How to clean inside the coop when it's freezing?

[colmarfarm]

Hello chicken fans. Could anyone tell me if its is a problem doing a thorough clean of the coop when it is so cold. I am worried that even if I clean early in the morning the inside of the coop will still be damp when the girls go to bed. My children look after the girls all week and make sure that they poo pick and collect eggs everyday but I take responsibility for the full clean for which I use poultry shield which requires you to wash the inside of the coop.
My lovely girls are doing so well I don't want to let them down!

[Annie]

Are you talking plastic or wooden coop ?
I let standard slip a bit in the midst of winter to be honest. With a wooden coop I poop pick daily, replenish bedding mid week if needed. On a weekend I take out bedding, seperate into re usable or compostable, wipe the inside of the house with a cloth maybe with poultry shield or pet friendly disinfectant, dry off with another cloth and replace bedding adding a puff of louse powder around the bedding. I wouldn't attempt a deep clean if the coop can't be left open to air and dry properly. It's unlikely that redmite will bother you until the weather starts to warm up again. My plastic shed gets more or less the same treatment, a wipe over and fresh bedding weekends, yes it could do with a thorough clean but the hens are all doing fine so I am not too worried. If condensation is a problem then you can get battery operated de humidifiers that will help dry the coop out.
Some folk use a deep litter system over the winter which means you can't so a complete clean out as the bedding on the floor stays in place through the winter - so to my mind a complete clean every week isn't vital.

[Willow]

I absolutely agree with Annie.. I get the poop & old dirty bedding out and give it a good sweep and a wipe if needed, I do always check the perches for signs of red mite but as Annie said, not a lot around this time of year ..
Clean bedding in (lots in this weather) and a dusting of louse / red mite powder sorted!

[colmarfarm]

Thank you so much I was worried I was being lazy! We have a wooden coop so I will take your advice and just give a light spray and rub down with our poultry spray. We have been changing the bedding once a week and even after having the hens since the summer my children are still taking care of the daily chores and making sure all the poo is removed everyday. I must say I am quite impresses as I thought they would get fed up after a few mornings of frost and snow!!

[KathJ]

I've been thoroughly cleaning the coop every Sunday since we got the girls in August but to be honest there was just so much snow and it was so cold last Sunday I thought it better not to let the cold air in too much. I do poo pick every morning and add more bedding as I take some out with the poo so it usually isn't too bad anyway. I'm just paranoid about those red mites but I thought they'd have to be pretty tough to venture out in this weather anyway I did sprinkle more powder about though anyway just to be on the safe side

[albertajune]

As everyone else, I do the best I can in this weather. My coup is wooden, so no scrubbing, just a spray around now and then. I find that giving it a good pick over each morning does keep it quite clean.
I have put newspaper under their straw which I change each day (not the straw). It helps to add warmth and stops the floor itself getting mucky.

[grandmaeileen]

Me too, just a poo pick and clean straw which the girls chuck around and make little nests every night
When the weather is this bad, you can only do what is necessary to make them comfortable.

[MissEllie]

Same here I find lining the nest box with cardboard before putting in the wood shavings means the wood doesn't get too mucky.
Roll on spring

[pegpuss]

Same here. My coop is wooden, I poo pick daily and replenish the bedding if it looks meagre once that's done. I change all the bedding on the weekend and just have a quick wipe round and sprinkle with DE then. So far the girls seem happy with the relaxed standard of my winter housekeeping

[Hintza]

I poo pick the shavings floor daily or if not around every two days and change the hay in the nest box as required, mine have a tendency to throw new hay all over the place.

Towards the end of the month I leave for a week and then bin the lot.

I know many here don't like hay but they are only in the nest box for a short time and my hens are not contained during the day so either root around or shelter under the trailer or in the stables. The only ones that tend to use the coop during the day (apart for laying) are the youngsters when they first arrive.

If I felt the need to wash down the coop at this time of year I would choose a dry(ish) windy day so it has a chance to dry out, to me dampness would their worst enemy at this time of year.

[Annie]

It does occur to me that the other answer to this question is:-
Thermal vest
Thermal drawers
Thin Jumper
Thicker jumper.
Fleece
Old waterproof jacket
Leggings
Jeans
Waterproof trousers
2 pairs socks , one thin pair and one thick pair
Wellies
Scarf
Thermal hat
Ear muffs
thermal gloves
large marigold gloves

Right think thats got you all covered up - now you can go out in the freezing weather and clean your coop !

[aishakali]

Just cleaned the coop. Sloshed loads of hot disinfectant water all over and in it . On this wonderful warm sunny day it wont take long to dry, then I think I'll sit in the sunshine with my shorts on and a lovely ice cold drink and watch the chooks sunbathe and dustbath in the lovely dry earth


















I can dream can't I?

[MissEllie]

I was just wondering what part of the country you're in Lyn!