I wanted to see how other people clean their coops. How often, what bedding they use, any tips to save time, etc. Im trying to figure out the most efficient way to do mine.
I should add that I just have 3 laying hens.
How does everyone keep their coop clean?
1st, how large is your coop? If about a 20 x 20, you should not have to clean very often with only 3 chickens, maybe once a month if you get no rain. put shavings and hay in the shelter.
I have over 200 hens and roosters on 3 acres and a large hen house that I clean out every weekend. I pitchfork the shavings and hey and add clean. I also clean my laying boxes out almost every day to keep the eggs clean. The grass is all brown now as you can see in the picture. you will also see the veggies all over the ground. The health food store I sell eggs to always gives me their produce that is past sale date. The chickies love it.
I gave my chickens a bag of pine and spruce shaving and directed them to clean and replenish their coop's litter once a month.
It didn't work with my son's rooms either.
I use deep pine shavings and clean it every couple of months. I have 14 chickens and two peacocks in there right now. They have a large covered outside area, so theat helps a lot. I put about two feet of fallen leaves in there this fall.
I have 5 girls and I had my husband put down a linoleum floor! oh we have a chicken tractor with the girls roosting on the top and the bottom open. one big side opens and both ends are the places they lay. it's wonderful because I just open it up and use the dust pan to scoop the shavings out once a week and they are a happy bunch of girls :-)
Here is a picture of it when the guys were building it.
This message was edited Nov 26, 2008 3:08 PM
I use the deep litter method too, and clean every 3 months or so. Works well for me. Google on deep litter method and you will find lots of info! There is a lot of info on it at backyardchickens.com as well. I think it's easiest for me because I have a very busy lifestyle and it is the easiest method around in my opinion.
I use deep litter method. I change out the litter about every 3 months.
Linoleum in a hen house? You GOT to be kidding! Does it match the curtains?
Nope. But it sure does help with cleaning up the poop! I have tile board in mine... afterward DH and I were kicking ourselves over why in the world we didn't just linolieum everything... walls and floors. HA!
I agree, WAY easier to clean up flooring that is linoleum or tile board than wood. You can even wash it out with a hose. I lined all my nest boxes with some industrial linoleum type flooring that they used in a kitchen where Kelly installed a dishwasher in his former job. He got the scraps. They're perfect for that purpose - very very thick and durable.
i use white or ceder shavings, also there is a big maple tree in the pasture, and karbear and i usualy put the fallen leaves in their yard so that it doesn't get too mucky and gross.
;)
I have sheets of metal as a floor in my coop, we clean and disinfect the entire coop with bleach water at least once a year.
Ok, what's the difference between hay and straw? We use a bale of straw and I'm not crazy about it. I use shavings all the time for my hens. During the winter time though it's harder to clean out the coop since it all freezes. What do I do in those times?
Hay is greenish in color and it's the growing stuff, like alfalfa or grass or brome that has been cut, allowed to dry, and then baled. Straw is the dried, dead stalks that have been cut and baled. Hay is good for feeding animals like goats and llamas and sheep. Straw is good for bedding.
As for winter, I just put more shavings on top and keep piling them up (that is essentially the deep litter method and then by spring the bottom layers are pretty much composted and great for the garden.
So what's best for the chickens, hay or straw?
I use straw because hay is more expensive and I feed it to my goats and sheep! LOL!
But I also use a lot of wood shavings for the chickens. I put straw in the nest boxes and wood shavings on the floor. Over time the straw gets kicked out of the nest boxes and then onto the floor, so it mixes in. I then put more straw in the nest boxes. Recently I have begun to use shredded paper. We got a new higher powered paper shredder and I am shredding all kinds of stuff and making nice nest bedding with paper. It will compost too when it's old.
i have a 12'x12'x about 10' high castle for my 9 varied hens along with 3 nesting boxes and a roosting box at the tippy top (L0L). i have a couple tree stumps and a roosting bar across the castle...on the floor i put a "bale" of wood shavings and covered it with hay...i clean in spring and late fall and in between just add some clean hay..i vacuum the dust that collects about the walls etc..i have a light bulb for that extra light when needed and a water heater for my 2 gallon watering can...i like the hay because my girls seem to love it and they are happy and i always have some around for my horse...i know the girls are happy cause they are giving an average of 7 eggs a day between them .....so what is best????what ever makes the girls happy and produces the most eggs!!!!i even hug them all every evening before retiring.
Hey Johnnierotten - you are a new name to the forum - glad to have you chip in! Sounds like your girls have a hen paradise!
I am with Lazy_ Ladies. I have linoleum in a hen house. I have splash boards all around the walls also. It is so much easier to clean and helps with oder on my opinion. It can not soak into the wood. They do love the hay too. Johnnie, I am going to keep the same cleaning schedule as you. Spring and Fall. Throw it on the garden then till. Nice to see you here. Have I seen you on another forum? Your name sounds familiar! Your girls have the good life! ;)
The problem with this thread is the title--I suffer extreme OCD every time I see it. Does everyone really keep their coops clean? Because I don't. Anyway I can barely get them to go into it except to lay eggs. If it weren't for the glory of the deep litter method I would be a complete basket case.
I would have to work 24-7 in my coop to keep it clean. I'd be running around with lysol wipes and a shop-vac. And then how would I afford chicken feed?
Catscan dear, you already are a complete basket case. ;-)
Thank you, Moxon, for acknowledging it. It takes great pressure off my pathetic attempts at normalcy.
No problem, just doing my part to help. ;-)
the way i understand it is that complete cleanliness bordering on sterility is not necessary and is in fact harmful..the chicken "poop" actually gives the birds a little immunity to disease..they eat it a bit and develop antibodies......so .....i terminally clean when i put in a new flock and then at 6 month intervals do it again.....in mean time i just add a layer of clean hay intermittently....i keep down the dust and cob webs on the walls.... i let the my girls free range as much as possible even in winter...even shovel snow so they have an area to roam....i try to give them a safe and secure home to return to and of course they reward me with eggs....i don't startle them .....let them share my abundant garden best as possible (oh do they love watermelon). now an aside: sure some of the eggs get soiled a bit ..but not to worry...when a hen lays an egg there is a natural coating that covers the shell....so don't try to wash the soil off the eggs or it will cause the eggs to be more permeable to organisms.....i wash them right before i use them if they are soiled...i do provide clean water frequently and do clean the watering containers before refilling...
I'm with you, JohnnieR, thanks for chiming in.
I use a 12 X 12' stall with rubber mats, perches and laying boxes. I recently removed all the shavings, and the chickens decided to roost in my hay instead of the stall. I will be replacing the shavings to get everyone back into the stall. I have ~25+- chickens w/ 3 adult roosters & 5 or 6 3 months old. The young roosters will be finding new homes soon!
OOOOOO love the roo in the pic!
Wow! I am so happy with the responses! My coop is not as grand as some of these (Im pretty impressed by the electric water heater!) but it is about 7' long, 3' wide and 6 ' tall (Just enough for me to stand in it and have a little head room as Im pretty tall at 5'9''). So not too big but plenty of room for 3. They also have it split into 2 levels with the top level being laying boxes and water can. The bottom being dirt/"grass" and food. They have their perch at the very top. They seem to like it.
Im happy Catscan that you referenced the fact that no coops are ever "clean". which is why I started this topic because I want to know what is normal dirty and relative clean and how to keep it somewhere in the good range! But I felt like every time I went out there it was so dirty again! Lol. I guess Ill get used to that part.
Right now Ive been cleaning it out once a month pretty thuroughly but being winter and cold (dont laugh you northerners!) I hate being out there cleaning it for an afternoon. I like that idea of cleaning it out thuroughly spring and fall and I can add it to my compost which dh will love as he is severly obsessed with composting everything!
I use woodshavings that seem pretty absorbent and add a new bucket every week.
Thank you J.R. for saying that thing about the eggs having a coating because that was something else that bothered me. I didnt know if it would be unhealthy if they had a little poop on them or if I should wash them right away or not. Now I will know what to do.
My chickies get lots of fresh fruits and veggies from my garden that they love. They love the watermelons too! I usually cut one in half and they go at it!
Again, thank you everyone for you posts! Now I have some better ideas about good and time efficient ways to do it!
Oh and another question!
We recently found out we are expecting a baby! (yay)
My question is, I know that cat poop should be avoided buring pregnancy due to some bacteria that is present in the poop and can infect the mom and embryo but has anyone heard of any reason to avoid chicken poo? I sure hope not because dh would not be at all enthusiastic about cleaning the cat litter boxes and the chicken coop!
Also, Im still using DE in their coop but Ive never used a mask or gloves with it. Is that necessary since its the organic kind esp. with a baby?
Thanks!
I'm fairly sure that's specific to cats, but certainly a mask and a few precautions would be wise. Don't know anything definitive though.
You could ask your O.B. he could probably answer that for you.
I think sometimes pregnancy alters your immune system a little and you might be more susceptible to Salmonella and E coli..
I can only 2nd Harmony and Catscan. Definitely ask you OB.
Oh and by the way....
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
I just love babies... so I'm very excited for you! Can I live vicariously through you and pictures? My youngest is 3... and the clock is tickin' for another, but DH took care of not havin anymore... HA! ;-)
Congratz. I just had a grandaughter born the 26th of last month, and a great niece due in april. Babies are a joy. when they belong to someone else. lol I am done with the raising of babies.
Its our first so were just beginning!
I figured I would ask him (my OBGYN) but I also think thats probably a question he has never gotten before since we live in a big citry and not too many ppl have chickens here. I thought Id ask here ist and then see.
Thanks for the congratulations and I will surely post pictures once the baby is out in the world!