What is your chicken coop cleaning routine?

[lulubonbon]

I am getting ready to move my girls into their coop and want to keep them healthy!
Please, give me the details of your coop cleaning routine....thank you in advance

 

[nwhen14]

I read in a book that I got, because I'm new at this, one option was to use shavings. But you don't clean it out. You fluff it up daily, unless there is an extreme amount under the perching area. It prevents stink, and helps heat the chickens. You add more when it looks crushed down, about once a week, and by winter you should have about 6" of warm fluffy bedding. This is my experiment that I'm going to try. So far my chicks are inside in a big horse water trough. I added the shaving when I got them, and have been doing the fluff thing, and they don't smell. When they get into their coop, I'm going to keep it going. I hope it works. )

 

[Ridgerunner]

How big is your coop and how many chickens do you have? How much time will they be spending outside so they are not pooping in the coop? Do you use a droppings board? Is your coop elevated or on the ground? What kind of bedding do you use? How well will it stay dry? How well is it ventilated? How wet is your climate?

There are so many different ways we manage our chickens in so many different set-ups in so many different climates my coop cleaning routine is probably inappropriate for you. A healthy coop is a dry coop. You need to either keep it from getting wet to start with or build it so it dries out pretty quickly if it does get wet. A wet coop will stink to high heaven, a dry coop will hardly smell at all.

A healthy coop provides fresh air and gets rid of stale air. Ammonia from their decomposing poop and moisture from their poop and breathing are both health risks. Ammonia is lighter than air so it rises. Warm air rises and holds a lot more moisture than cooler air. Ventilation over their heads when they are roosting is important year around. With adequate ventilation you don’t have to remove the poop as often.

You’ll still need to manage the poop, especially under the roosts. They poop a lot at night. If the poop builds up to any thickness, it can stay wet and stink. Some people with certain bedding types scatter scratch under the roosts and let the chickens stir it up to spread it out so it will dry out. I use a droppings board to catch that pure poop for my compost. Some people use bins or trays of some sort to catch that poop. There are a lot of different ways to do this.

Some people clean their droppings boards every day and change bedding every week. With my set-up, size of coop, and number of chickens I clean my droppings board every two to three weeks. The last time I cleaned the bedding out, it had been in there for four years. It didn’t need to be changed but I wanted it on my garden. I told you my method was inappropriate for you.

There is no one size fits all to this. You need to find the management method that fits your unique situation. Your goal is to keep it from stinking. That means to keep it dry and don’t let the poop build up.

Good luck!

 

[Blooie]

Around here I stir daily, add litter as needed. The end.

As Ridgerunner said so well, so much depends on you, your coop size and setup, how many birds you have, and how good your ventilation is. I'm using the Deep Litter method. Haven't installed a poop board yet, but when I do it will contain sand and PDZ.

 

[debid]

I don't deep litter -- coop isn't designed for it. I do have loads of ventilation and the poop dries well. I use chopped straw and change the litter monthly. The straw goes in the compost pile and eventually the garden. About twice a year, the coop gets a good washing and sprayed with miticide (organic fruit tree spray containing neem and pyrethrin).

 

[chickencrazy9]

What is the deep litter method?

 

[Blooie]

What is the deep litter method?

It's a way of sorta creating compost directly in the coop. I've never figured out how to do a link, but if you go up to the top of the page, click on the Learning Center, then on Housing, you'll find tons of information on what it is, how it works, and (of course) all the different "best" ways to do it.

 

[debid]

Yep, the trick is to get it composting rather than just having a lot of dirty litter built up. This is why it only works well if you have the right setup.

 

[LauraSac]

I'm a newbie, but with my tiny flock of two in their small coop, I strain poop and clean the poop tray each morning. I strain poop at night, too, and add some fresh shavings if I've scooped out too much. My compost bin is right outside the run, so it's easy for me. I clean out all the shavings on the weekend, and use an orange/vanilla/vodka spray to freshen and disinfect it. I then put in fresh shavings and some herbs like lavender and mint. I have a long wooden block at the door that I remove, so I can just scrape the old shavings into a dust pan. My coop floor is at 4 feet, sitting on the run, so no bending over (I actually need a step stool for weekend cleaning). With a tiny flock and small coop, I have the luxury of being anal and girly. My routine wouldn't work at all for bigger flocks and coops.

 

[hannahrachel]

What is the deep litter method?

Here's a helpful link to a [rather long, but worth reading] thread all about the deep litter method:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/70/deep-litter-method