Spring cleaned the coop today. Shallow litter method

[Moabite]

Was not a big deal at all. I was able to remove all 3-5 inches of pine shavings/saw dust in a few minutes with the garden hoe. After setting in that little coop all winter with 6 hens, I was very surprised how good of shape the shavings were. They could have easily lasted another three months. Dry and dusty are the best words for it. The untreated OSB floor still looked good as new. Shavings were so clean, Ill have to soak them in fish emultion to get them to decompose before spring planting. I put in some new shavings of dug-fir from my neighbors planer. Pine fresh sent! So easy too and I owe it BYC for the education. Thank you!

 

[pamperedpoultry]

I use this method too ...works great!

 

[aceoftrumps]

I use the deep litter method on the floor of my coop and even more under their roost....the poop box under their roost is closed in with chicken wire and accessible through an outside door so once a year I can shovel out the top layer of poop, put it in bags and give it to a friend for his rose garden. As for the coop floor, I've just shoveled out the shavings for the first time in over a year and replaced it with fresh cypress shavings. It seems like the poop has decomposed into just dirt. The chickens keep this stuff well mixed. They seem happy, they're healthy and fat, I have no problem with smell...and best of all, very little maintenance. My floor is painted OSB and it looks like the day I put it down.

Kurt