Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: infowarrior on September 12, 2012, 21:15
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Wondering what different cleaning fluid etc people use to clean out their coops, how often they do it etc? I'm aware it'll depend on size of coop, how many chickens there are etc but just wanted a few ideas. My coop hasn't got a removable floor like some have for ease of cleaning. Do people just normally use a big scraper or something to scrape up all the droppings into a pile?
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My coop and nest boxes have wood shavings on the bottom. I dont use straw as my current chooks dont like it.
I poop pick daily so it keeps cleaner for longer.
When i'm giving it a thorough clean, i empty the shavings into the compost.
i remove the perches and nest box dividers and drop them into a bucket of jayes solution.
i jet wash the whole of the inside and it gets into all the nooks and crannies. I then use the jeyes solution and a hand brush and give it a good slosh around.
Once its all dry i spray it with poultry shield.
Once dry again i put fresh shavings in a and a good dosing of DE powder
Honestly it doesnt take as long as it sounds.
Everyone has their own methods and products, you just have to do what works for you. Obviously not everyone has a jet washer or even access to power and water where their coop is situated but it works well for me.
I dont have any special tools, just a handbrush, dustpan, bucket and spray bottle that i mix up the poultry shield in.
because i poop pick daily there is no build up or scraping required. Oh and when i poop pick its by hand with a latex glove on of course, only takes moments.
In the winter i have to be a bit more selective of the days im doing a big clean because of the drying time
And in my opionion, a removable floor isnt all its cracked up to be, both of mine have them and when i was buying them i thought it was a great idea but in reality, not so great.
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I have to confess I've NEVER used any kind of disinfectant in my coops. They're wooden, with a liberal layer of wood shavings on the floor which I poo pick every morning, then sweep out and change completely about once a fortnight, (more often in winter). I scrape any dried poo off the perches and that's about the limit of my cleaning routine. I guess I've been lucky, no nasty mites or lice etc, I've had a very healthy, happy bunch of hens for several years now, They free range in the garden for most of the day and are wormed twice a year.
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I do wonder if i overdo it with the chemicals, or maybe i just like the smell of jeyes :wacko:
If only they could learn to wipe their feet .........
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Cheers for the replies. Bought some Jeyes today, it's not cheap!
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I have found one of those small triangular scrapers with a long handle used when you re preparing wood for painting is great for scraping into corners and along edges :)
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Have to agree with Sassy there, a scraper is my best friend when it comes to cleaning out.
Orchardlady