Cleaning out the coop

[CrealCritter]

My son and I cleaned out the deep bedding in the layer coop. Glad it's only a once a year job. We shoveled the deep bedding into feed bags, loaded them into the veggie hauler and unloaded them at the head of the spring / fall garden. I threw a tarp over them so they don't get too wet. I'll spread the bags out in the garden and till it in as soon as weather permits. It was a good day to do this chore, only in the mid 30's outside, so no sweating.

We then swept the floor of the wood shop loaded saw dust / wood shaving into trash cans and spread them out onto the floor of the layers coop. It smells a lot better in their now and I'm sure the layers will enjoy new bedding.

It was a nasty manual labor job but im glad it finally done. Plus chicken poop deep bedding makes great garden fertilizer.

 

[Hinotori]

You can come do mine next. Ive started bagging it when the ground has been just dry enough to get a wheelbarrow in. Mom has been begging me for bunch of bags. I took her some that she finally used last year. She had been sceptical until she finally tried a little bit in her pots.

Then she saw the results of my squash last year in the big raised planter that was a third chicken litter. Now she wants more

 

[CrealCritter]

You can come do mine next. Ive started bagging it when the ground has been just dry enough to get a wheelbarrow in. Mom has been begging me for bunch of bags. I took her some that she finally used last year. She had been sceptical until she finally tried a little bit in her pots.

Then she saw the results of my squash last year in the big raised planter that was a third chicken litter. Now she wants more

It's potent fertilizer for sure. I turn the deep bedding occasionally and add a layer of barn lime it makes for great fertilizer no joke.

 

[CrealCritter]

I hardly ever check the layers at night but decided I would tonight. It's about 11 PM now i'm wondering if they ever sleep?

 

[sumi]

A few years ago I had over 100 chickens and a fairly large coop, so you can imagine the cleaning…. Someone we knew in the area wanted some chicken droppings for his garden, so he came and asked me if he can have some? I said sure, we can spare some! He'll just have to wait until I get round to shovelling it. He said no, he'll bring one of his workers to come collect it for him. A day or two later he came with a worker who cleaned out the coop for me, he took away all the droppings and PAID me for it Talk about "Thank you! Come again!"

 

[CrealCritter]

A few years ago I had over 100 chickens and a fairly large coop, so you can imagine the cleaning…. Someone we knew in the area wanted some chicken droppings for his garden, so he came and asked me if he can have some? I said sure, we can spare some! He'll just have to wait until I get round to shovelling it. He said no, he'll bring one of his workers to come collect it for him. A day or two later he came with a worker who cleaned out the coop for me, he took away all the droppings and PAID me for it Talk about "Thank you! Come again!"

Some people have all the luck!

 

[moxies_chickennuggets]

Our deep litter is pure Gold! We shovel it out and into the compost pile...where it sits for months to a year before it is scooped up....black, warm and full of grubs....for the garden. The chickens get any grubs to convert to eggs.

I don' turn the compost either. Just pile it up in the compost ring we made from fence wire.

 

[Beekissed]

I haven't cleaned out a coop in 6 yrs now. My DL just composts down in the coop~no smells, no flies~and I scoop out some compost each year to put around plants in the garden. No waiting for it to compost...it's black gold when it comes out of the coop.

Never fully cleaned out, some left behind to inoculate the new going in and it's just a continuous process of composting all year round.

 

[moxies_chickennuggets]

Sometimes I have to empty it if it floods and starts making ammonia. Otherwise, it sets.

 

[Hinotori]

I do deep litter. I have to shovel out some each year to keep the level lower. No smell. Mostly dry. I think the moisture level is at that perfect level to cook it quick. It breaks down very fast in there. New shavings don't last long. Worms in the bottom level do their job.