Keeping the coop spick and span is very important.
Inside The Chicken Coop
A properly designed chicken coop is really easy to clean and takes less than ten minutes. We have been careful to make this a top consideration in the design of all our coops here at Pets.ie. The frequency of cleaning will depend on the coop and how many chickens you have in it, but typically this needs to be done about once a week.
The process is as follows:
- Remove all bedding – this can be disposed in either in your compost bin or standard dustbin.
- Disinfect the house with a suitable poultry disinfectant getting into all nooks and crannies; we have products available on our website for this.
- Replace bedding. Bedding material of clean and dry softwood saw shavings or chopped straw is ideal. Newspaper can get damp quickly, hay can harbour mould and whole straw can contain lice.
- Add some mite powder into the nest box. This allows the chicken to re-dust herself when she is in the nest box.
In The Chicken Run
It is important that outside the chicken run is kept clean also. Chickens will scratch about and if the run is free of grass, it is well worth putting down some bark mulch to keep it nice and clean. This bark mulch can be replaced as needed. There are also alternative ground cover options such as rubber chips or hard wood chips.
Feed Areas
Chickens will not attract mice or rats, however their feed can. It is important that feed areas are clean and tidy. If possible feed them inside the house or raise the feeder off the ground by hanging it. A properly designed poultry feeder will keep the feed in the feeder and reduce the likelihood of any issues occurring.
Check Housing/Pen
It is important to inspect the chicken coop and pen for any signs of damage that might need to be repaired every few days and repair as necessary.