To have a healthful flock of birds, you must keep the chicken coop clean. A dirty coop is a 
breathing ground for pests and disease. They also smell bad and pose health risks to the people around. With the right coop and some advance planning it doesn’t have to be a chore to keep your coop clean.
Removable Floors
Keeping your chicken coop clean might be as simple as installing a removable floor under the roost. When the chickens are in the coops they’ll probably spend the majority of their time on the roost. At nights they’ll settle there as well, and deposit all their waste right under the roost.
An alternative to is use chicken wire under the roost where waste can pass through and fall under the coop. From there it will be a simple matter of shoveling the waste and tossing into your compost. Yet another solution is the design a floor or back wall that can be removed when it time to clean.
Deep Litter
With the deep litter method, you’ll have to consistently add fresh bedding to the coop’s floor. Chickens’ movement in the coop will naturally compost the waste there, and a fresh bed will keep the floors clean and free from awful smells. Although you won’t have to clean weekly or even monthly, you should clear out the floors at least 3-4 times a year.
The accumulated waste could be used in the garden since the waste would have already been composted by the chickens.
Choose The Right Bedding
Bedding for your chicken coop should be one that absorbs moisture. Moisture absorbent bedding will keep the coop cleaner and smelling better than one that does not absorb moisture. Straw is an excellent option. Don’t confuse straw with hay, which is altogether something different. Wood shavings from pine wood or from a pine and plain wood mix would keep the bedding dry and clean.
When it gets cold outside, you’ll want to add an extra layer of shavings which will help to maintain a warm environment within the coop. Do not forget to fill up the nest boxes as well.
You might not recognize the value of a clean chicken coop until it’s time to collect eggs. A clean coop means clean eggs. Keep the environment clean, and you won’t have the unpleasant task of picking up dirty eggs.
Cleaning your coop is an important task that you’ll have to face when raising chickens. Use the options presented and it won’t seem like such a difficult task. Once you clean, you’ll be happy, your chickens will be happy, and your neighbors will be happy. I guarantee it!
About The Author
Jordan Walker has written this article on chicken coop for Coops And Cages Australia. Coops And Cages™ is pushing the boundaries around a very impersonal industry of pet enclosures and they are moving towards becoming Australia’s largest supplier and most trusted entity for pet houses.
