Raising chickens in your backyard is good fun, but it comes with some responsibilities. Looking after your chicken housing is necessary to maintain the well being of your birds.
Poor hygiene in the chicken coop leads to reduced hatchability, poor chick quality, bad eggs, and chicken health issues. So, a necessary part of a poultry keeper’s job is to keep the chicken coop clean.
Here are a few tips you can use to give your chickens a clean and healthy environment to live in.
Create a Cleaning Schedule
Make a cleaning routine and set a frequency. Preferably you should do a deep cleanse every month and perform some general cleaning tasks at least once or twice a week.
Clean the Coop Floor
It’s better to cover your coop floor with hay instead of pine shavings as it’s dust free so help keeping the coop clean and also more economical when compared to pine shavings.
Rake the ground every week to remove compost and re-bed using fresh hay. If the weather is hot and humid, you may have to do it more than once a week.
Additionally you can use good quality ground sanitisers which are super absorbent and also keep microbial growth in check with their disinfecting action. They can keep the ground dry for longer. Upon absorbing water, they form dry lumps which are easily removed with a shovel or rake.
Nest and Litter Boxes
Check the straw you’ve used to line the nest or laying boxes. Take off and feathers, droppings or broken eggs. If it’s too dirty or covered with dust, you will have to discard the straw and wash the box. After it is dried, you can line it with clean straw and put it back.
Litter boxes should be cleaned every few days. A simple poultry cleaner should be used to disinfect them.
Food and Water Containers
Every morning remove any wet or caked feed from the food containers. Wash them using a poultry-safe feeder cleaner. Ideally you should let them dry in the sun so that they are completely dry and free of any bacteria before you refill them.
Similarly keep the chicken drinkers clean by washing them with a disinfectant. You may use a brush to remove any algae, slime or scum from getting accumulated in the drinkers or water dishes. Also check the nipples for rust or other build-ups.
Additional Tips
Consider painting the interior and exterior surfaces of your chicken coop with a dust free paint. It can help keep the coop and the air inside cleaner and also make it look more attractive.
As part of general hygiene regime, you can use a good poultry disinfectant spray directly on the birds to prevent any skin irritation. It can also be used on the coop surfaces and floor.
Visit Little Fields Farm for all your poultry care needs. We have an extensive collection of products that can help you take the best care of chickens’ health and well being.
