The things to worry about when cleaning the coop/run.

[Crazychickenlady7]

You should be cautious about not only the chicken's health but also yours. Different coops have different intervals at which they need to be cleaned but some key characteristics that occur when a coop needs to be cleaned are, chicken dust and fecal matter making its way into the nesting boxes. When I clean their coops I put on an outfit I plan on washing right after, scrape the coops down with a square shovel then powerwash everything down. Some dish soap and a scrubber will also be your best friend when cleaning out a water bucket that has sat in the sun and accumulated algae. I do not deep clean the coops until the spring because the accumulation of poop in the coops will create some natural heat but if I find it to be too much I will shovel everything out, normally I have to do this after molting season (December-January). Make sure if your coops seem dusty, do not breathe it in and clean it out asap because this dust is from the poop and can cause pneumonia for you and the birds.

 

[nuthatched]

You are preaching to the choir.
Best to wear a mask or respirator.

 

[Acre4Me]

We wear a half face respirator when cleaning the coop. It is important to protect the human lungs when stirring up all the dust.

 

[aart]

scrape the coops down with a square shovel then powerwash everything down.

Really not a good idea...unless you live in a desert so it fully dries before the birds go back into coop.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

This process only applies to small coops, I'm assuming. Large coops, more like small barns, don't get to this point with daily chores to maintain a clean coop, never needing to break out the haz mat gear. Accumulating poo for natural heat doesn't sound worth it to me. My point is, go bigger, increase the size of the coop if you don't want to live this way. Walk in coops with poop trays, dusters for clearing out cob webs, good ventilation for dust avoidance, swept floors, etc. make for a always clean coop. I went from small to large with no huge investment for this reason (it honestly wasn't just so I could get more birds.) I'm more comfortable, birds have a clean environment year round and lot's of space. Integration with babies is a breeze, etc. etc. etc. Food for thought......

 

[mowin]

Doesn't require that much though.. I do deep cleans 3-4 times a yr. I just get it done and move on to the next chor.

 

[Crazychickenlady7]

Really not a good idea...unless you live in a desert so it fully dries before the birds go back into coop.

Yeah, didn’t mention that but it’s definitely a summer chore.

 

[aart]

Yeah, didn’t mention that but it’s definitely a summer chore.

Even in the summer it's not good idea to introduce a bunch of moisture into the coop.
It can encourage mold growth and increase odors.

 

[CatInTheHenHouse]

Any particular steps to note for cleaning with deep litter/deep bedding?

 

[littlecoopnextdoor]

Any particular steps to note for cleaning with deep litter/deep bedding?

this is my second year with deep litter and I generally scoop it out in the early spring and put it all on my gardens to break down for a couple months before planting, and then again in late fall, so they have a fresh set up for winter. I scoop it all out, leaving roughly a one litre tub of the old stuff so there is some bacteria to add into the new bedding. There usually isn't too much of a mess in my small coop, but if needed I wipe down the roost bar when I clean out the coop.