I happily opened my coop door and literally gagged... blech! I don't even know how in the Fruit juice it got so gross smelling so quickly!! Because, let me tell you, I think I'm pretty good about it. And, I am not one to take the funk lightly so I took action and you can too.
Chicken parents ask me all the time if there are secret tips to keeping a coop and it's accompanying nesting boxes cleaner, fresher and healthier.
Yes. Yes there is. And, here's how:
My recommended steps for cleaning your coop:
- Rake/shovel out all poop, shavings, straw and insulating matter (straw, shavings, sand, rice hulls, etc). It's a dirty, quite frankly gross job but you can do it. Promise!
- Use a broom or other tool to remove spider webs from roof, rafters, roosts, doorways - the whole inside area.
- Sweep or dust down the walls to remove remaining spider webs, dust/dander, etc.
- Compost all the stuff you removed or bag it up and include in local trash pickup.
- After removing, dusting and tidying everything you can combat your stinky coop with the best coop deodorizer, DooKashi. A sprinkling here-and-there eliminates the odors and fowl smell of ammonia and funk that lingers in the air around chicken poop.
- Hose out your coop. Clean with Poultry Protector or a white vinegar/water mixture.
- Lightly rinse. Allow the entire area to air dry.
- Replenish with bedding/insulating materials of your choice (straw, shavings, sand, rice hulls, etc) and Nesting Box Blend as the grand finale.
- If possible, keep the doors and windows open for an hour or so to allow fresh air in, making certain to close up before harsh weather returns and/or predator dangers arise.
- Replenish with insulating/bedding materials of your choice (straw, shavings, sand, rice hulls, etc) and certified organic Nesting Box Blend to complete!
- Remove all materials from nesting boxes (poop, broken egg matter, straw, shavings all of it.)
- Weather permitting: clean with Poultry Protector or a white vinegar/water mixture. Rinse and allow to air dry.
- Replenish with bedding materials of choice, sprinkle Diatomaceous Earth atop bedding materials and finish with our herbal Nesting Box Blend.
(In the Winter, a thorough water-less cleaning will suffice until Spring. In the meantime, Diatomaceous Earth will assist with lice, mites, other insects as will Nesting Box Blend.)
Speaking of Nesting Box Blend; let me brag a little. Each bag contains Certified Organic Eucalyptus leaves, Certified Organic Wormwood, and Certified Organic Tansy that offer a natural aroma promising relief from not-so-heavenly smells. As a bonus, Tansy helps with pest control.
I can't wait for you to take a sniff, crunch it in your palm and add it to your nest boxes. Really, I'm excited because our Nesting Box Blend smells good! Your sniffer and flock will be happy.
Pro tip: sometimes I change it up and move things around to give my girls a an altered environment. Some summers I go all-in on straw and the next Summer I am all.about. rice hulls. I'll relocate ramps, ladders, water fountains and sometimes move nesting boxes and/or roosts. One VERY important thing to keep in mind is that my coop IS different than yours as are my nesting boxes. There is no right or wrong way to do this but it is important to be mindful to keep things clean and tidy for our flocks.
- Dawn, Treats for Chickens 🧡
Let's keep your flock happy + healthy!
Got something to cluck about? Have other suggestions? Questions?
Help fellow chicken parents and leave a comment below!
