest in a box. Do you just wear yours while doing any kind of cleaning, or even during “visiting hours”?

**edited grammar so sentence actually made sense lol