How do I keep my chickens clean?
Posted by Fiona Nevile in Chickens | 200 comments
Chickens are not naturally clean creatures, unlike the story book ones. Do you remember them? Clean living hens, wearing spotted scarves and venturing out to the market with a basket hooked over a wing and a clutch of chicks close by.
Real life chickens will foul their chicken house and quite often foul the nesting box. The only chicken that I have known to actively ‘clean’ her house was Mrs Boss. When the guinea fowl keets hatched she pulled all the hay from her nest out of their house in the ark. The more clean hay and woodchips I added the more she pushed them into their run. After a couple of weeks, I admitted defeat. The keets slept under Mrs Boss’ wings, on bare boards. I could never understand why she did this.
If chickens are not cleaned out regularly their droppings can harbour and spread disease. Droppings in the nesting box can foul the eggs. Remove any droppings immediately from the nesting box when you see them.
There is also the question of chicken mites. In warmer weather, mites can breed like wildfire in a house that is not treated regularly. They lay their eggs in dark nooks and crannies in the house and are at their most active at night. They bite the chickens and these bites can become infected.
An imaginative Estate Agent might describe our hen house as,
“A Canadian style two storey lodge. Lower floor family room with traditional wooden slatted staircase leading to spacious communal bedroom for 8 plus with half mansard ceiling and door to cosy penthouse nesting box.”
It gets a good cleanout once a week. And a top to toe super valet and repair in the Spring and Autumn.
If you are canny, the weekly cleanout for an average sized house (ours is designed to accommodate 6-8 Maran hens) takes about twenty minutes, often it is completed in ten.
The trick to quick and easy cleaning is to store everything that you might need within a few feet of the chicken house. We keep our chicken consumables in two large barrels in the run. One holds the bedding the other contains sprays, powders, oyster shells, grit and everything that a chicken keeper might need. These storage bins are also popular with the flock as they have another vantage point on which to stand and observe the world.
Our chicken feed is stored in the boot of Danny’s car and in a large aluminium grain store in the garden. Along with the wild bird and Min Pin food.
Generally I pull on my chicken cleaning gloves at midday when the flock are out an about in the run. Initially I spray the inside of the house with a decent anti mite spray. I close the door to the house as I am not sure how safe the spray is for the flock (although it is marked suitable for an aviary with residents). While the spray wafts through the house I collect all the stuff that I need from the barrels. woodchips, fresh hay and mite powder.
The old woodchips, hay and droppings are swept into the chicken run dustpan and go into their bucket (this was sold to me as a nappy bucket and has a lid). This lid is handy as the bucket can sit happily inside the run until it is full.
Once all debris has been removed, I spread wood chips on the floor of the house. These are great as they absorb moisture and make the chicken cleaning process much easier. They are available in enormous chunky packs. and a pack lasts for months. I lay a layer of woodchips in the nesting box topped with a thickish layer of hay. My mum recommended hay for the nests as mites can breed easily in the hollow strands of straw. The hens fashion the hay into nests very quickly, even if they are off lay.
Once fresh chips and hay have been spread, I return to the barrels for oyster shells and grit. I used to put these in a nifty container in the run, now I cast them just before I open the gates to get out. The flock dives for these and before they have discovered that they are not deluxe grain mix I am the other side of the wire. Poultry need grit. Ours find this in the back wall of the run. If yours don’t have access to a wall don’t forget to provide them with grit, if you are feeding them seeds and corn as it essential for breaking down the husks in their gullets.
Chickens are fine on woodchips alone and I have seen many happy hen houses that just have newspaper spread on the floor. Once you find an effective way to keep your chickens clean that suits you, use it on a weekly basis. You and your chickens will bloom.
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Hi everyone, and a very Happy New Year to all!
I am new to all of this keeping chooks business and haven’t actually got any as yet. Everything is almost ready though and I am searching for the best chooks to get and also the best place to buy them from. I am only going to be able to house 3 as I have bought an Eglu and don’t want to overcrowd my girls. Any advise on which breed to have and where to buy good quality stock. I live in south Essex and would appreciate any suggestions and advice.
This site is brilliant,I have learnt so much already and DO understand that the best way of learning is through experience. I absolutely can not wait to get started and am looking forward to becoming a fanatic 🙂
happy new year everyone
everyone should be enjoying eggs very soon.i have about 130 warrens in one field all rangeing from 2 year old to 4 year old.for the last 3 month ive been lucky to get 6 eggs a day from them all but in the last 4 days its rising im now up to 20 a day.its time to start getting my feed money back.ive found a farm that sells a mixed chicken food they love it barley..wheat..maise..peas..walnuts..crushed brazil nuts..raisens..5 pound a sack with a good 30 kilo in.
Hi Stuart
Thanks for that!
You have lots of great ideas and contribute valuable information to the site. Please keep on coming back!
fn please please accept my appology i was bang out of order writing those comments i had 1 to many whiskys.im very sorry your site is fantastic and if every one keeps writing there problems and methods its obviously helping other people.as i said im very sorry and ill keep off the whisky in future.or keep off the computer whilst drinking it
Hi Stuart
I’m no expert I’m just happy to share my experience with chickens and the ways that I tackle the problems. These methods work for me. Re mites; I haven”t seen one in the last four years since I started using mite powder and a bi monthly aviary spray. The chickens are more comfortable too.
Sorry to hear that you think that my ideas are rubbish.
Thanks for sharing your methods as they clearly work for you.
By the way I’m not a man.
Fiona
fn writes as if hes an expert he obviousley isnt.he dosnt no were mites come from right they are brought in by wild birds at the beginning of march .he also said hes not seen them in winter. they thrive through winter just as much as summer thats a gaurentee ive kept nearly 200 hens at a time for the last 10 year all free range.as for avairy powder what a load of rubbish .clean your hen house out mix half litre of vinegar half litre of disinfectant a good brand to 3 litres of water and spray every nook and cranny.then were possible buy a cheap tin of white emulsion paint and paint your shed after 2 days repeat every 6 month this is definetly the best remidy
Hi Jenny
Danny adores football too. Enough said…
Hi Trisha
Don’t worry about mites. If you know that they’ll arrive (in summer when it is warm for a good few weeks) you will be prepared so probably have no need to fret.
You are forearmed and that is the answer to easy chicken keeping. I’ve never found mites in the winter.
Re space. I know loads of loving chicken owners who give their hens very little space and the are thriving (the chickens).
Ours have a bit more as they are not free range. Killer dogs on the loose. I am actually planning to extend this. At the mo th seven have 30’x6′ so that they can fly and get out of trouble in the run.
Trouble in the run can be bullying. It’s real problem. Rather than the horror of mites. Mites can be dispatched so easily but there will always be a chicken at the bottom of the pecking order. Dealing with this conundrum still has me awake at two in the morning. Space seems to deflect this problem.
Chickens are great. I love tending them. If I had to stop keeping them I would be so sad as they form a big part of the heart of my life.
Hi Everyone! I haven’t got any girls yet as I am just getting myself prepared. This site of yours is great, so informative and friendly:) I have learnt so much from all of you. The only thing giving me a hissy fit is the thought of ‘mites’:( They sound horrendous but I am stocked up with DE,vaseline and Raid spray so should be ready (hopefully). I have bought an ‘Eglu’ as I only intend having 3 girls (best laid (sorry for the pun) plans and all that) but after reading your comments I am already thinking that maybe I should’ve got something bigger because I am bound to acquire more!
My 13 year old, football mad son is “well impressed” with the football in the chicken run idea…. I am not sure his mental image and mine are the same.
I appreciate the advise and will give it all a go.
Thank you