What do you use for coop cleaning?

[cajunlizz]

Quote:
I have NOT had to use DE at all .... I use ONLY the pine shavings , and so far pine shavings have kept the smell DOWN and also the flies . I have 48 head so I guess the pine shavings are working great for me .

We do ADD extra shavings weekly and then remove and replace the shavings like every 3 months .
Thank God shavings are cheap . Paying $5.50 for a LARGE COMPRESSED BAG .

 

[Chirpy]

The most likely reason your rooster and hen are sleeping in the nest boxes is because they are higher (at least that's what it seems looking at the pictures) than the roosts. Chickens like to sleep/roost at the highest point available to them. If you raise your roosts above the nest boxes, then take a few nights to physically put your chickens on the higher roost (they may go there themselves) you should be able to stop them from using the nest boxes. You get poopy eggs if you have chickens sleeping in the nest boxes... I know from personal experience. I had to raise my roosts also.

Also - if you get DE make SURE it's food grade... it will say so on the bag. Some DE is harmful to your animals.

 

[sunnydee]

Liz ~ thank you!! I didn't realize I should get them up for them to get familiar with..but sure makes sense. I have the supplies to do it with...maybe if this rain lets up I can start on them this weekend!

 

[Jenski]

I use pine shavings in my coop, and I use a large cat litter scoop with a whisk broom and bucket. I just police it up quickly in the morning and evening ~ takes all of 45 seconds. I do this to keep the cocci count down (I try to remove droppings at least every 24 hours in my smaller run and coop to control this).

For heavy cleaning/scrubbing of perches (and occasionally walls) I use Oxine (cholorine dioxide) I have pre-mixed with water, and a scrub brush or old rag. You can do a quick search of threads to find out more about Oxine, or visit Shagbark Bantams online (K.J. Theodore's website).

Hope that helps!


Jen in TN

 

[patandchickens]

I use a dustpan (from the basement - really *have* to get a new one for use *in* the basement, one of these days

) and bucket, for scraping the poo off droppings boards each morning. With a sprinkle of floor shavings put on the board after cleaning, the next night's poo comes off very easily - 'scrape' is an overstatement.

For the floor, I mostly use this weird, flimsy plastic rake that was here when we moved in. I rake up the worst of the pooey shavings and remove with a small snowshovel demoted from car-trunk duty. Then I add more shavings over what's left. Sometimes I don't do removal, just adding.

If I have to remove ALL the shavings from a pen I will also use a manure fork (future fork type) and broom, and wheelbarrow.

I've never yet had the urge to hose things down or scrub or disinfect, although I do sprinkle DE in crevices and under a new layer of shavings.

Pat

 

[cajunlizz]

My roost is NOT in same area of the nesting boxes .

They DO NOT ever sleep in the nest boxes ...

The ROOST area is like a LARGE trellis and a full 8 ft. high . I have 38 head of chickens that sleep on this roost and 2 roosters . They love it .

My nesting area , I have 10 large black milk cartons that I use for nesting boxes . We were going to attach them to the wall 18 inches off the floor , BUT since this is working as well as it is , no need to attach them .

I also have 8 bantams in a totally different area then these 40 . I refuse to mix this smaller breed .

 

[cajunlizz]

Quote:
OMG . every 24 hours ? WHY ? the shavings are scratched over the droppings and I never have to do this but MAYBE every 2 or 3 months . I DO ADD more pine shavings weekly and I do rack it and spread it evenly ...

HOW big is your CHICKEN COOP ? My COOP is 8 x 12 .

My attached outside RUN is 12 x 32


and HOW many head do you have ?

 

[LynneP]

I spot-clean the roosts and platforms daily with a paint scraper, catching the debris in a small bucket for disposal. I also use a kitty litter scooper to spot-clean manure under favorite sleeping spots and anyplace manure or old feed might scatter.

Pine shavings on floor, DE and Stable Boy powder underneath on plantks over concrete...keeps coop very dry!

 

[gachickeeper]

PAINT SCRAPER! excellent idea thanks. I think I will raise the roosts higher and possibly add one more, there may be a room issue as well. So Oxine is more than just chlorine bleach?

 

[Eliz]

VINYL FLOOR!! I went to the restore and got a piece of vinyl floor for 5 bucks. Of course it would be more for a bigger coop, mine is only 6 x4.

I put the vinyl down and about 6 inches up the walls, then put the pine shaving on that and it stays really, really clean! It's been a just over month since I built my coop and the only thing I have done is scooped out some poop under the roost, ONLY because I did not want to see it anymore, not because it smelled. I have not used any DE either and hope I won't have to. As for geting it off the roost I guess my girls are smarter than I think because they haven't pooped on them yet

Good Luck! And get some vinyl in there