Sanitation!!

[igorsMistress]

I deep clean my coop once a year. All bedding and nesting materials come out. It gets a wash with Dawn, then is treated with Virkon S before I apply whitewash.

I'm using deep litter on the floor between the deep cleanings and just add material as necessary. I use a poop board under the roost and a shop vac to dust about once a month.

People will do what works until it doesn't.

 

[Ladies-Eight]

Thanks for the pictures.

 

[MIchickenlady]

my run is 8 x 4 and i only have 3 girls. I was wondering how to get around the whole sand freezing thing. So you're saying that you use wood chips or a mixture of wood chips on the bottom of your run and the poop composts? how deep is it? I'll have to dig out all my sand now lol.

I've used bags of *dry*construction grade sand from Home Depot in my coop for years in Michigan cold climate year round and I love it-scoop it daily in 2 minutes like a cat litter box, clean, dry, no smells. I do put a layer of pdz down before i put the sand.
In my run i use grass clippings, pine needles, bark, leaves, pine shavings but no sand out there.

 

[1muttsfan]

You might get away with that down in southern MI, if you keep a rigorous scooping schedule. The cold up here is a whole different level of winter. I also prefer bedding that provides some insulation, sand is just hard and cold in winter.

I think any properly dried large wood chips would work, but it always feels like a bonus to score free stuff. If you can get hold of some just pile them up somewhere out of the way and by next summer they should be ready.

 

[Peepsi]

Wow, I’m not a germaphobe and I also have a sand base in my coop, which I scoop out daily. The coop which is inside a 8x12 run has a dirt floor, which I scoop daily as well.
I have a long handled metal litter scoop and the whole thing takes maybe 10 minutes. Once it’s clean it pretty much stays that way as they are free range in my fenced property and do their pooping outside their run.
After I clean the run I lightly rake it to turn over the dirt so damp spots can dry. I like to keep things clean.

Seconding this. I put sand into my 8 x 16 run, which I scoop every day (I have four chickens). The sand is easy to keep clean, and it keeps the chicken's feet clean(er). Takes about 20 minutes to scoop, feed and water.

My entire run has a roof over it though, so it doesn't get wet. This is my first winter with this set-up. I don't understand how sand can "freeze" if its not wet. As for it getting cold, yes, it does, and I'll be putting down some pine shavings for the really cold days, so the chooks feets aren't freezing. But overall, I've found sand to be really easy to keep clean and so far, there has been no smell.

 

[Mimi13]

I must apologize up front. The picture BYC used for this thread is of my coop when I initially put my chicks in it. I was not through with construction on the chicken side of the coop, so I bought play sand and put it down on the storage/feed side so I could go ahead and move the chicks out of my house. Play sand is the wrong type of sand to use with chickens. It looks all nice and neat in the picture, but chickens had not yet been added to it. Trust me when I say, “Do not use play sand!”

I do use sand in my big coop, but I use medium sand as it is called where I purchase it. It looks just like the sand at the beach. There is generally very little poop scooping required in the sand, especially during nice weather, but it only takes an additional minute to do so each morning when I scrape the droppings board, which are sprinkled with PDZ. I change the coop litter once a year. The rest of the coop (dusting and spider web control mainly) is done every few months or whenever the mood strikes me. Dust collects on that hardware cloth and the fans something fierce. Usually I can give the wire a fist bump or two and that’ll knock most of the dust off. Other times I’ll use a hand brush.

My covered run is semi deep litter, I guess you’d call it. Its makeup consists of a dirt floor with pine shavings, mulch, leaves, dried grass, flock fresh and the sand when I clean out the coop. In the mornings when the birds first come out is when they do the majority of their humongous poops and I’ll rake litter up over the poops with my dedicated chicken shoes/boots. Some of those old gals can lay some super duper sized poops. Those early morning poops are the ones I don’t really want them stepping in. Talk about being tarred and feathered!

My nest boxes are cleaned when an egg has been broken in one. My birds do not sleep in the nest boxes so there is generally no poop to speak of. (Maybe a dried butt turd - dingleberry - here and there, but no biggie.) And I will pick out the feathers from time to time.

My backyard is chicken territory so be forewarned. If you don’t want it on your shoes don’t walk in the yard. Not my problem! Same goes for the barnyard, only those land mines are quite a bit bigger.

Lastly, I am outside so much that my hands usually only get washed when I go inside. It’s just a plus if I happen to be working with water cleaning things outside. Anything of any substance that I might get on them is wiped off on my jeans or shorts. I keep my dirty chicken clothes on generally until it’s time for me to go in and fix dinner. I do clean up for the rest of the family. I’m sure they’re thankful.

 

[doublecrossranch]

Seconding this. I put sand into my 8 x 16 run, which I scoop every day (I have four chickens). The sand is easy to keep clean, and it keeps the chicken's feet clean(er). Takes about 20 minutes to scoop, feed and water.

My entire run has a roof over it though, so it doesn't get wet. This is my first winter with this set-up. I don't understand how sand can "freeze" if its not wet. As for it getting cold, yes, it does, and I'll be putting down some pine shavings for the really cold days, so the chooks feets aren't freezing. But overall, I've found sand to be really easy to keep clean and so far, there has been no smell.

I’m guessing humidity can dampen the sand enough to make it freeze. The sideways rain/snow doesn’t help either lol

 

[FireGal]

I learn so much from y’all, so here I am again, convinced I’m doing everything wrong. We have a 24 x24 fenced yard covered with netting and a coop. The girls free range for about half the day and are in their fence/coop otherwise.
I clean the coop every single morning. Completely. No poop, no bedding left. Everything is swept out and I put new down. I add some DE, some lavender, and some herbs because they smell nice and they are good for the girls if they happen to eat them. Is this wrong? Am I making them weak by cleaning the coop too much?

 

[doublecrossranch]

I learn so much from y’all, so here I am again, convinced I’m doing everything wrong. We have a 24 x24 fenced yard covered with netting and a coop. The girls free range for about half the day and are in their fence/coop otherwise.
I clean the coop every single morning. Completely. No poop, no bedding left. Everything is swept out and I put new down. I add some DE, some lavender, and some herbs because they smell nice and they are good for the girls if they happen to eat them. Is this wrong? Am I making them weak by cleaning the coop too much?

Wow! That’s crazy and I love it.

 

[FireGal]

Wow! That’s crazy and I love it.

You aren’t the first person to think I’m crazy
Are we talking good, fun crazy or she needs to be committed crazy??