Fall Chicken Coop Cleaning: Essential Tips for a Healthy Flock

As the cooler weather of fall sets in, now is the perfect time to give your chicken coop a thorough cleaning. A clean coop not only keeps your chickens healthy but also protects your family from potential diseases like Avian Influenza. A deep fall clean is crucial for preventing the spread of disease, controlling pests, and preparing your coop for winter.

In this article, we'll cover everything you need to know, including what supplies you'll need, how to clean safely, and the step-by-step process for a spotless coop.

Key Takeaways:

Health and Hygiene: Regular cleaning prevents the buildup of harmful bacteria and disease, including coccidiosis and Avian Influenza, keeping your chickens healthy.

Pest Control: Dirty coops attract mites, rodents, and other pests. Regular cleaning reduces the risk of infestations.

Safety First: When cleaning your coop, protect yourself by wearing a mask and wetting down bedding to prevent airborne particles. Ensure you wash hands and change clothes afterward.

How to Clean the Coop: Remove everything from the coop, disposing of old bedding and nesting material. Use a brush to scrub off any stubborn droppings or dirt. Then wash the coop with warm, soapy water, rinse and allow to dry. Disinfect the coop and allow to dry again, before replacing bedding. Removable items like Feeders, Drinkers, nesting boxes and chicken toys should also be cleaned thoroughly before replacing the in the coop.

Why Clean the Chicken Coop?

Chicken Hygiene: Healthy chickens need a healthy environment. A buildup of droppings and dirty bedding can lead to bacteria and diseases that affect your flock. Regular cleaning prevents these problems, keeping your hens in top condition.

Disease Prevention: Fall is a time when chickens are more vulnerable to illnesses, as changing weather can stress their immune systems. Diseases like coccidiosis can spread quickly through contaminated droppings. Keeping the coop clean helps prevent these issues, and in cases of outbreaks like Avian Influenza, a clean coop is your first line of defense. If you suspect a sick chicken, isolate it immediately and give the entire coop a thorough clean.

Pest Control: Dirty coops attract pests like mites and rodents. Mites can hitch a ride on wild birds and infest your coop, leading to irritation and even death in severe cases. Regular cleaning, along with treatments like natural apple cider vinegar, boiling water or Diatomaceous Earth (DE), helps keep these pests at bay. A clean coop also reduces the smell of chicken manure, which can attract rodents looking for food.

What You’ll Need to Clean Your Coop

Before you start, gather all the necessary supplies:

• Mask: To avoid inhaling dust, dander, and potential pathogens.
• Scrub Brushes: Stiff brushes for scrubbing surfaces.
• Disinfectant: A safe, poultry-friendly disinfectant for killing bacteria and viruses.
• Broom and Shovel: For sweeping out old bedding and debris.
• Fresh Bedding: Straw, wood shavings, or other clean bedding materials.
• Plenty of Water: Hot, soapy water for washing, and clean water for rinsing.
• Protective Clothing: Wear old clothes and consider wearing gloves. Always change and wash your clothes after cleaning the coop.

How to Clean Your Coop: Step-by-Step

1. Prepare and Protect Yourself

Cleaning the chicken coop is not just about keeping your flock healthy, but also about protecting yourself. Chicken coops can harbor bacteria, dust, and other contaminants that can affect your health if proper precautions aren't taken.

Although it is very unlikely that you would catch something from your chickens or from cleaning the chicken coop, it is possible. Fortunately, staying safe is easy! Here’s how to protect yourself:

Wear a Mask and Gloves: Chicken coops can harbor bacteria and dust that can irritate your lungs or cause diseases. Always wear a mask to protect against airborne particles and wet down bedding and litter. Using gloves is also recommended, and especially if you have any cuts or sores on your hands.

Change Clothes Afterward: Once you’re done cleaning, immediately change your clothes and wash them. This prevents you from carrying any potential diseases back into your home.

Wetting Down Bedding: Before removing bedding, lightly spray it with water to reduce the amount of dust and dander that can become airborne. This also helps reduce your exposure to harmful particles.

Practice Good Hygiene: It is common sense - wash your hands after cleaning the chicken coop and before you do anything else. Have a shower and wash your hair as soon as you can.

2. Remove and Clean Everything

Chickens: While we don't recommend cleaning your chickens, you should remove them from the coop before cleaning. Although you can clean around chickens, and some disinfectants are considered safe for use around poultry, not only are chickens going to get in your way and slow you down, trying to peck at bugs underneath each scoop of bedding you remove, they will also make it difficult to clean thoroughly. It is safer, and more effective to keep your chickens out of the coop while you clean! Just make sure they have access to water, and shade if it is a hot day.

Feeders and Drinkers: Fall cleaning time is a good time to clean and sanitise your Chicken Feeders and Drinkers. You'd be amazed how many chicken keepers fail to do this even when they clean the coop!

Wash your Feeders and Drinkers with warm soapy water and a soft cloth, rinse thoroughly and allow to dry in the sunlight. You should disassemble any Lubing Cups and remove the base of the Feeder to clean properly. Never use scourers or stiff brushes. Do not use boiling water or put your Chicken Feeders or Drinkers in the dishwasher!

If you are disinfecting your Feeders and Drinkers, ensure whatever product you use is safe for chickens to eat and is not going to damage the Feeder or Drinker material.

Other Equipment: Remove any other loose items from the coop, such as roosting bars, drippings boards, chicken toys and nesting boxes. Scrub thoroughly with a brush, wash with soapy water, rinse and allow to dry. Pay special attention to crevices where dirt and droppings can build up. Drying items in the sun can help to sanitise them.

If you’re dealing with any equipment that was used by a sick bird, give it an extra round of disinfecting to ensure no pathogens linger.

3. Clear Out Old Bedding and Droppings

Even if you will use a deep litter system over winter, it is important to start with clean bedding, and fall is the best time to clean the coop.

Once you have removed all loose items from the chicken coop, use a shovel and broom to remove all the old bedding and droppings from the coop. A wheelbarrow or bin to put the bedding in to can be helpful if you have a large coop. Dirty bedding is a breeding ground for bacteria, mites, and even mold, so don’t skip this step.

Consider composting the manure and old bedding. Chicken manure can be a great addition to your compost pile, but make sure it’s properly aged before using it in the garden.

4. Wash and Disinfect the Coop

Wash Surfaces: Once the bedding is removed, use a stiff brush and warm, soapy water to scrub all surfaces of the coop, including walls, floors, and roosting bars. Focus on areas where droppings and dust tend to accumulate and ensure all visible soiling is cleaned.

Rinse and Dry: Rinse the coop (a hose or pressure washer will make this job easier) and allow it to dry thoroughly. If you have a wooden coop, it may be better to rinse surfaces using a bucket of clean water and a cloth to prevent soaking the wood.

Disinfect: Once the coop is dry, apply a poultry-safe disinfectant to all surfaces. Remember, a disinfectant only works on clean surfaces. If there is still dust, dirt or poop visible, the disinfectant is not going to be able to do its job.

Be sure to follow the instructions on your chosen product for proper dilution and application. Let the disinfectant sit for the recommended time to ensure it kills any lingering bacteria, viruses, or fungi. Some disinfectants should be left to dry, while others should be rinsed off. Follow the instructions for your chosen disinfectant.

Learn more about disinfecting the chicken coop here.

Dry Thoroughly: Once disinfecting is complete, it is important that you let the coop dry thoroughly. Damp conditions can promote mold growth, which is harmful to chickens, and dampness in wooden coops can cause rot. It is especially important for the coop to by dry after a fall cleaning, as moisture can linger all winter long!

5. Replace Bedding and Set Up the Coop

Once the coop is dry, spread fresh, clean bedding evenly across the floor. Make sure it's thick enough to absorb moisture and provide a comfortable surface for your chickens. You can compare chicken bedding types here.

To combat mites, lice and other pests, Diatomaceous Earth or a chicken-safe insecticide can be sprinkled on the flood underneath the bedding and into any cracks or crevices where pests might hide.

Replace Feeders, Drinkers, and other equipment, ensuring they are also clean and dry.

Then let your chickens back in to enjoy their lovely, fresh coop!

Make Fall Cleaning a Routine

Cleaning your coop doesn’t have to be a dreaded chore. By making it part of your regular routine, you’ll keep your chickens happy and healthy all year round. A quick tidy-up twice a week, combined with a monthly deep clean, is a good rule of thumb. Fall is the perfect time to establish this routine as you prepare for the winter months.

By cleaning your coop, you’re continuing a long tradition of chicken keeping that has been refined over thousands of years. In today’s world, with new diseases and more concentrated backyard flocks, regular cleaning and disinfecting are essential. So, take the time to give your coop a thorough fall cleaning—you’ll thank yourself later when your chickens are thriving throughout the colder months.

Happy chicken keeping!

Rachael at Dine a Chook