Pre-fab coop cleaning!

[lliauba]

Saving up scraps of wood you see is an awesome idea. Sometimes on Marketplace I see people advertising misc. wood for free, sitting in a pile or on the curb.

When you get time, I'd peruse the Coop Articles for ideas. Some have very good instructions for how to build it, some not so good but you'd get the idea.

This forum you posted this post in is a good forum to ask questions too.

Oooh that's a good idea! I'd love to see how everyone else has designed their coops! Thank you!

 

[Dominique King]

Oh pro tip.
DON’T mix hay/straw with wood shavings.
It makes it EXTREMELY difficult to clean up. It makes an impenetrable mass that is VERY difficult to move.
I hope this helps too.

 

[Dominique King]

I am speaking from experience!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Realistically with a small coop you will need to do frequent clean outs. Not sure how often you're currently cleaning out, but if you can smell odor in there, it needs to be cleaned out.

A scrap board across the door opening held in place with bricks can help keep bedding in.

 

[Debbie292d]

That's a great idea!! Thank you for that! I've been considering pellets for quite a while but I wasn't sure how they would fare versus pine shavings. Next time I'm at Tractor supply I'm gonna get it!

The chickens may get that scratched around enough, but if they don't, use a stick to stir them weekly or bi-weekly. They don't need to be changed out until they turn into mostly sawdust as then they aren't as absorbent.

When we clean our coop out (once a year), we put some in our garden and flower gardens, around trees, and some in the compost bins.

 

[PimsGarden]

Can you make a ledge there to keep the shavings in? If not, maybe one of those expandable shower curtain rods they make on a smaller scale would work to run along the bottom edge.

We have a small hutch in a grow out pen I use a lot of stall refresher (not Sweet PDZ but close) which makes cleaning so much easier!

If you get a ledge of some sort, maybe look into horse bedding pellets. We use that in the coop, but in the hutch it's just straw and stall refresher.

I switched to pine pellets! 5 bucks a bag and it works so well! Sucks all the moisture out of the poop so that it doesn't become messy and tracked around and it's easy to scoop out! The corners that my hens lay in (they refused nest boxes no matter what I did) I put shavings in, the rest of the coop is pellets. Works fine because they poop in the opposite corner that they nest in, so far no poop or pellets in shavings nests or vice versa. I like using pellets the most out of any bedding I've tried!

 

[PimsGarden]

The chickens may get that scratched around enough, but if they don't, use a stick to stir them weekly or bi-weekly. They don't need to be changed out until they turn into mostly sawdust as then they aren't as absorbent.

When we clean our coop out (once a year), we put some in our garden and flower gardens, around trees, and some in the compost bins.

I scrape my poop boards every day and sift out a little that falls into the pellets, but it takes all of 2min when I am getting eggs. Otherwise a full clean out doesn't happen for months, haven't had to do it yet so don't have a time frame on that. The coop stays so much cleaner than pine shavings so I'm eager to see how long it lasts, prob till Spring at least.

 

[PimsGarden]

The chickens may get that scratched around enough, but if they don't, use a stick to stir them weekly or bi-weekly. They don't need to be changed out until they turn into mostly sawdust as then they aren't as absorbent.

When we clean our coop out (once a year), we put some in our garden and flower gardens, around trees, and some in the compost bins.

Oh and an added note ... I think chicken poop needs to compost for at least 3-4 months before eating any food grown in it! Be safe so you don't get e.coli or salmonella etcetc!

 

[StinkyAcres]

Oh pro tip.
DON’T mix hay/straw with wood shavings.
It makes it EXTREMELY difficult to clean up. It makes an impenetrable mass that is VERY difficult to move.
I hope this helps too.

I actually prefer cleaning out hay masses. A pitch fork makes quick work of them and leaves very little to sweep up. BUT shavings are definitely the more sanitary option.