Annual Chicken Coop Cleaning…
7 Jul
“Dear Wendy, A few weeks ago, all of my chickens were wiped out by a pack of coyotes. There where, and still are, feathers laying all over the pen, along with a few other parts. I got some new baby chicks about a week ago. Before I let them into the run, should I completely sanitize the run, and take all of the feathers, etc. out, or could just cover them with some mulch or dirt? Thanks for the help. I love your newsletters.” ~ Leah
Hi Leah,
I’m glad you wrote and I’m sorry about your coyote troubles.
I think it would be a good idea to thoroughly clean out the run.
First of all you don’t want the chicks to start eating the feathers when they are old enough to put into the coop / run.
Most importantly though, because you mentioned that there were “a few other parts”. It’s important that the chicks have a fresh, clean start.
On that note, here’s a few other times when you should thoroughly clean out your coop and / or run.
Whenever you have finished (for whatever reason) with one batch of chickens and before you introduce a new flock, plan a cleaning day.
If you purchase a new coop, be sure to give it a good cleaning before you release your chickens.
If you use an existing coop (for instance if you move to a property with a chicken house), it’s important to thoroughly clean it, especially if it has housed chickens within the past few years.
Disease and parasites can live for months in the cracks of the coop, the dirt or surrounding fields, basically anywhere infected poultry have had access. So if you’ve had troubles with mites, lice or disease, a thorough cleaning is a must. (more…)


































