Tell me what I need to do for cleaning this coop

[My Three Chicks]

We've had our wooden walk-in coop for about a year. And although I pick up poop and wipe down roost bars daily, I've never done a big, deep cleaning.

Tell me what I need to do!

Specifically...
- Do I dump the straw bedding on the floor into the Run which has wood chips? Or just throw it out? My girls tend to eat the straw so I'm thinking throw it out?
- I will dust the cobwebs and wipe down dusty surfaces. But do I need to wash out the entire coop interior with a hose? It's wood so I'm afraid water isn't good for it.

What else? Suggestions?

 

[Auntiejessi3]

I don't think you need to hose it down. Generally, when I do a clean out, which is twice a year, I take all bedding and nesting material out of the coop and throw it in the run to be composted. I use a hand broom to dust off all ledges, and inside the nest boxes, and sweep up all the stuff on the floor. I also take all the stall fresh out of my poop boards and chuck it in the run (I usually wait until it's pretty low beforehand) I spray everything down with permethrin, let dry, then sprinkle everything with permethrin powder (floors, nest boxes, and poop boards) Fresh hay in the nests, fresh shavings on the floor, and stall fresh in the poop boards. Very cute coop BTW!

 

[mowin]

You can get as picky as you want, but I do basically the same thing as above.

 

[My Three Chicks]

I don't think you need to hose it down. Generally, when I do a clean out, which is twice a year, I take all bedding and nesting material out of the coop and throw it in the run to be composted. I use a hand broom to dust off all ledges, and inside the nest boxes, and sweep up all the stuff on the floor. I also take all the stall fresh out of my poop boards and chuck it in the run (I usually wait until it's pretty low beforehand) I spray everything down with permethrin, let dry, then sprinkle everything with permethrin powder (floors, nest boxes, and poop boards) Fresh hay in the nests, fresh shavings on the floor, and stall fresh in the poop boards. Very cute coop BTW!

Thank you this is so helpful!

I've never used permethrin before but have heard of it. Will get some in both spray and powder forms. Any specific brands you'd recommend?

What is 'stall fresh'?? I use sand in their poop boards.

Thanks...the coop is great! But my big girls won't let the little ones (now 4 months) roost with them. So they just pile on the nest box and I just let them (for now!)!

 

[Kiki]

Thank you this is so helpful!

I've never used permethrin before but have heard of it. Will get some in both spray and powder forms. Any specific brands you'd recommend?

What is 'stall fresh'?? I use sand in their poop boards.

Thanks...the coop is great! But my big girls won't let the little ones (now 4 months) roost with them. So they just pile on the nest box and I just let them (for now!)!

Item 'Martin's Horse & Stable Permethrin Spray' https://www.backyardchickens.com/reviews/martins-horse-stable-permethrin-spray.11854/

Pretty much any brand horse fly spray will work.
I prefer the Bronco brand name horse fly spray but I use the one linked above too.

 

[Kiki]

Thank you this is so helpful!

I've never used permethrin before but have heard of it. Will get some in both spray and powder forms. Any specific brands you'd recommend?

What is 'stall fresh'?? I use sand in their poop boards.

Thanks...the coop is great! But my big girls won't let the little ones (now 4 months) roost with them. So they just pile on the nest box and I just let them (for now!)!

Letting them for now (nest box)... is not a good idea. You are training them to do so and will have trouble breaking the habit.

 

[Auntiejessi3]

Thank you this is so helpful!

I've never used permethrin before but have heard of it. Will get some in both spray and powder forms. Any specific brands you'd recommend?

What is 'stall fresh'?? I use sand in their poop boards.

Thanks...the coop is great! But my big girls won't let the little ones (now 4 months) roost with them. So they just pile on the nest box and I just let them (for now!)!

Stall fresh is zeolite, same thing as PDZ but way cheaper. It absorbs moisture and odors.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/standlee-horse-fresh-premium-bedding-additive
Eventually they will all be roosting together, patience and chickening do not go hand and hand, lol

 

[My Three Chicks]

Letting them for now (nest box)... is not a good idea. You are training them to do so and will have trouble breaking the habit.

Yes soon I'll close off the storage side of the coop so they can't get on top of the nest boxes. Right now they are just getting used to going into the coop at night
It's really the big girls I have to train..2 of them just run the little ones off the roost. The littles got up on the roost the very next night after I showed them. So I can't blame them. But they just got chased off and off.

 

[Auntiejessi3]

Yes soon I'll close off the storage side of the coop so they can't get on top of the nest boxes. Right now they are just getting used to going into the coop at night
It's really the big girls I have to train..2 of them just run the little ones off the roost. The littles got up on the roost the very next night after I showed them. So I can't blame them. But they just got chased off and off.

What is off to the left side of your roosts? The reason I ask is maybe you could put a temp juvenile roost so they get used to the idea of the littles there but not right there. I installed a 3ft 2x2 to the left of my nest boxes and roosts for the grow outs I've had this year and it's worked great! Eventually they make their way up to the big girls roost.

 

[My Three Chicks]

What is off to the left side of your roosts? The reason I ask is maybe you could put a temp juvenile roost so they get used to the idea of the littles there but not right there. I installed a 3ft 2x2 to the left of my nest boxes and roosts for the grow outs I've had this year and it's worked great! Eventually they make their way up to the big girls roost.

Oh that's a good idea! I hadn't thought about that. Was thinking they'd graduate from nest box lid to roost, but if I could give them that transition I think the big girls could accept them being on a temp baby roost!

You'll see in the pic to the left is their little pop door. But I think it'd be ok to put the baby roost one over top of it. (Just hope the bigs don't use it!) I'm gonna see what I can figure out. Thanks!

For a couple of weeks the littles were roosting on the correct half of the coop on the nest box ledge (I closed up next box because I definitely didn't want them getting used to that!). And I put a chair there because the ledge was too small. But then I just let them do what they wanted which was on top of the boxes! First time integrating here so figuring it out as we go!