What's the best way to clean under my raised coop?

[Flixflaxnoob]

My 6'x8' coop is on top of 8-inch tall cinder blocks and it's high enough for the birds to go under for extra shade, which I like but it's going to be very difficult to clean especially because I have hardware cloth wrapped around three sides of the coop, with the run attached to the fourth side. What's the best way to manage this space?

 

[BDutch]

My 6'x8' coop is on top of 8-inch tall cinder blocks and it's high enough for the birds to go under for extra shade, which I like but it's going to be very difficult to clean especially because I have hardware cloth wrapped around three sides of the coop, with the run attached to the fourth side. What's the best way to manage this space?

I have playground sand mixed with soil in my small covered run. Partly under a small coop like you describe.
I use a small gardening tool similar to this one to manage this space.

 

[Sally PB]

I use a shrub rake to get under/into small places in the yard or chicken coop/run. It's like a leaf rake, but narrower.

 

[CraziChknLady]

I use a plastic rake with long handle, or a shovel.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Raise it high enough that you can reach under there. 6 or 8 feet is a pretty long reach.

Seal off the open end so they cannot get under there. I understand, that shade is great for them. What will you do if one decides to make a nest in a far corner? What will you do if one is injured or dies in a far corner? Sealing it off may make it a good place for snakes, mice, rats or other critters to set up housekeeping. Life does not always give you easy choices.

Deal with it as best you can.

My preferred solution: Seal off all four sides. Tear out your coop floor and add a few inches of dirt to keep the floor dry if rainwater tries to get under there. For thousands of years some coop floors have been dirt. As long as they stay dry and are made predator safe they work great. You can add bedding on top of the dirt. I do.

 

[BDutch]

6 or 8 feet is a pretty long reach.

Yes, hadn’t thought about the actual size.
Good tip.

But maybe there is another possibility:
@Flixflaxnoob If you can open both 8 ft sides (hwc doors/panels) you never have to reach further than 3ft.