[orchardlady]

I'm feeling very smug today as I gave my hen a total clean out...seriously yuck poor things but the freezing weather has made it impossible up until now to do a deep clean. While I was cleaning the girls out I was thinking of how I was doing it and how I've tried various tools over the years to help me. So I thought I would ask you what their favourite tools for cleaning out your birds are. To get the ball rolling I'll start by saying my most useful and favourite tool is a wall paper stripping pallet knife, about 2 inches wide. Perfect for getting dried off poop from floors and walls and getting into corners and crevices to get that last bit of yuck up. A good stiff nylon dustpan and brush, easy to wash and finally the biggest time saver is marque fabric liners for the dropping trays.

Hope to hear from you soon as you might have some really good ideas that can help us all.

OL

[New shoot]

I use an old wallpaper stripper for scraping and a dustpan and brush as well.  I've also replaced my wooden nest boxes with flexible trug buckets  turned upside down and with appropriate door and egg collection holes cut in.  These are easy to pull out and scrub clean 

[Hayley'sHens]

The ol' faithful paint scraper here too, And dustpan and brush and a cat litter poop scoop, Narrower than the dustpan but pretty much the same thing.

Like the idea of trug buckets for nest boxes, They are on roll back in asda at the mo too, so even better.

I picked a few up to use as drinkers when they weather was so bad, larger surface area so they didnt freeze as quick, A couple of the big 1's were great for the ducks to dip their heads in as well 

[joyfull]

yep can't fault the scraper 

[Brambles]

I have used dustpan and trowel up to now... am going to change to poopascoop and wallpaper scraper from now on.. like the sound of fabric liner too.. I have been lining my floor with thick layer of Hemcore...  will try new ideas... thank you all

[asd1]

i use a hoe at kitty litter scoop

[orchardlady]

Brambles I use the liner to go on the bottom of the dropping trays and then put Aubisose (same sort of thing as Hemcore) on top. The time saving comes when I come to clean out I don't have to shovel it out much just roll it up and it then slides off the liners into the bin bag.

[ehs284]

An old coal fire rake - looks like a 3cm half moon on a metal rod; flat edge outwards. Strong for scraping and the 40cm handle keeps your knuckles out of the poo. Scrape onto metal coal shovel. Using these, it takes 5 minutes daily to give a reasonably good clean. Perches and floor pull out for a wash whenever weather and time permit (but maximum 2 weeks).

[Tattyanne456]

It has to be the wall paper scraper, dustpan and those disposable latex gloves that are so easily obtainable nowadays for daily poop picking!

[Stef]

I'm another who uses the paper scraper and dustpan and brush.

My scraper hid in the snow so I switched to a gardening trowel for a couple of weeks. Thankfully the scraper has reappeared.

Looking at the snowless garden now I too will be using my latex gloves for a good clean down!

[DD.]

Mrs Digger.

[jinty1911]

Dustpan and brush plus garden hoe was handy when poo stuck the the garden slabs during the frost.  And a pile of old newspapers for the poop tray.  Just lift top few layers every day and replace the lot weekly.  Easy.  plus hubby handy with the hose pipe and garden brush.

[D]

My favourite and least time consuming is using a rake to move the bedding straight into the wheel barrow. Thank God for off the ground coops and pull out trays

[farmerGiles]

Disposable dust masks to prevent Bird Fancier's Lung.

[Springlands]

I am with you DD - I refuse to do the cleaning - make my husband do that.