Keeping Your Chicken Coop Clean

A weekly job as an owner of chickens is to clean out your hens chicken coop. Just like we clean our houses every week you hens will appreciate a clean environment to catch their 40 winks and lay eggs. It is important to keep your chicken coop clean as a build up of droppings will cause a buildup of ammonia, and this ammonia can be damaging to your hens respiratory system and eyes.

The Eglus just need a good scrub and a wash down to keep them squeeky clean

Once a week you should remove all the droppings and replace their bedding. Some houses will need some scrubbing to get rid of all the muck. Our Eglu’s are all easy cleaning chicken coops, and can be hosed down. Make sure your coop is dry before putting fresh bedding in. You can sprinkle Mite Powders or Diatom Powder around to prevent any bugs making a home in your chicken coop. If you can move your coop to a new area then you can do this when you have cleaned the coop.

Top Tip: When you have replaced the bedding, sprinkling BioDri will help to sanitise the litter, make it last longer and reduce the growth of bacteria, whilst reducing the level ammonia from the droppings. It is harmless to your chickens and is environmentally friendly.

See how quick and easy it is to clean out an Eglu Cube chicken coop!

Types Of Bedding

There are several types of floor litter that can be used. The best floor litters are ones that are dust free, and absorbent. Bedding can be a matter of personal preference, and affordability. As long as it is safe for your hens then the choice is yours.

Straw - This is usually used in the nesting boxes. It can be used as floor litter but it isn’t particularly absorbent and can become damp quickly. It also compacts easily, and needs to be changed more regularly.

Wood Shavings - This is a good bedding that is a popular choice as it's fairly cheap. It is very absorbent and can keep your chicken coop smelling fresh. Be sure to buy dust extracted wood shavings, otherwise your chickens will suffer from respiratory problems. It is also important that the wood shavings are derived from soft woods such as pine.

Chopped Cardboard - Chopped cardboard is absorbent and easy to clean out. It is dust free and will compost easily.

Aubiose - This is made from natural hemp and is dust free. It is very absorbent and will compost easily. This is becoming a popular choice with poultry keepers as it has fly repellent qualities.

Easichick - This bedding is made from recycled wood and was designed specifically for birds. It is very absorbent, and doesn’t blow around.

Once a year your chicken coop will need a thorough clean. A good time of year to do this is at the end of summer when the weather's still nice. It is best to do a deep clean on a sunny day as the coop will dry quicker and the UV rays can kill bacteria.

It's easy to replace your chickens' bedding and they'll really appreaciate it

When carrying out a deep clean you will need to take apart the coop and remove all the internal parts. If you have a pressure washer, and blast with this in all the nooks and crannies is a great way to clean the coop. When washing the coop make sure you are very thorough. If you don’t have a pressure washer you can use a detergent to scrub the house clean, and then rinse with water. You can use disinfectants such as Poultry Shield or Johnsons Clean And Safe to ensure all any nasties remaining are killed. After a deep clean leave the coop to dry. The longer you can leave the coop the better.