DIY Easy Clean Chicken Coop Idea - Backyard Poultry (2024)
Reading Time: 4minutes
By Jerry Hanson, Pine Meadows Hobby Farm, OregonWhen thinking of a chicken coop idea, I knew I wanted an easy-to-clean coop. I came up with this chicken coop idea after my wife andI found five acres to purchase fromour county’s surplus property auction.This farm is a distance of one miledown the road from the 84-acre ranchwe had been renting and living in forsome years. We closed the purchaseon our anniversary.
The farm had been abandoned forsome years. Some squatters occupiedthe property and stripped, wrecked,disassembled, and demolished thesite. After cleaning up the land andsalvaging as much material as I could,I accumulated a pile of usable buildingmaterial and started thinking up chicken coop ideas. In addition, I had collectedother free material and stockpiledit at the ranch nearby for use at a latertime. The result was enough materialto build a small chicken coop andbarn. The total cost of the coop wasapproximately $235.
After measuring all of the material, I sat down at my desk and began drawing up some chicken coop ideas based on the available material. What I came up with was an enclosed chicken coop. The coop measures 6′ wide, 12′ long, and 9’ high. The house area measures 6′ x 6′ x 6′. I elevated this house two feet off the run. This frees up an enclosed run of 6′ x 12′.
I was able to salvage some tinsheeting from what was left of thedestroyed single-wide mobile homeon the property and fastened it to thebottom of the frame of the chickenrun. This way it prevents chicken predatorsfromdigging under the chicken yard andgetting to my hens. This also makes it easyto clean out once per year in the fallwhen I’m preparing the chicken house for winter.I simply spread pine shavings on thefloor and provide a recycled woodenbox for a dust bath for chickens.
My chicken coop idea iscoming to life!
The water container perches atop a cement block in which I place a 50-watt light bulb plugged into a “farmers outlet.” This outlet has a built-in thermostat, which turns on at 35 degrees F and off at 45 degrees F. This heated chicken waterer keeps the water from freezing in the winter months.
Inside the coop, I placed a removable roost made from a 2″ x 4″ with routed edges for the chickens to roost on. This roost perches atop a tray that is 16″ wide and long enough to reach from wall to wall of the coop with an inch to spare. This tray has a 2″ lip around it and within this, I place pine shavings. The floor of the coop is covered with pine shavings as well.
Cleanup requires simply removing the roost and setting it aside, then removing the tray and carrying it to the garden or compost bin. I also use this in a five-gallon bucket full of water with an aquarium air pump and air stone in the bottom of the bucket. Allowing the air to bubble for three days allows the proliferation of aerobic microbes to digest the goodies and create an excellent tea for the garden plants in approximately three days. This tray is the only thing you clean four times a year. I schedule my clean-out for the Summer Solstice, Fall Equinox, Winter Solstice, and Spring Equinox.(Ed. note: That would be roughly the21st of June, September, December, andMarch.)
The floor of the chicken coopand run are cleaned out in the fall once per year as most of the chicken waste is collected below the roost. This method prevents any odor build-up. I chose fall for the annual clean out because the garden would have been harvested and tilled making perfect sense to implement the spring growing season with the wood and chicken waste to amend the nutrients to the garden soil allowing it to cure through the winter before spring planting.
With this chicken coop design, there is no odorbuild-up within the coop. In addition, I placed two re-purposed windowson the east and west wallsto open and create a cross draft for ventilation. This works wonderfully.
The chicken nesting boxes were attachedto the outside of the coop to makeit easy for my wife to collect eggswithout having to enter the coop.
We allow our chickens to free-rangedaily by opening the chickenrun access door in the mornings andclosing it at dusk after they have allgone to roost.
This chicken coop idea accommodatesone rooster named Rodneyand 12 hens. To see a video presentationof the building of this coop and the annual clean out visit ourYouTube channel at Pine MeadowsHobby Farm “The Little Red ChickenCoop at Pine Meadows HobbyFarm” and “Farm Chores Cleaningthe Easy Clean Chicken Coop atPine Meadows Hobby Farm” on theweb.
Whatchicken coop ideas have you tried? We love to hear about them!
Originally published in Countryside March/April 2015 and regularly vetted for accuracy.
A coop that includes easy to clean features such as a litter tray and an epoxy coating on the floor will increase the likelihood that your chickens will stay healthy. Tip: Use vanilla scented car fresheners to keep the flies out of your coop or vanilla spray to keep them off your chickens.
Most chicken keepers who have concrete love their concrete. Concrete is a very safe flooring choice as it keeps burrowing predators out. After the initial installation, concrete is low maintenance, does not rot like wood floors, and can take plenty of abuse without consequence.
Wood is probably the most common material used for chicken coop flooring. It is strong, easy to build and it also provides some insulation for cold environments. Timber flooring is often used in relocatable chicken coops with the flooring set up off the ground a couple of inches.
Instead of scooping out and replacing coop litter frequently, the deep litter method allows the manure and bedding material to accumulate and decompose inside the coop. The result of this allows you to clean your coop a couple of times a year.
As with deer, however, there are plenty of herbs that can be incorporated into the landscape that chickens will avoid. These include: borage, calendula (pot marigold), catnip, chives, feverfew, lavender, marjoram, Mexican sage, peppermint and spearmint, rosemary, sage, salvias, St.John's wort, tansy and yarrow.
Inside the coop, you'll find features such as nesting boxes, roosting bars, feeders, and waterers, that cater to the chickens' basic needs, which we will go into more detail below. A well-designed chicken coop promotes the health, safety, and productivity of your flock!
8 large standard chickens would be ok for space in a coop with your floor space of 4 x 8 feet. The general rule, which takes into consideration that your birds may spend days or even weeks in that coop when the weather keeps them in. 1 adult large standard chicken per 4 square feet.
Hobby Farms states that coffee grounds shouldn't be feed to chickens, but that coffee chaff makes acceptable bedding. Remember, chickens are not mammals, and mammals are the pets that most data is based upon in terms of toxicity.
Rice hulls, peanut hulls, and corncobs aren't ideal for chicken bedding. They aren't as absorbent, and since they are an organic material, you have to keep on top of it and make sure the area is clean. “High mold levels and high ammonia retention make them not the best,” Byrum explains.
Clean your coop at least once a week by removing soiled bedding and droppings. Replace it with fresh bedding, such as wood shavings, straw or shredded paper. Scrub waterers and feeders with a diluted bleach solution (1 part bleach to 9 parts water) to prevent disease.
Cleaning your chicken coop will be a messy job, but it's necessary to keep your flock healthy and protected from unwanted disease and illness. Once you get going, it's really not that bad. Your girls will thank you by providing you with beautiful, incredible eggs!
Once a week you should remove all the droppings and replace their bedding. Some houses will need some scrubbing to get rid of all the muck. Our Eglus are all easy cleaning chicken coops, and can be hosed down. Make sure your coop is dry before putting fresh bedding in.
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.
Address: 569 Waelchi Ports, South Blainebury, LA 11589
Phone: +9958996486049
Job: Sales Manager
Hobby: Web surfing, Scuba diving, Mountaineering, Writing, Sailing, Dance, Blacksmithing
Introduction: My name is Prof. Nancy Dach, I am a lively, joyous, courageous, lovely, tender, charming, open person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
