How Often Do You Clean Chicken Pens

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Meerkat

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We have 6 hens and theri pens are 6x16 and 16x16. Plus they fre range all day earlyearly morning till after sunset.
We don't clean pens that often maybe once a month. 22 years we have done this. This weather is not the same so wonder if we need to clean more often? So far have no problems ever and no bad eggs. Have 3 nests in each pen but only use one nest to lay.
 
I built my pen on a slight slope. It gets cleaned every time it rains. The coop has no floor so it gets cleaned by rain also. Once a year during a dry spell I'll dump a bundle of fresh wood shavings into the coop.

My nest boxes are off the ground. I put in fresh hay a couple times a year. I build them to sit at a slight angle. As poop drys it falls onto the ground, self cleaning... The boxes are soda crates, once a year I swap them out for clean ones....

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Our coop is raised above the ground and has a wire mesh floor. Majority of their poop falls though the mesh. 3 or 4 times a year I clean their coop. Nesting boxes get fresh straw as need.

Ours is on the ground but not too messy since its covered and we rake it out noe and then. I plan on putting the manure we got out of it for compost after it sits awhile.
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I built my pen on a slight slope. It gets cleaned every time it rains. The coop has no floor so it gets cleaned by rain also. Once a year during a dry spell I'll dump a bundle of fresh wood shavings into the coop.

My nest boxes are off the ground. I put in fresh hay a couple times a year. I build them to sit at a slight angle. As poop drys it falls onto the ground, self cleaning... The boxes are soda crates, once a year I swap them out for clean ones....

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Ours lay all in the same nest, and ignore all the others,maybe we could close those two off so they have to use a fresh nest now and then.
 
I would sweep out our hen house once a month and throw in fresh straw on the floor and in the boxes. Otherwise ours had a long run, and I didn't do anything to that.

Our pens are big plus they free range all day.And Pretty Bird the crow keeps the hawks away. Now and then he calls for backup.Last month him or her ? chased a hawk an knocked the prey out of its grip in mid air, somehing to see, we think it was a small rabbit not sure. He earns his peanuts and saltines,meat now aand then we give him.He hinks he is acicken,they run him off and he comes right back,drinks out of their water container.
 
I clean my layer pen out about once a month. My layers free range all day. Right now they are laying their eggs somewhere and its not in the coop. when I have meat chickens i clean their area once a day or at least put fresh bedding down if I skip a day Cleaning. I think it all depends on how many chickens you have, do they free range or not, etc.
 
I clean my layer pen out about once a month. My layers free range all day. Right now they are laying their eggs somewhere and its not in the coop. when I have meat chickens i clean their area once a day or at least put fresh bedding down if I skip a day Cleaning. I think it all depends on how many chickens you have, do they free range or not, etc.

Thanks for helping us decide Lilmiss.
We don't use any stray in our pen only pine straw in the nest houses we built,gloor is dirt we rake out now and then,plus we have two pens so they change pens now and then.
Not sure if its a good setup or not so put up this thread.So far been doing it for 22 years without problems but wondered if it was a good idea now.
 
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