Official BYC Poll: How Often Do You Clean Your Coop?

[Kazzandra]

What is a poop board?

It's literally a pan or tray under nightly roosts-- supposed to be placed where the birds poop the most.

People who clean every day! Wow. I don't have or clean poop boards and that's always been waaaay too much work for me. I tried having poop boards once but just realized it was moving waste WHILE it was unpleasant to deal with, instead of waiting until after it was composted and unnoticeable. I have my roosts just directly above dirt floor with shavings on it and I just put shavings on top every week or so-- take it all out every year composted. Why do all this micromanagement effort? I don't understand.

 

[Bird Worrier]

I clean out the coop once a year. Whether it needs it or not!
The poop boards are cleaned every morning. The floor of my coop gets very little poop in the bedding as the birds go out to the run as soon as they come off the roost and wait there for me to release them.
When winter really bears down, they will spend more time hunkered down in the bedding of the coop.View attachment 2583454
I'll be doing a cleaning next month. It'll get hit with a spray down of Elector PSP when I've emptied it and before I bed it down.

I just asked a question but I was not logged in so I'm going to ask it again in case it didn't take. What do you use to clean the poop boards with? A specific tool? Gloved hand? Thank you!!

 

[rmcbride]

I do mine once a year in the spring. I do keep spreading hay on the floor throughout the year, deeper in the winter. They like digging through the hay in the morning before I let them out in the run. The caged in run is on decking boards with gaps, so in the summer it gets hosed down as needed. Right now down to just five chickens and the male peacock in there.

 

[The Sheperds Wife]

2 times a year. That reminds me, it needs to be done!

 

[IVRN]

View attachment 2583103​

It's not a pleasant part of keeping chickens, but it's one we must all deal with regardless: poop. How often do you clean your coop out? Don't include pens in your answer, just your coop or coops. Do you find it easy or difficult to clean them out? What changes to your coop design or technique would you make to improve the process?

(Check out more Official BYC Polls HERE!)

I “scoop” mine daily. I started out with pine shavings intending to do the deep litter method. Then a neighbor showed me the benefits of sand! So I converted and I’ve not regretted it for a second! My coop is 30 inches off the ground. I bought a dirt sifting shovel from Amazon which acts like a giant cat litter scoop. It takes me about 30 seconds to scoop the poop into a bucket. I do it while gathering eggs.

 

[DobieLover]

What do you use to clean your poop boards with? A tool? Gloved hand? Thank you!!

Metal cat litter scoop.
I use a hammer and painter's tool to chisel frozen poop off the boards before scooping in the winter.

 

[DobieLover]

What is a poop board?

 

[jspeese]

I built a dropping pit-type roost and my birds have free access to a 320 square foot run with a top. I open the trap door in the back of the roost and scrape out the mess every day, or sometimes I let it go longer. There's very little dreck in the coop itself. I will let the birds out for a forage in the larger yard occasionally (a lot of hawks around, so not always) and rake the run. I change the bedding (straw) 2 or 3 times a year.

 

[Mary19]

I have deep litter, but still clean it out every 3-4 days. Just like it better that way. Run I do less often. I change the bedding twice a year though.

 

[Henwoman]

View attachment 2583103​

It's not a pleasant part of keeping chickens, but it's one we must all deal with regardless: poop. How often do you clean your coop out? Don't include pens in your answer, just your coop or coops. Do you find it easy or difficult to clean them out? What changes to your coop design or technique would you make to improve the process?

(Check out more Official BYC Polls HERE!)