How to clean and disinfect the chicken coop

Why should you clean your coop?

One of the illnesses you can get from not cleaning your backyard chicken coop is Salmonella. Most infections happen when someone is handling their chickens and the chicken’s fecal matter gets on their hand, and then they accidentally ingest it when they touch their mouth. You could avoid this illness by cleaning the chicken coop.

6 Steps To Clean and Disinfect Your Chicken Coop

Step 1:

Take the chickens out of your coop. Put them in a temporary enclosure 

Step 2:

Clear out every removable thing of the coop. This includes feeders, drinkers, perches, and nesting box trays. Depending on the size of your coop, this could take some time. After you’ve got rid of all the bedding, scrape out all the chicken feces, cobwebs, dust, dirt, and any other materials in the coop. Using a pair of gloves and a face mask will help you from getting any dust or dirt getting into your body, especially if you have allergies.

Step 3:

Grab your hose and spray the enclosure down. You’ll want to remove all dust and debris leftover from scraping and shoveling. If there is still debris leftover after you spray, you may want to repeat step one. If you want, you can also use boiling water in the cleaning process to get rid of any mites in your coop.

Step 4:

Disinfect the nesting boxes and the coop. Try to use a natural cleaning agent like vinegar to disinfect the chicken nesting boxes and coop. Please do not use bleach, it can be very toxic to your chickens. Mix equal parts of vinegar and water to create a cleaning solution and mop up your coop for an all-natural cleaning. Use this cleaning solution on your chicken feeders and drinkers, then put them under the sun to dry completely.

Step 5:

Let the coop and nest boxes air dry. This will help with the vinegar smell, and the sunlight will help with the disinfection process.

Step 6:

It’s time to move everything back in. Put some fresh bedding on the floor of the coop, and then put the dried feeders and drinkers back. Now you will be able to move your chickens back into their home. The last and most important part is, don’t forget to wash your hands!

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. It’s not always fun to clean your coop, but it’s one of the most important tasks that have to get done. Cleaning a chicken coop can vary depending on the coop size, layout, and how many chickens you have. The best time to clean your coop is when you begin to see dust, dirt, and cobwebs, dirty chicken coop bedding, dirty nesting material, and built-up chicken feces.