We have three coops: Big Coop (12'X12' walk-in). And two smaller mobile coops for when the chickens are out on pasture in the nicer weather.
In the Big Coop we use deep mulch bedding. Wood chips, wood chips and more wood chips to the rescue. Coop is covered, and dry but not too dry, you want some moisture so the poop and wood chips will compost. Haven't cleaned the coop in two years, doesn't stink. The wood chips are mostly broken down now, before fall we plan to strip the bedding, add it to the compost pile and start again.
The Mobile coops have wire bottoms and are built on a trailer. The idea was to have the poop fall through the wire mesh to fertilize the pasture. The coops should be moved every 2-3 days to not burn the grass. This works pretty well, but some of the poop gets hung up on the trailer axle and edge and that can get a little stinky. We hose it off, but not often enough.
Does anyone have any tricks/tips on how to keep mites to a minimum? We get mites from time to time in the nesting box of our mobile coops. Seems like we get a mite infestation after someone goes broody and sits in the nesting boxes for too long.
In the Big Coop we use deep mulch bedding. Wood chips, wood chips and more wood chips to the rescue. Coop is covered, and dry but not too dry, you want some moisture so the poop and wood chips will compost. Haven't cleaned the coop in two years, doesn't stink. The wood chips are mostly broken down now, before fall we plan to strip the bedding, add it to the compost pile and start again.
The Mobile coops have wire bottoms and are built on a trailer. The idea was to have the poop fall through the wire mesh to fertilize the pasture. The coops should be moved every 2-3 days to not burn the grass. This works pretty well, but some of the poop gets hung up on the trailer axle and edge and that can get a little stinky. We hose it off, but not often enough.
Does anyone have any tricks/tips on how to keep mites to a minimum? We get mites from time to time in the nesting box of our mobile coops. Seems like we get a mite infestation after someone goes broody and sits in the nesting boxes for too long.