how often do i need to clean??

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MarcoPollo said:
I want to know too if lime is safe in the run. Anyone know?
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Lime will burn the bird's feet unless you work it into the soil and water it. More modern methods are practical. Virkon S is effective in soil as well as Tek-trol if viral problems are a concern. A well draining run exposed to sunlight, not allowing access to the yard by wild birds, and general bio security practices will prevent many problems.
 
I have 5 Banty hens in a 4'x4'x4.5' coop BUT they're in there only to sleep. They have a 25' x 40' fenced off part of my yard to run in during the day.

I use the deep litter method & clean the coop out totally about 3 X a year. I just did my Spring cleaning this past weekend. Scooped all the litter out, swept out the floor, used the broom to get out all the cobwebs, scraped off the roost.

I DON'T wash out the coop like others do. I just spread clean pine shavings down then powder everything with DE. Put fresh hay in the 2 nest boxes & sprinkle with DE. every day when I go to get the eggs, I put on a glove I keep there & scoop up the poo under the roost & throw it out of the coop. I then fluff up the shavings. Every month I'll add some more shavings to replace what I've thrown out or the hens have kicked out. This works for me, & so far I've never been bothered with mites or other bugs.
 
DON'T USE LIME! Chickens will eat it and it's not good for them! If your worried about smell try coop n' compost by manna; I found it at tractor supply. You put it down in the coop before the bedding and it's not harmful to the chickens. Another suggestion...check out the chicken chick, she's got a facebook page, blog, etsy store..... She puts fresh herbs in her coop and it seems to help and it helps keep away mites. I guess certain herbs the mites don't like. I haven't tried it yet but it's on my to-do-list.
 
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I guess I am bad. It has been two years since I put the fine wood shavings down, I sprinkled DE around and turned the deep bed once a week with a corn rake getting down to the cement, just add a bag here and there before the winter months. My deep litter now is very fine and looks like dirt and just decided that I am scooping it all out this spring to put on my asparagus, rasberries and gardens for mulch. I have a couple of big tubs of fine wood ash that the girls can get into. My covered large run is filled with sand which I will turn when the frost leaves the ground. I have oak limbs leaned around in the run and chicken house that the ladies like to climb around on. I have a 20' poop board under the roost and sift that out once a week when I work full time or every couple of days. I use clumping natural clay and baking soda cat litter and just replenish it from Theisens when it looks like the litter is getting low. My nest are rollout to the rear so I don't have to get in the main chicken area and they have little pads in the nest. You keep your deep litter dry and turned continuously, mother nature takes care of the composting herself. No smell. May have a odor from the poop board area until I use my hardware cloth covered horse manure scoop to get it clean. Girls have been happy. I do have a lot of dust now so I figured it was time to start over. I also have a lot of ventilation overhead and have kept two south windows cracked open all winter.
 
Sandyd said:
I guess I am bad.  It has been two years since I put the fine wood shavings down, I sprinkled DE around and turned the deep bed once a week with a corn rake getting down to the cement, just add a bag here and there before the winter months.  My deep litter now is very fine and looks like dirt and just decided that I am scooping it all out this spring to put on my asparagus, rasberries and gardens for mulch.  I have a couple of big tubs of fine wood ash that the girls can get into.  My covered large run is filled with sand which I will turn when the frost leaves the ground.  I have oak limbs leaned around in the run and chicken house that the ladies like to climb around on.  I have a 20' poop board under the roost and sift that out once a week when I work full time or every couple of days.  I use clumping natural clay and baking soda cat litter and just replenish it from Theisens when it looks like the litter is getting low.  My nest are rollout to the rear so I don't have to get in the main chicken area and they have little pads in the nest.  You keep your deep litter dry and turned continuously, mother nature takes care of the composting herself.  No smell.  May have a odor from the poop board area until I use my hardware cloth covered horse manure scoop to get it clean.  Girls have been happy.  I do have a lot of dust now so I figured it was time to start over.  I also have a lot of ventilation overhead and have kept two south windows cracked open all winter.
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Wow I wish I could do this!!! It just intimanates me tho! I clean out the coop every 2 weeks and add fresh hay and pine shavings here and there. Your veggies must be delish with that Rich soil!
 
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thanks so much for the info, now the cleaning supplies listed in your post, do they affect the chickens and after cleaning how long do you wait before letting the chickens inside??
 

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