Coop Cleaning Best Practices: 1) Disposable face mask: It is highly recommended to wear some form of face mask when cleaning out coops. Remember you are dealing with dust, feces and much more. A face mask will prevent you from inhaling anything that may irritate your lungs.
The best masks to wear to clean a chicken coop are dust masks, N95 or 3M face masks. Some people prefer to wear a high-quality respirator mask. This is recommended if you are cleaning large chicken coops regularly.
Cleaning the floors, getting rid of any mold and litter, cleaning the nesting boxes, and changing your chicken's bedding will kill the germs and reduce the possibility of spreading germs inside your chicken coop. If you don't clean your chicken coop regularly, bacteria and other diseases can grow in the coop.
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.
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.
In order to reduce SE and other health risks, a complete dry cleaning, washing and disinfection of the poultry house after each flock or at minimum once each year is recommended. Successful cleaning is hard work and requires systematic completion of several sequential steps. Every step is important.
While you should clean the feeders and drinking equipment once a week as a bare minimum – daily is best, especially for the drinkers – the major cleanout of the house perches and nests should be done at least once a year. A hot summer's day is perfect as it will get everything dried out quickly.
No matter which material you chose, you should spread it over the bottom of your brooder so that it is at least 4 inches thick. Bedding should be changed at least weekly, but possibly daily depending on the number of chicks you have. The frequency of cleaning will also increase as your chicks grow. Feeders.
I use lime on my coop floors during the wet seasons. (Get Agricultural Lime from the feed store that's for use around animals. Do not use Hydrated lime!) Agricultural Lime is made from crushed Limestone and neutralizes the coop litters PH and is a great chicken coop odor neutralizer.
While you can get sick from chicken coop dust, the likelihood of falling ill when working with just a few backyard chickens is quite low. More often than not, respiratory problems are experienced by workers in commercial chicken houses – not backyard chicken keepers.
Dust helps to control parasites by making a chicken's body less habitable. As a backyard chicken owner, it is crucial to encourage dust bathing as part of your coop management and hygiene plan. Chickens are well and truly able to make their own dust bath. They love making their dust bath in the chicken run.
Installing a fan is one of the easiest ways to keep your chicken coop smelling fresh. 3. Use fresh herbs and rose petals if you have them, in the nesting boxes and in the sleeping areas. Not only will the herbs and petals smell great, the hens will appreciate the yummy treat.
To get rid of a strong poultry smell from chicken put the chicken into a large non-metallic pot or bowl. Pour 1/2 a cup of white vinegar over the chicken and mix well to coat all the chicken. Leave aside for 4-5 minutes. Now wash the chicken thoroughly under running water and use as required.
Use Odor Neutralizers
Baking soda, too, kills many types of mold that might manifest from moisture in the coop.
If you don't regularly clean out your chicken coop, it could become a hotbed of bacteria and other diseases. Allowing excessive chicken litter to build up could lead to high levels of ammonia which can damage the respiratory system of your chickens.
High humidity in the coop can cause condensation and a wet environment causing these potential problems: Wet feathers that lose their ability to insulate; especially in fancy breeds (Silkies, Frizzles, etc) Icing on perches, windows, electrical outlets. Frostbite on wet combs and wattles.
If you're like me, you'll want to replace your straw fairly frequently, every week or so, certainly no longer than two weeks. Chickens absolutely love fresh bedding, so as far as they're concerned, the more you change it, the better.
Toxins: Endotoxins, which come from the cell walls of certain bacteria, are a component of poultry dust. Exposure to endotoxin causes acute respiratory symptoms, including a cough, shortness of breath and lung function impairment. Poultry workers with existing lung problems are even more susceptible.
On average, hens will dust bathe once every two days. Studies(e.g. 1) have shown that the process seems to be stimulated by sunlight, so they'll more often have their "spa" in the afternoon, when the land has warmed a little, rather than the morning. The whole process should take between 20 and 30 minutes.