[Debsie]

I have been putting a thick layer of newspaper in the coop and then wood shavings on top. When I cleaned out the coop at the weeend the paper was saturated but the wood shavings were dry. In this weather it takes an age for the coop to dry and of course I make it wetter by washing it out with poultry sheild, if I don't it smells. So I have a few questions
1. should I be using poultry sheild for general weekly clean (no sign of redmite)

2. is there some sort of dry cleaner I can use.

3. I thought wood shavings were supposed to be absorbant, the last lot seemed to be. I have just bought a big bale from local feed merchant

4. using easibed in the run which seems ok ,the bark chip we raked out as it became really mucky and soggy. I have seen on here people talking about spraying the run with something is this a disinfectant?
 

[joyfull]

I use hemcore which is highly absorbant. Instead of using liquid disinfectant I use Stalosan F and I also use diatom as a redmite preventative. I don't poultry shield in winter as my coops wouldn't get dry in time.

[Ma Lowe]

I do the same as Joyfull.
we also pooh pick in the coop the run and the garden throught the day everyday.
I only ever clean out the coop once a month as we pooh pick it every morning and add new hemcore as and when needed.
In the summer I make the diatom into a liquid with the poultry shield and paint the inside of the coop with it EVERYWHERE especially all crevices holes perches etc. I do this once a month in the summer but less frequent and weather dependant in the winter as it needs to dry. I spray the hemcore with anti lice spry and add a bit of diatom.  Every few months throughout the year we spray the run after it has been dug over with Virkon disinfectant.
It seems to work ok for us  :happy:

[Flowerpower136]

I was having this problem last year in the nest boxes (where they all sleep  ).  I think it's due to condensation from all the warm chicken breath.

Agree with Joyful.  Use stalosen F to dry up and disinfect damp patches, and preferably a big layer of hemcore, I use it throughout in both coop and nest boxes.  Though at the moment using Nedz bedz, which is OK, but not as good as hemcore.

[Debsie]

I like the sound of stalosan F but read that it should be used on a dry surface??

[alisonwo]

I use builders damproof membrane on the base of the run with diatom underneath, then covered by a thick coating of Hemcore mixed with some diatom and sprinkled with citronella oil.  I sieve it each morning with a cheap small plastic garden sieve to get out the big lumps, smells much better and naturally fly resistant.  My perches are standalone made from plastic plumbing bits so I can get these out and washed off whenever needed, without worrying about red mite and drying wood

[TeaPots]

I'm with Joy. I use poultry shield in the summer every Saturday, but in the winter I would only use it if I had visible mite.  We empty and thoroughly scrape out all 16 coops every Saturday, put a light layer of Stalosan F powder, which is anti-bacterial, absorbs smell, ammonia as well as wet, (some people use bio-dry, same sort of thing), Then I puff Diatom powder in all the cracks and crevices, especially on the ends of the perches. Then I use a mix of hemcore and dusted woodshavings, quite deep, and the puff some diatom on top in the corners. 

They do make a LOT of condensation, and you have to allow adequate ventilation to combat this, despite thinking they need to be closed up for warmth. Ventilation needs to be generous,  but high enough in the coop to not have the chookies in an actual  draft.

I also have put a wire frame ramp for them to walk into the coop, as this seems to be very successful at cleaning a lot of the mud and poop off their feet when they go in to lay, or to sleep.

Occasionally, I just have to bite the bullet and do a midweek clean, especially my GIANT Croad Langshan pen, but not often thankfully.