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

[FrostRanger]

I read a post recently on social media about clothing to wear while cleaning up chicken poop and the floor of the coop. From reading most of the responses, you'd think it was for a nuclear meltdown in a toxic waste processing plant with a fallen in asbestos roof!

Why do people fuss so much about wearing N95 chemical masks, heavy overalls, Hazmats suits even, and having several showers and being afraid of a bit of dust etc. They get all wound up about a bit of poop stuck to the wall and scrape every trace off the perches with a toothbrush...

A chicken eats dirt. They bathe in dirt. They love napping in the dirt. They poop everywhere, and aren't too fussed with foraging around it.
Why the excessive fussiness then?


Yes I understand that some people have asthma, but honestly I thought it was completely over the top. Is this due to a complete unfamiliarity with farming, or keeping animals in general?

A n95 mask is a good idea if you're doing major cleaning where you'll be disturbing the bedding a lot as is a shower and a change of clothes but again, this is only for major cleaning, not for everyday tasks

I agree with the poop issue. I'll scrape poop when needed but I am not scrubbing nor disinfecting unless I have a good reason. They're just going to poop on it again in 5 minutes anyways

 

[ChookaPete]

A n95 mask is a good idea if you're doing major cleaning where you'll be disturbing the bedding a lot as is a shower and a change of clothes but again, this is only for major cleaning, not for everyday tasks

I agree with the poop issue. I'll scrape poop when needed but I am not scrubbing nor disinfecting unless I have a good reason. They're just going to poop on it again in 5 minutes anyways

Fair call with doing a major cleaning.
But I don't understand about bedding - if chickens are roosting up high on a wooden perch of some kind, what is the bedding? Do you mean the straw or other material that is below them on the floor?


However from what I saw, an N95 mask and heavy duty clothing etc. was said to being used for everyday cleaning!

The only reason I can think of for scrubbing and disinfecting is for an outbreak of an infection that killed the chickens. However there was no mention of that at all.

 

[BDutch]

The only reason I can think of for scrubbing and disinfecting is for an outbreak of an infection that killed the chickens. However there was no mention of that at all.

Yes, only did this (scrubbing and disinfecting) when I had red mites in the coop.
Chickens don’t need clean. The do need lots of ventilation. Dry poop is no problem. Wet and smelly poop is.

 

[FrostRanger]

Fair call with doing a major cleaning.
But I don't understand about bedding - if chickens are roosting up high on a wooden perch of some kind, what is the bedding? Do you mean the straw or other material that is below them on the floor?


However from what I saw, an N95 mask and heavy duty clothing etc. was said to being used for everyday cleaning!

The only reason I can think of for scrubbing and disinfecting is for an outbreak of an infection that killed the chickens. However there was no mention of that at all.

Yes, I mean the material on the floor

The more I go through life, the more I think it was good that I avoided Facebook. Unless one has a medical reason, wearing all that for minor cleaning is over the top

 

[SkyAJK]

My chicken coops bedding materials are cardboard and newspaper.
Each morning I removed all that, open up the door to air everything.
In the afternoon I put new cardboard and newspaper in.

There are plenty of cardboard from the liquor store I get it from and newspaper is from the library and shop advertisements.

Some of my chickens eat the cardboards and newspapers so I have to remove them quickly in the morning. I do have some hemps, but I do not use it often as some of my chickens think it is very yummy and eat their fill of it.

 

[SkyAJK]

I read a post recently on social media about clothing to wear while cleaning up chicken poop and the floor of the coop. From reading most of the responses, you'd think it was for a nuclear meltdown in a toxic waste processing plant with a fallen in asbestos roof!

Why do people fuss so much about wearing N95 chemical masks, heavy overalls, Hazmats suits even, and having several showers and being afraid of a bit of dust etc. They get all wound up about a bit of poop stuck to the wall and scrape every trace off the perches with a toothbrush...

A chicken eats dirt. They bathe in dirt. They love napping in the dirt. They poop everywhere, and aren't too fussed with foraging around it.
Why the excessive fussiness then?


Yes I understand that some people have asthma, but honestly I thought it was completely over the top. Is this due to a complete unfamiliarity with farming, or keeping animals in general?

Might be they have a big coop with lots of chickens?
I don't have many chickens in 1 coop, it was quick clean and no dust except when they molt. Their feathers are everywhere and when they grow new feather, that chalky material on their feather falls off.

What I dislike most is when one poop liquid, the mess..oh the mess is terrible, it stick on the walls which a big cleaning and scrubbing. ...Not like that at all.

 

[ChookaPete]

Might be they have a big coop with lots of chickens?

Good question, but these were for those itty bitty small coops! Or a walk-in coop that is maybe a quarter the size of my shed coop.

 

[ChaosMom]

There seem to be a lot of people in this world that live for drama and look-at-me, and they have pretty much taken over a lot of social media, especially with visuals. It winds up creating a sense of anxiety in readers of "oh no, am I supposed to be doing this?!", and then we're off and running.

I find the very term "influencer" absolutely nauseating.

Signed,
Cranky ole lady

 

[SkyAJK]

There seem to be a lot of people in this world that live for drama and look-at-me, and they have pretty much taken over a lot of social media, especially with visuals. It winds up creating a sense of anxiety in readers of "oh no, am I supposed to be doing this?!", and then we're off and running.

I find the very term "influencer" absolutely nauseating.

Signed,
Cranky ole lady

I hear you, the new generation is doing things that we find it .....grrrr

I am at that age, I find the new generation is grrrrr, and I am also feeling grrrrrr when my mom is doing certain thing.

This is the part where I should put in the thread...I am so old I remember.......life used to be pimplier than now.

 

[SkyAJK]

Good question, but these were for those itty bitty small coops! Or a walk-in coop that is maybe a quarter the size of my shed coop.

My chicken coops are small, each house 4 chickens. When I do my cleaning of their coops, some jump on my head, those filthy feet...
so it is redundant for me wear protective wear.