One of the first things you’ll notice after a few days of having your chicken house up and running is that it will get awfully dirty.
Chickens, like all birds, poop regularly. This results in a rapid build up of faeces on the ground. Whilst this is a good thing for fertilization, when it occurs all in one spot it does more harm than good, not only to the ground but to your chicken’s health too.
The way and frequency of cleaning your coop will depend upon:
1. How many chickens you have
2. What sort of ground surface it is (e.g. dirt, grass etc)
3. How big the chicken house is
Some options that you can choose to follow include:
Use Litter
Using special chicken litter on the ground can help to soak up the odors, but this still needs to be changes. Consider adding some hay or straw on top as well. Put some fresh flooring down every 2 weeks or so for optimum hygiene.
The cleaner you keep your chicken house, the happier and healthier your animals will be.
Shavings
Some people use pine shavings on the ground. You can remove the poop and put it on the compost, then remove the pine shavings and compost them as well (they take a little longer to break down now so may need a separate compost pile).
You could also use straw and just remove and replace the top layer regularly.
Tip: Gather your eggs daily to avoid any getting broken and causing a rotten, smelly mess!
Get a guide to building your own hygienic chicken coop – Click Here
