Winter coop cleaning...

[snow5164]

These are my silkies , their coop, run and the tractor we move each day ...
these shavings with sand under it have been in there for a few years....

They poop on the roost and in the run that I have raked out each spring

 

[snow5164]

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.

You could try if it gets stinky then clean it

 

[flyin-lowe]

I think the OP is under the assumption that deep litter is just not cleaning out the coop. Not going to get into the science and ins and outs of deep litter. But to answer your questions before every winter I clean my coop out and put everything on my garden. Then I add a fresh layer of pine chips/shavings. After a few weeks I add a layer of leave, or lawn clippings, and then a few weeks later I'll add a little straw. In the cold it does not break down into perfect mulch like a true deep litter but I continue this until spring, I clean it again and till it all into my garden again. So I clean the coop twice a year. The bottom layer is broken down good after 6 months but there is still some straw, pine etc. visable.
So, what you are describing is not a true deep litter method but to answer your question is it ok to not clean out your coop over the winter as long as you add a little fresh bedding of some type every couple weeks. I like to switch it up using grass and leaves more then anything, they break down quicker.

 

[aart]

Right now I empty the poop trays weekly.

What do your poop trays look like?

 

[Hokum Coco]

dumping the shavings maybe once a month? thoughts?

Cleaning the coop in winter is sometimes more bother than it is worth. Poop freezes and sticks to wood that forms a bond comparable to concrete. I clean my coop when things thaw. I live in Canada can you say Arctic Conditions.
I have 68 trips around the sun for decades I have been raising chickens
For years I have been lining my nest boxes with the folded empty nylon mesh feed bags.
When a bag gets soiled pop out the soiled and pop in another. Poop just peels off in below freezing temperatures and just flakes off when left out in the sun to bake and dry. It is the best method I have stumbled upon in my 68 trips around the sun.

Oh! Remove the excess string from the open end of the bag it can get tangled in your birds legs and wings.



I have gone with a wire 2" grid (wire the size of a pencil) over my coop floor. Similar to what is pictured below with 4"x4"x4" cubed blocks stationed under neath the grid on top of a tarp to form a drop pit it worked excellent all summer and I will clean the coop before winter sets in and things freeze solid. The grid even keeps you chickens feet cleaner which in turn keeps your eggs and nest boxes less soiled.

Clean up is simple replace the tarp with a second one. Spread the first tarp out in the sun to bake and dry. Then flex the first tarp over the compost bin and hose off any stubborn chicken poop.

Easy Peasy Japaneasy.

 

[Matilda Belle]

What do your poop trays look like?

I use the plastic bottoms from dog kennels.

 

[aart]

I use the plastic bottoms from dog kennels.

So, easy to remove from coop and dump?
If they are the good less-brittle type of plastic,
they should hold up well to the freezing temps.
I remove poops from boards every day, all year round.

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

I have 12 birds, 160 sq ft well ventilated chicken barn with dirt floors, other than the occasional scrape of the roost and blast of the hose I have never cleaned it in 18 months so far. Smells fine, no flies. I am in a very dry climate, so dry that my deep litter does not get enough moisture to compost. I am adding water here and there to get it going my garden awaits the elusive black gold...

Gary