Threw my conversations with family and friends who had chickens, I discovered most used hay to line the nesting boxes and coop and simply replaced it on a regular basis.
I learnt that some didn't line their coop at all and simply hosed it out on a regular basis.
Hell no, that seemed far too high maintenance for me. I wanted something a lot easier than that, so when my husband's work colleague said sawdust was the answer, I thought let's look a little further into that. It wasn't just the answer, it was more than I had ever expected, and the chickens just love it.
Not only does it keep the coop smelling nice, it keeps the chickens nice and insulated in the winter time. When it comes to cleaning up the chickens mess, I simply brush their bits into a dust pan and place it in the garden as fertiliser every day. Takes less than a minute.
The best thing of all, I only need to spring clean the coop once a year :-) I simply get a trailer load of sawdust from the local sawmill, line the the coop with the amount needed (with the help of my husband). I top the coop up when the floor layer and nesting boxes gets a little thin, then when I run out completely, I empty the coop completely. I then, spray the coop (walls, floors, nesting boxes, the whole coop) completely with white vinegar, air it out for the rest of the afternoon (because it is extremely strong), then put everything all back together with a fresh layer of new sawdust. That's it .. and the best thing about it, is it's low .. low ... LOW maintenance!!
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| The coop after being swept out and sprayed with vinegar |
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| The other side of the coop. The blue brush is what I use to sweep the messy bits up everyday |
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| The coop lined with fresh sawdust. The black lining is to stop the bits and pieces being absorbed into the timber |
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| The other side of the coop. All insulated and ready for the gals to nest |
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