Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: chick with chicks on June 13, 2009, 17:03

Title: How often and how do you clean out the coop?
Post by: chick with chicks on June 13, 2009, 17:03: Hello all :),

I have been reding stuff here for ages and today we finally got our first four hens! Happy day here for the family!
But they have pooped in their coop a fair bit already today! So I was wondering how often I should clear out the coop and what's best to use for cleaning? Also is there something we should be doing daily for cleaning or are they ok?
Any help very welcome, and this probably is not the last time you will here from me!

Thanks all!
Title: Re: How often and how do you clean out the coop?
Post by: Vember on June 13, 2009, 18:44: Hi CwC

Welcome to the wonderful world of chickens :D

I give mine a complete clean out once every two weeks and once a month spray nooks and crannies with poultry shield, any biggies or any nest box poops get picked up daily :D

Sarah :)
Title: Re: How often and how do you clean out the coop?
Post by: bubs on June 13, 2009, 19:50: i clean mine once a week and give it a spray with battles black {similar to jeyes} to freshen things up . when i do a proper cleandown 2/3 times a year i use poultry shield and diatom .
Title: Re: How often and how do you clean out the coop?
Post by: BrianK on June 13, 2009, 19:51: You have to clean it??

Damn. brb.
Title: Re: How often and how do you clean out the coop?
Post by: nzdunn on June 13, 2009, 20:30: congrats on your first hens, im very new to all this aswell, but i clean the inside of the house once a week, under there perch where they roost at nite i put down newspaper so all the poops go on there, makes it easy in the morning to just fold it up spray and lay down fresh paper. I painted each end of the perch with neat Jeyes fluid, tip i got from on here to stop red mite. I poo pick each day in there little garden bit just to keep things clean. Nicky
Title: Re: How often and how do you clean out the coop?
Post by: joyfull on June 13, 2009, 21:12: full clean every fortnight in their shed including a good dusting of diatom and I poo pick daily, which as it drops onto hemcore is very very easy to do.
Title: Re: How often and how do you clean out the coop?
Post by: tuffty on June 13, 2009, 21:18: HI
I have 12 Black Rock hens and l use woodshavings. I clean them out each morning which keeps them nice and fresh and takes only a few minutes.
Title: Re: How often and how do you clean out the coop?
Post by: joyfull on June 13, 2009, 21:19: Is that a full clean every day or just a poo pick?
Title: Re: How often and how do you clean out the coop?
Post by: BrianK on June 14, 2009, 06:52: Quote from: joyfull on June 13, 2009, 21:19
Is that a full clean every day or just a poo pick?

The one millionsth and one english word. Poo-pick
Title: Re: How often and how do you clean out the coop?
Post by: janeheritage on June 14, 2009, 07:40: I have four girls in a house and they get their paper and straw changed under their perch every day so all the poo and wetness is gone. Diatom in all the crevices and poultry shield every two weeks in hot weather.

The house is on legs so we don't have to stoop to clean it (makes it much easier) and I like it that when I put my head in it doesn't smell at all! :lol:
Title: Re: How often and how do you clean out the coop?
Post by: chick with chicks on June 14, 2009, 11:32: Hi all! :D

OMG! What an amount of help. We are using woodchip and newspaper under the roost is a great idea. Our coop is also on legs, which makes it great for going in and out and for cleaning. is jeyes fluid safe with chicks? Just thought I had read somewhere that it wasn't safe? Is battles black the safer version?
Think we will poo pick and put fresh newspaper down daily, then do a good clean out once a week with the diatom and poultry sheild. I suppose the more chickens you get, the more often you need to clean out?