Although it may not be the nicest job in the word, keeping your chicken coop and house clean is essential, it’s one of the best ways of keeping your chickens healthy and free of illness or disease. And once you’ve got your routine sorted you’ll find it’s actually a relatively quick and easy job.
How Often Should I Clean the Coop?
It’s good to get into the habit of having a quick tidy around the coop each day when you feed them however you should aim to clean the coop thoroughly once a week and carry out deep cleans once or twice a year.
The Once Weekly Clean:
How long this chore takes you will depend on how messy your chickens are! If your chickens are let out to roam around each day you may find that there won’t be as much cleaning up to do in the hen house. If your chickens are well trained you may find that most of their droppings will end up in their roosting boxes. If this is the case you’ll need to scrape out the roosting boxes each week.
It’s also good practice to sweep out all the wood shavings from the coop or house and spray with a chicken friendly disinfectant before laying down more sawdust. It’s important to clear out every nook and cranny as any small corners can be the ideal place for parasites to grow and spread.
During the summer months when the weather is warm you can always hose out your coop, leaving it to dry in the sun.
Deep Cleaning the Coop:
If your planning on deep cleaning the coop, make sure you pick a warm day so it has plenty of time to dry before you replace the shavings. A deep clean is not as scary as it sounds, it can simply involve a bucket of soapy water or a specifically designed, chicken friendly cleaning product, rubber gloves and some scrubbing brushes. Clean the whole of the interior and the exterior of your coop or hen house and leave to dry.
Cleaning the Feeders:
Regularly cleaning your feeders and water feeders is also important. Disinfect them with soapy water every couple of weeks or at least once a month. This ensures no bacteria are growing in them and your water feeders are free from algae – as this can be very dangerous for chickens.
Here at Eggshell we supply an extensive range of 100% fox proof chicken coops and houses and are always on hand to offer expert advice on the best way to clean and maintain your coops as well as caring for your chickens. Be sure to browse our large collection of coops and houses and if you would like further information on any of our products be sure to contact us on 01903 756 12.
