Winter coop cleaning...

[Matilda Belle]

i live in Minnesota and it's starting to cool down quite a bit. Is it okay in the winter months to use the deep litter method inside the coop, dumping the shavings maybe once a month? thoughts?

 

[snow5164]

Depending on the number of hens you have you could clean it in spring ,
Shavings don’t absorb and deep litter is dirt , leaves , and needs time to break down ,

Research it if you want to try , it got moldy during my winters here in Canada .

I love my sand floors , easy to scoop all year long , a great solution for dust bathing too

 

[Matilda Belle]

I like the smell of the pine. Should I just keep adding the pine and do a full cleaning in the spring?

 

[snow5164]

I offer heat in my silkies coop I never put them in the snow so they stay at a nice 10’C all winter long .....

I have four silkies that have had the same shavings in their coop for longer then I can admit to

They have a low perch and a board ( almost a shelf )that they sleep on , yes silkies shavings last a long time .

It could work , just stir and add more

 

[Matilda Belle]

Thank you. This is my first winter with them. Do they spend more time inside than out when it snows?

 

[snow5164]

Yes, mine spend almost all winter inside,but I’m in Canada so it’s really cold.
I have a nice coop for them and I do let them roam in my work area.

 

[pennyJo1960]

i live in Minnesota and it's starting to cool down quite a bit. Is it okay in the winter months to use the deep litter method inside the coop, dumping the shavings maybe once a month? thoughts?

Okay I am in Washington it is fall I only swap deep litter twice a year otherwise clean poop daily but deep litter remains

 

[snow5164]

Okay I am in Washington it is fall I only swap deep litter twice a year otherwise clean poop daily but deep litter remains

But shavings alone are not deep litter... that’s the canumdrum here

 

[pennyJo1960]

in my three coops two have dirt floors one is wood I use 3 bales in my main coop 2 in silky land three if you count the second room litter is 4 inches deep

 

[Matilda Belle]

Right now I empty the poop trays weekly. I guess I'm wondering if it's okay to just throw more bedding on top so I don't have to clean as much in the winter.