would installing a drain in the bottom of the coop be helpful?

[joan1708]

I'm thinking of putting a drain in the bottom of my coop to be able to power wash it with a weak bleach solution once a year. I would cover it when not in use so it doesn't become a rat door. Do you think this would work? Has anyone tried this before?

 

[WestfarthingHomestead]

Haven't tried it, but it sounds brilliant!

I'm anxious to hear what the more experienced chicken people say on this one.

 

[SmokinChick]

So your floor is concrete now? If you can't squeege the water out you'll need a drain. Good luck.

Just looked at your page. Very nice coop. Can't you just reach in, scrub it with a brush, towel dry and let it air dry. I think powerwashing would be overkill?

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

If your coop is made from totally waterproof materials it's a great idea.
If it's made of wood, not so much.

A light misting of bleach solution will kill all the germs, and it's not like chickens need a sterile environment in the first place

 

[geoff40]

I also looked at your coop, or the one on your page, and I must say I agree with smokin..., seems like a bit of overkill. A good pair of gloves, a dust mask, and a good scrubbing. The standard bleach/water ratio is 1:10, this will kill everything. The coop inthe photo looks small enough so that a 15 minute cleaning would be more than nough time most likely.

 

[al6517]

I agree with not going with a drain, smaller little toy coops don't need that much attention. I also would just dry brush and clean well once a year, over cleaning and solutions can be harmful to the natural way of things in the coop. I know some some folks who over clean and their birds are always sickly and unhealthy. I do clean my large breeder barns but I don't Martha Stewart the deal either.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I agree with Al6517 on this one. Let me try to phrase it a different way.

When you take antibiotics, you kill off the probiotics in your system. That can mess you up. If your chickens are healthy in the current environment, why kill off their probiotics. If the build-up is such you need to clean it, then just scrape it out. Don't over-do it.

 

[WestfarthingHomestead]

I can see how it would be unnecessary for a small coop...

BUT, thanks for such a great idea, because I'm getting a BIG coop!

 

[joan1708]

thanks for your thoughts/ideas!

 

[nightshade]

I wanted to and forgot I thought it would be great to hose the coop out and not have all the water ect, to have to sweep out of the coop. Then we built the coop and I was pouring the last wheelbarrow load of cement in and did the head smack, oh crap deal.

Completely forgot to lay the pipe so no drain.