Blog | Chicken & Rabbit Information

Are Plastic Chicken Coops Worth It? A Comprehensive Comparison

Posted on 9 December 2024

When selecting a home for your chickens, the material matters more than you might think.

Best Winter Temperatures for Chicken Coops

Posted on 12 November 2024

Why Temperature Matters for Chickens in Winter Best Winter Temperatures for Chicken Coops: Maintaining the

How to Choose the Right Chicken Coop for Your Backyard

Posted on 14 October 2024

Raising chickens at home can be a rewarding experience, but choosing the right chicken coop

Caring For Your Chickens During The Autumn

Posted on 1 August 2024

The changing seasons will often mean you need to make adjustments to your care routine.

Scaly Leg In Chickens And How To Treat It

Posted on 22 July 2024

Whether you keep your chickens for commercial purposes or they are just beloved family pets,

Top Reasons To Keep Chickens

Posted on 19 July 2024

We are without a doubt a nation of animal lovers with many of us now keeping chickens in our gardens. Read on and find out why chickens make such great pets

Top Tips For Keeping Your Chicken Coops Clean

Posted on 18 July 2024

One of the best ways to keep your chickens healthy and happy is by ensuring they have a clean space to sleep. Chicken coops protect them from the elements and ensure they are safe from predators. The chicken coop is also where your chickens will roost and lay their eggs. Cleaning might not be the most pleasant task, but regular cleaning can actually help to make the task less taxing. By keeping on top of the cleaning with daily maintenance, you can minimise the work and ensure that it never gets too unpleasant. Follow these tips to help keep your chicken coops hygienically clean and your flocks healthy. The daily clean You need to carry out a quick clean every day to help remove damp or soiled material and replace this with new sawdust. How long this task takes will all depend on how messy your chickens are. Some well-trained chickens will always head to their roosting boxes to leave their waste. And if your chickens have free roam of a chicken run during the day, they’ll be less likely to make a mess in their coop. The weekly clean Once a week, you need to remove everything from the chicken coop and give it a good clean. This will help to reduce the risk of infestations from parasites like red mites, as they won’t have anywhere to hide. Remove everything from the coop and wash down the floors with a chicken-friendly disinfectant. In the summer, you can hose down the coop completely and allow it to dry in the sun. Pay close attention to the roosting box as this will be where the majority of the waste is found. Start by sweeping out the waste and then using a spray cleaning and water before scrubbing the area. Vinegar is a highly effective cleaning product that will eliminate bad smells without leaving behind a smell that will bother your chickens. The deep clean Around once a month, you may want to consider a deep disinfection cleaning to help prevent the build up of smells and to eliminate the risk of parasites causing problems with your chickens. You could use a pressure washer to get into the cracks and crevices and remove all traces of mites and their eggs. Boiling water is also a highly effective way to deal with parasites. Make sure the space is dry before adding fresh bedding and sawdust on the ground. You should also pay close attention to the chicken feeders and drinkers and make sure you deep clean them at least once a week. Algae build up can be dangerous for your chickens so it’s vital to keep the drinkers and feeders hygienic. Coop maintenance As you are cleaning the chicken coop, make sure you check for signs of dampness or leaks. Address any issues with the roof or walls quickly to keep your chickens happy and healthy. It might be necessary to replace the roof felting after some time, so keep an eye on its condition. If there are cracks or breaks in your feeders or drinkers, replace these as a matter or urgency. Cracks and breaks will not only make them less efficient, but they can also leak, or they can allow bacteria to build up. If you have vents to increase air flow, check that they aren’t blocked as this can quickly lead to a build up of moisture which can make the space damp and unpleasant for your birds. With a daily routine, you can make light work of the weekly clean, which will make the deep cleaning process much easier. And all of this will contribute to a healthier and happier flock.

Read this latest post from the expert team here at Eggshell and follow these top tips on how to keep your chicken coop and house clean all year round.