*Our coops are designed to make the cleaning process easier and discourage mice from entering the coop.
*Store your bags of feed and chicken scratch in barrels with lids, to keep rodents and wild birds out!
The next thing I do is to look into my roosting boxes to see how full they are. I love dumping the manure out each three or four weeks and making a compost pile for the garden. The roosting boxes are made of plywood so they can get quite heavy from the manure if left unchecked and uncleaned. Roosting boxes are easy to lift in and out of the coop when cleaned every month or so. Put a thin layer of shavings on the bottom of the roosting boxes, this helps manure to fall out easily when dumping the boxes.
I wear gloves when cleaning and a little paint mask so I don't breathe in the dust from the feces and food grade DE that I put in the shavings. Always do the best you can to keep the shavings on the floor of the chicken coop dry. If you notice any wet spots, replace it with dry shavings.
Each month when I empty my roosting boxes, I clean my water feeder. It is a good idea to disinfect the feeder with a little soapy water and then rinse it clean. It takes about 5 minutes to wash out your water feeder. Chickens should always have fresh water, especially when laying. I get top covers for my feeders so the hens cannot accidentally defecate or scratch shavings into the water or food. I made my covers from some left over vinyl we had from a project. I shaped the covers like a funnel, leaving a hole at the top for the chain to go through and fit them over the top of the feeders. You can also purchase feeder covers from your local farm supply store or online.
Make sure the platforms are high enough the hens cannot scratch or defecate in the feeders (as high as the saddle of their back) so they are still able to reach the food and water. I prefer hanging my feeders on a chain with a removable clip because I don't want to worry about them tipping over. I only remove my water for refilling. I can refill the food bucket by dumping new feed through the top without taking the feeder out of the coop. Occasionally, you can take out the food feeder and clean it as needed or when you are doing your deep cleaning.
Once a year, I do a very deep cleaning of my Daisy Coop. Chickens like everything really dry, so I do not worry about bacteria building up. The shavings I use on the coop floor help absorb any moisture and the ventilation keeps it dry. Using a deep litter system works well for me. I turn the shavings over occasionally to bring any moisture to the top and it dries out quickly. Before the winter sets in, I pull ALL the shavings out with a broom. A smaller brush and dustpan make it easy to clean the corners. After all the shavings are out, I use bleach water in a spray bottle or dip my scrubber in a bucket of bleach water to scrub down the inside of the doors, nest bins and roost boxes as needed. (Bleach should be used before replacing your flock with a new one to prevent disease.) The coop floor rarely has any manure at all because it is protected by the shavings. After a good scrub down, I leave the doors open in the back to air out the entire coop and completely dry. Once the wood is DRY, you can pile 6" of shavings to the floor and 2-3" inches to the roost and nest boxes.
To protect my wood floor, I've used a coat of exterior waterproof primer followed by a nice thick layer of wood shavings. Just the shavings by itself will absorb most of the moisture to keep the wood floor dry underneath. I do not use paint on the inside of my coop because I don't want the chickens pecking it if the paint ever peels. I love adding food grade Diatomaceous Earth to my coop floor before I spread the shavings. I use a mustard/ketchup refill bottle to line the corners and edges of the coop with DE. After laying down fresh shavings, a light sprinkle of DE with a wire colander or flour sifter all over the coop floor keeps the odors down, flies and mites under control, and the inside of the coop dry!
Another way to protect the floor is to use a self leveling compound that is safe for the type of wood you have.
I have not done this method myself but have heard of some people that do it...you could look into that as an option. Be careful using other things that might make the floor slippery for the hens (they can actually break their legs when jumping down from the roost if the floor is slippery.) I try to discourage types of flooring from being installed because you risk moisture getting trapped between layers and rotting your plywood. A wood floor that can dry quickly has worked the best for us.
**After constructing your coop, paint the outside with 2 coats of exterior grade paint to protect the wood!
To protect my wood floor, I've used a coat of exterior waterproof primer followed by a nice thick layer of wood shavings. Just the shavings by itself will absorb most of the moisture to keep the wood floor dry underneath. I do not use paint on the inside of my coop because I don't want the chickens pecking it if the paint ever peels. I love adding food grade Diatomaceous Earth to my coop floor before I spread the shavings. I use a mustard/ketchup refill bottle to line the corners and edges of the coop with DE. After laying down fresh shavings, a light sprinkle of DE with a wire colander or flour sifter all over the coop floor keeps the odors down, flies and mites under control, and the inside of the coop dry!
Another way to protect the floor is to use a self leveling compound that is safe for the type of wood you have.
I have not done this method myself but have heard of some people that do it...you could look into that as an option. Be careful using other things that might make the floor slippery for the hens (they can actually break their legs when jumping down from the roost if the floor is slippery.) I try to discourage types of flooring from being installed because you risk moisture getting trapped between layers and rotting your plywood. A wood floor that can dry quickly has worked the best for us.
**After constructing your coop, paint the outside with 2 coats of exterior grade paint to protect the wood!
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Copyright 2025. Clean Coops. All Rights Reserved.