Trying to do the spring cleaning of my duck "shed" coop..

dawnjoennikki98

Chirping
9 Years
Oct 5, 2010
187
0
99
New Jersey
Does anyone have any tips on the easiest way to do it? It's a 6 by 8 shed, filled with wood shaving from the laast 4-5 months. I only have my twin sister to help me, and we are both in severe pain after shoveling for just a little while! It doesn't seem doable at all. one of the problems is i don't think i've perfected the DLM yet :p...because the shavings underneath are so wet and heavy. tried raking it out onto a tarp but the rake won't get further than the top dry layer. How do you guys do it? thanks!

Dawn
 
You just dig!

I am almost 50 and I dig the wet nasty hay out by myself.

idunno.gif


If you are using deep litter you only have to do it a few times a year.
 
Not warm enough here yet to do it...Still can't get my man door open all the way....but another 2-3 weeks i'll be knee deep in it to........the not so fun part of the hobby. But just think of the clean hay you can sit on and feed them treat
big_smile.png
 
I agree - since I am - on the other side of 50, let's say, here is what I do. Take a deep breath, know that it's going to take some time, get a tarp and/or wheelbarrow, a metal rake (a cultivator can come in handy, or use my pitchfork.

I take thick stuff off in layers - it saves my back and my strength. Two or three inches at a time, eventually I get down to the bottom of it. I carry small loads. I take a breather every half hour or so. And remind myself it's a couple of times a year.
 
Man reading this is cruel some and I really feel your pain. It is so much work compared to what I do. Ok I clean daily, so it does not get that heavy in the first place. I know there is a reason for deep litter, but I could not do it. I prefer the small oil filled radiator for the heat source, and the one 5 gallon bucket I clean out daily. Oh and I have been there with the deep liter methods, only I was much younger back then. Now I have bad knees and simply cannot do it. Good luck with your big job.
 
Maybe you could do it in stages? Say, over a few days? I've never been a fan of the dlm, so clean mine out once every month or so.
 
Quote:
Im right there with ya, i have a concrete part i clean eveyday, then the othe half is wood pellets i take out once a year. Probabaly takes my 30 minutes to take all the pellets, well saw dust by now, and replace it with new stuff. I definitley recommend cleaning everday if you can. Only takes 5-10 minutes and you'll feel better that your ducks are in a cleaner, healthier environment. The reason i dont use shavings is because when they get wet they pack together and they get HEAVY. The wood pellets clump together when they get wet and i just use a pitchfork to take out the clump. I also mix the saw dust together everyday to get a fresh, not wet layer on top.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom