How to Clean Your Round-Top Coop!

As with any pet or livestock, cleaning is a necessary task that can guarantee a nice and healthy environment for both you and your outdoor companions. The good news is cleaning your coop doesn’t have to be complicated, or hard work! By following a few simple steps and recommendations your Round-top coop can continue to remain tidy and look almost as new as the first day you assembled it!

Recommended Supplies & Tools

When cleaning your coop, we recommend using natural chicken friendly cleaning solutions. For a natural wood friendly, water-based formula you can use a spray bottle filled with half water and half distilled white vinegar, feel free to use as-is or add a touch of rosemary or lavender to your solution for a natural scent boost. As for tools, a long-handled wire brush (especially for our backyard coop), an optional plastic bristle brush, and a rake will be all that you will need. 

Nesting Material Options

Providing nesting material for your coop nest box will not only make cleaning much easier, but it will also lessen the likelihood of eggs being broken! Our preferred nest box materials include plastic nesting pads, pine shavings, and excelsior nest box bedding. Looser nesting material like grass clippings or shredded paper will be more difficult to clean and will likely be fluffed away by your hens. 

  • Plastic nesting pads often come precut and are a great way to create a soft landing for eggs. The plastic will also make for an easy and quick way to sanitize. A great choice if you prefer to limit waste and cleaning time!

 

  • Pine Shavings are a great inexpensive choice that drys quickly while offering a slightly aromatic smell for your flock’s nest box. For a longer-lasting aromatic scent, we recommend sprinkling dried herbs that offer health benefits for your flock! For a list of coop friendly herb ideas, visit our blog post 8 Chicken Healthy Herbs To Grow Next to Your Coop.

 

  • Excelsior nest box bedding is a great option as they provide a soft landing for eggs while also absorbing any smell and droppings from your flock. Many come precut and ready to place inside your coop.

Note: If you have a hen who seems a bit too comfortable in her nesting box and is behaving territorial, she may be broody! 

 

How to Clean Waterers

When cleaning your coop waterer, we recommend pouring regular white distilled vinegar inside the tube with water to disinfect. Turn the EZ-Fill waterer where the upward tubing faces downward into a bucket to empty. For best results, we recommend only cleaning your EZ-Fill waterer bi-annually. 

Note: Be careful not to introduce dirt to your waterer that may be transferred via your watering hose.

 

How to Clean Feeders

To clean your EZ-Fill Feeder, we would recommend using a rag to wipe down all sides of the square tubing. Please note that we do not recommend using a fermented wet feed in your EZ-Fill Feeder. 

 

How to Clean Roost-Over-Run Coops

 

 

Round-Top Backyard Coop:

We recommend utilizing a long-handled wire brush to clean off any accumulation in your Round-Top Backyard Coop’s wired roosting area. If you have a detachable run, simply unhook and lightly rake the run area. Nest Boxes can be easily cleaned via the outside egg box door. 

 

 

How to Clean Walk-in Style Coops

 

Roost & Root - Stand-Up Chicken Coop
Roost & Root - Stand-Up Chicken Coop

 

Round-Top Stand-Up Coop:

Our favorite part about walk-in coops is their feasibility to clean. The ability to stand in your coop makes it easier to rake out the run area and clean off any roost bar accumulation. Easily access your coops nest boxes from outside to replace or sanitize bedding. 

 

Round-Top Loft Coop:

The walk-in style of our Loft Coop design is ergonomically friendly. Requires little or no stooping or bending over to clean. The unique and removable dropping tray included below your hen’s roost area allows for any droppings to be emptied on or outside your coops run area. As an optional choice, you may line the droppings tray with pine shavings to make cleaning easier and simpler. As with the Stand-up coop, cleaning the nest box is quick and easy by collecting and cleaning inside the coop.

 

Round-Top Walk-In Coop:

The substantial space inside our grandest coop makes run space cleaning easy and simple. Requires little or no stooping or bending to manage your hens. Our Walk-in coop is also roomy enough for you to get out of any inclement weather too. For nest box cleaning, simply lift and hook your egg box doors by using the included eye hook. To clean the roost area, simply unhook the roost area doors and brush off any accumulation.

Tip: Looking to spruce up your walk-in coop with some aromatics? Try hanging dry herbs inside your coop!

 

Why Dirt/Sand in the Run Area?

A common question we often receive is why we prefer using dirt/sand in the run areas of our coops. We recommend dirt floors in the runs of coops so that chickens can dust bathe. Dirt floors also allow the decomposition of poop to occur utilizing natural microbes in the soil. Part sand part dirt is great, and in almost all instances, the native dirt in your area will work great! We recommend simply raking the run area to accelerate the process of the poop decomposition.

Note: Placing your coop on cement will make it difficult to clean and will leave stains. 

We hope you find these coop cleaning tips helpful as you begin your backyard farming journey! If you ever have any questions regarding anything that is mentioned in this blog post, reach out to us at 877-741-2667 or email us at support@roostandroot.com.

We’re real people and always happy to help!

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