Cleaning the hen house? How often?

[festivefeet]

I have a 4 X 5 hen house and wondered how often I should clean it to avoid heavy smell and prevent sickness in my birds? I have six chickens.

Thanks.
J.

 

[Judy]

People clean their coops anywhere from weekly to once or twice a year. Depends what litter you are using and whether you are using any version of the deep litter method.

The FAQ page might help you sort this out.

 

[festivefeet]

What is the best litter to use? I have been using pine shavings. If so, how often do I change that? To prevent high stink how often do I change the litter?

I figured to prevent illness I would need to do it every week. When they were in the house, I was doing it every other day in the brooder.

J.

 

[mottyh]

I want to use my chicken's manure for my vegetable garden fertilizer - how do i prepare it before adding it to my garden's soil?
Anybody familiar with this??

 

[kinnip]

Quote:
Big, ugly compost pile! Toss in some weeds and plant trimmings and you got a cocktail that your garden will love. Make sure it sits until it's no longer recognizable as its former components. You will need to turn it periodically. Some folks go a year, some less. I find that all that poo really speeds the composting process along.

 

[emilyweck]

I clean my same sized coop with 6 chickens every week. I don't do the deep litter method, just because I don't quite understand it. I use straw as bedding and they love it. I'm sure your shavings are good, also.

I can't stand the wiff I get every time I open the door to let them out, so....weekly cleaning it is for my girls.

 

[antlers]

Quote:
About the same here. Unofficial gauge? When I walk in the coop and it sticks to my shoes its time to clean.

 

[Ol'FashionHen]

my coop is 10x16 I do the deep litter method with 2 bags of pine shavings. I have linoleum floors and I scrape the floor and clean out as much poo once a week. Then take out all shavings and replace once a month. I have 24 chickens and find the floor stays cleaner and dryer with the deep litter. I live in KY were the rate for Histoplasmosis is high so I strive to keep the poo dry and out as much as possible. That is why I also let them free range lots too so there is no build up of poo in one spot.

edited for spelling

 

[Chick_a_dee]

Myyy coop is about 17x13 and I've cleaned it so far since October when the girls first went into it probably 6 times (going on 7 this coming weekend cause its getting stinky). We have the front window open 24/7 and it hardly ever smells except in the winter when I have to close it during cold cold cold temps. Occasionally I pick out the bedding like you would with a horse stall, usually around the waterer and roosts. I have 15 chickens.

 

[Pug Momma]

I have a 6x9 (apprx - I should really measure it one of these days!) coop for my three ladies and I use the deep litter method where I start with 2 inches of hay and pine shavings and a dusting of DE (mix it up a little) and then every two weeks I add a dusting of pine shavings and DE (mix it up). The DE helps desiccate the poop and the vermin that try an get in.
I have no smell and I find the poop just gets covered up when they scratch around for corn and oats that I throw in there. Y'know - nature's mixer? Chicken feet!
Also - I am going to only clean my coop once a year in the Spring - b/c the thinking is that the litter method builds up, the bedding on the bottom starts heating up as it decomposes - thus heating the coop, and creating an already started *hot* compost that you can add to your compost pile in the spring for it to heat up during the summer - great compost by fall when your beds need it.
So far so good. No smell and chickens are healthy. *knock wood*! Oh, yeah - and I started with a dirt and pea gravel floor.