What is the normal time to clean a coop?

That depends on several things. What size coop. How many chickens. Are they confined to a coop run enclosure, like my 4 girls. I'm unable to free range them so I clean at least once a week. In the coop do you have a poop board. I scoop the poop board at least every 2 days. We just built ours, only been in use 3 weeks. So it hasn't needed thorough cleaning.
 
When I first built my coops I read on BYC about the Deep Litter Method. I only clean mine twice a year. The chickens keep the shavings stirred up and save me lots of work and time!
 
Preceding post very informative. Currently house 5 hens and 3 silkies. Coop is 6' X 12'. Using a sand floor with a bit of Diatomatious Earth mixed in. Clean with a litter scoop both mornings and evenings, very quick and easy, dump right into a plastic pail with lid...compost bin every weekend, small files seam to inhabit bucket. Once on the weekends a more aggressive scooping with a mesh sifter I made (like a dust pan with a screen for the bottom). Still need to make an outdoor run for unsupervised and protected outings. Chickens free range Saturday and Sunday. During the week only a few outdoor hours before bed. Poop boards under roosts help a lot, except for the silkies that huddle in the corner and two hens that fly up and roost on top of window. On weekends, pull out roost boards and ramp to roost and scrub clean. Hand fly strip and herbs (lemon balm and mint)...low odor and seldom attracting flies. Not laying yet, but designed boxes for easy weekly cleaning. Plan on using pine bedding. Isolation coop in chicken yard work in progress, plan on using straw. Brick patio by enterence door clean up with hose. What ever method is used, The key seams to be keeping thing dry and staying on top of the volume. Went on vacation for 4 days. Upon return, not must effort to restore to the clean coop I prefer to maintain.
 
Guessing there is as many cleaning regiments as there are chicken owners.

I have a 4x8 foot print restored metal shed. I keep anywhere from 10 to 15 standard size Golden Comet hens.

I clean my nest boxes when needed; pop out folded dirty feed bag; pop in new one.

My poop boards when needed once or twice a week depending on weather and how much time they spend in the run.

The floor once a year in the fall after harvesting my garden.

I am currently
using wood pellets for litter..









 
Last edited:
Baring in mind it is summer at the moment so the chickens spend more time out and about in the garden, I clean the inside of the coop.....ooh I dunno, I don't think I've cleaned it properly for a few months to be honest - and it still doesn't need it. My chickens turn lumps so its quite easy to just remove those from the wood chips. During the nights they seem to turd the must but with the short nights and longer days they obviously let loose in the garden mostly. Last winter I was doing it probably about once a week which isn't that bad considering all the mud and dirt they were taking up every day on their feet lol.

The outside of the coop needs doing around once a month at this time of year. They have access to the outdoor run 24 / 4 through the summer (I only close their coop door in the winter to keep them warmer). They play in the outdoor bit until I wake up and let them out into the garden. The outdoor run is on concrete and has straw inside. Their food and water is currently kept in the outdoor run so this is why it needs cleaning slightly more regularly than the inside because of spillages.

I've found I need to clean the OUTSIDE of the roof most regularly lol. The chickens come out, jump onto the wall, from the wall to the roof of the outdoor run, from the run to the lower roof of the coop, and from there to the tallest bit of the coop...........and turd. I think they stand there because they can see into the kitchen and dining room from the roof so they can see if any treats are on their way hahaha
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom