But real straw bedding is the cleanest bedding I've found. And if you can keep the dust down, you've just won half the battle. Putting down some inexpensive vinyl flooring over the plywood or cement floor of your coop will also go a long way to helping with cleaning.
Spray your entire coop down with your hose and or a cleaner of your choice. Increasing the pressure on areas with caked-on poop can soften it up and make it easier to scrape off later. Remember, do not use bleach! Scrub everything down; use your brush and scraper to scrub off any caked-on poop.
Mix equal parts vinegar and water to create a cleaning solution and mop up the area for an all-natural cleaning. Take a hand brush or thick-bristled broom and scrub the floors and walls to free any remaining droppings, stains, dirt, or debris. Rinse once more. Sweep out any standing water, but let the coop air dry.
Coop flooring
Concrete is ideal as it is easy to clean and prevents pests or predators from digging underneath. Strong, galvanised or stainless steel aviary mesh is also suitable along with concrete pavers. Wooden boards can also work but must be supported above ground level to avoid any rot.
While livestock need bedding for a layer of protection between them and the cold, damp floor while they sleep, chickens do not sleep on the ground, they sleep on roosts, therefore, they do not need bedding- chickens need litter on the floor of the coop to manage waste.
Using the deep litter method on a dirt floor
For this method, you need to use a thick layer of organic bedding in your coop, such as wood shavings or straw. However, wood shavings are very likely TOXIC to your chickens, and I don't recommend using them in any scenario. If you must use them, aspen is your safest choice.
Carry out a Regular Cleaning Schedule
The best way to make a chicken coop smell better is to maintain a regular cleaning schedule. Some people prefer to use shallow bedding. If this is you, you should aim to replace the bedding once a week, using vinegar and water spray to neutralise any odours.
How often you should be cleaning a chicken coop? You should provide fresh food and fresh water every day, and you should clean the bedding out once a week or once a month(the deeper the bedding layer the less often you have to clean it out). It's best practice to do a total clean-out at least twice a year.
Ideally, you want to let 'hot' chicken manure age for a minimum of 3 months, but preferably 6 months up to 1 year. If you use the hot composting method in a warmed climate or sunny area, you may only need to let the chicken manure compost age for 3 months since the manure breaks down more quickly into compost.
The most basic option for cleaning your chook coop is a mixture of vinegar and water-either ACV or white vinegar will work. Simply mix about 15ml of vinegar with water in a spray bottle. Spray on and wipe off with a damp rag or sponge and voila… clean, fresh smelling coop!
Put a layer of sand/rubber chippings or gravel down in the run area to help with drainage. Bark chippings can go mouldy so be careful if using these and change regularly. Provide a dry sandbox under cover to allow the hens to dust bath.
White vinegar, baking soda, and sunlight can all do an amazing job of killing bacteria, mold, and pathogens. Ultraviolet rays are also a powerful disinfectant, and vinegar kills many types of mold, as does baking soda. Using all in combination will keep your chicken feeders and waterers clean and your chickens healthy.
Choosing the Right Litter for Your Coop
Northern chicken keepers who experience cold weather year-round may choose straw as a good coop litter. In temperate or hot regions, wood shavings or sand make a better option.
A dirty coop can cause healthy chickens to stop laying eggs. A few animals are intelligent enough to rebel against their owners when they are left to live in dirty conditions. A dirty environment, however, will cause chickens to stop producing eggs.
If you choose not to wash your eggs, gently brush debris and feces from the eggs using a cloth. Then safely store them in a cool place in your house. The eggs should stay fresh and safe for up to several weeks. Before using or eating, wash with warm water to remove any dirt.
Use Odor Neutralizers
Baking soda, too, kills many types of mold that might manifest from moisture in the coop.
Rats are not attracted to chickens. However, they are attracted to chicken feed, and love stealing a freshly laid egg. Rats are also attracted to nice, warm, cozy places to live, especially if there is a reliable food source nearby.
Fresh droppings from a healthy chicken don't smell much unless you take a good, close-up sniff. A noticeably bad smell can be a sign of infection in the digestive tract, most commonly due to a bacterial or yeast infection. Nb: caecal droppings are normally very smelly.
Chickens love scratching up dirt, dust bathing in it, and gobbling up grass, weed seeds, and insects, worms, and other invertebrates they find while scratching. When confined to a small outdoor run even a few chickens will soon devour every bit of grass and convert it to bare dirt.
Medium- to coarse-grained sand makes excellent chicken coop bedding in coops that do not have drainage problems and do not get wet inside.
Chicken lovers simply sprinkle diatomaceous earth in and around the coop, which will gradually help exterminate mites and lice.