Chicken Coop Cleaning

Chicken Coop Cleaning

December 12, 2021

(Angelica exiting a just-cleaned coop!)

Keeping a clean chicken coop is, of course, optimal for the health of your flock. Your coop doesn't need to be spotless, but it does need to be dry and free of mold, mildew, parasites, etc. I only do a deep clean twice a year. Yup, that's it.

Just two times a year I do a really good, deep coop cleaning. Spring and fall, I clean all the old litter and nesting box bedding out and scrub down the whole coop with a white vinegar/water solution right before the weather turns cold - and then again when it starts to warm up again in the spring.

I like to clean my chicken coop in the fall just before winter to be sure there aren't any rodents or bugs that are planning on spending the winter, and to be sure the coop is nice and clean heading into winter when the chickens will be spending more time inside due to the longer periods of darkness.

And then again in the spring, just before I welcome new babies into the flock, I like to do another deep cleaning to make sure they start life in a clean coop. 

The rest of the year, I do just minor maintenance that only takes minutes a day, raking out dirty bedding, maybe the occasional light dusting.  

Daily Chores:

• Scrape the poop from the roosts and dispose of in the compost pile.
• Use a broom to turn over the dirt on the floor
• Check nesting boxes for mud or poop
• Fluff nesting material

Weekly Chores:

• Use a feather duster to dust any cobwebs in the coop
• Sprinkle food-grade diatomaceous earth on the floor of the coop to dry the bedding and prevent ammonia fumes and insects/bug larvae.
• Add more dirt to the floor or bedding if needed.
• Refresh the nesting boxes with dried herbs

Yearly Chores:

• Let the flock out for the day!
• First, rake out all the old bedding. 
• Next, sweep up any cobwebs.
• Scrape any poop off the roosts, nesting box area or other flat surfaces
• Use a metal shovel to remove any stuck on manure on the floor.
• Then use a broom to sweep out all the dirt and debris from the floor.  
• Scrub down the roosting bars, nesting boxes, wall (if necessary) and floor
• Take this opportunity to run your hands along the roosts to check for splinters or mites (black spots or blood smears indicate the presence of mites).
• Repaint or touch up as necessary.
• Open all the doors and leave everything to air out until dry.
• And while you're at it, check windows and other points of entry for holes or weak points a predator might gain entrance, repair if necessary.
• Generously sprinkle food-grade diatomaceous earth on the coop floor and in the nesting boxes. 
• Replace the dirt on the floor so you have about a 6" layer.  Replace the shavings in the nesting boxes.
• Sprinkle fresh (or dried) herbs in the nesting boxes and liberally on the coop floor. 
• Let the girls back in for the night - and listen to their contented coos over a nice, clean, scented coop.

Who knows, maybe your hens will each lay you an egg tomorrow. ;)