I am happy to be at the tail end of this weekend, and absolutely knackered too, because this year, I deep cleaned all three coops in a single go. Vacuumed, scraped, scrubbed, power washed, swept, tore out, repaired, refreshed, redesigned and redid; it all got done this weekend.
I like to do my annual deep clean in July, after we have had a bit of heat, because that’s what brings on the mites, and I want to hit those little suckers when it counts. The summer after my first full year keeping chickens, I was unpleasantly surprised by a bad red mite infestation. It was a relief to not find a single mite this year, as I disassembled roosts and pulled nestbox assemblies, to take them outside to scrub. The year round wood ash/peat moss/sand dust baths are helping my birds keep themselves pest-free. The layer of diatomaceous earth under each nest, where my girls can’t breathe it in, is helping too. There was lots of dust and dander, cobwebs and feathers, and of course chicken poo galore, but no pest problems.
I am pretty happy with the new roost layout in the cedar coop, increased from 18 to 24 linear feet all on the same level. (Gasp! room for more chickens?) I replaced V3 broody box with version 4 – this one folds up out of the way against the wall when not in use, and the middle roost is easily removable with its drop in design. It will be easier to clean in there this year.
Of course it was Becky the B (the white, green legged girl, who spends her days outwitting K’s garden defences) and her sister buff Turken who checked out the new digs first. Chickens are curious, and the smarter they are, the curiouser. 