How to do a Weekly Coop Clean

Coop hygiene is imperative for keeping chickens and other poultry healthy.

We recommend cleaning your coop once a week and do a more thorough clean monthly.

A weekly coop clean is as easy as following these steps:

Step 1: Take out anything that can be removed.

This includes feeders, drinkers, detachable perches. Many coops available on the market also have dividers in their nesting boxes and trays and flooring that can be taken out for ease of cleaning.

These items might need to be brushed off, or if they’re particularly dirty, cleaned in hot, soapy water and allowed to dry.

Step 2: Sweep out old bedding

Remove damp litter or soil and replace it with clean, new material which will significantly reduce the risk of nasties like coccidiosis.

Be careful to clean the edges and corners. This is a good opportunity to check over the hen house. Make sure there are no leaks, new gaps or faulty latches which might allow predators in at night, or any signs of rats or other pests.

Step 3: Clean out the nesting boxes

Clean out dirty nests and any droppings in the hen house. This is essential to minimise the risk of disease and fly problems. If you’re going to use the manure on your garden, make sure you let it mellow in a composter first.

Step 4: Sprinkle powder to kill mites and lice

These powders are available from your local pet shop.

Step 5: Put in new bedding

Re-lay our bedding through the coop. You can use straw, wood shavings and other materials that are light and dry.

Step 6: Refill feeder and reassemble coop

Make sure the feeder is out of the weather and out of areas where it is going to get droppings or water readily into it. Ensure all birds have free access to the feeder.

 

For more information on good housekeeping, see this section of the Barastoc Chook Book

Barastoc Poultry