Backyard Fowl Keepers

Hey everyone, I’ve got a small flock of chickens, and while I love having them, keeping their coop clean is driving me nuts! I bed the coop with large flake pine shavings, but it gets dirty so quickly. I’m constantly having to scrub poop off my eggs, even if I’ve just cleaned the coop the day before.

Does anyone have tips or tricks to keep the coop cleaner for longer and avoid dealing with messy eggs? I’d love to hear your suggestions!

Keeping the coop clean is definitely a challenge! One thing I’ve implemented is the use of a deep litter method with pine shavings, which reduces how often you need to fully clean out the coop. I add a thin layer of fresh shavings every week and turn the bedding to keep it dry. Another thing that made a huge difference was installing a poop board under the roosts—it catches most of the droppings overnight, and I scrape it off every morning.

For cleaner eggs, I made sure my nesting boxes were slightly elevated and away from the roosting area so the hens don’t track poop inside. I also use washable nesting pads and replace or clean them weekly. If you’re still finding eggs dirty, check if any hens are sleeping in the boxes overnight and block them off at bedtime if needed. It takes a bit of trial and error, but these changes have kept things much cleaner for me!

I had the same issue when I first started!
One thing that worked for me was switching to sand for the coop floor instead of pine shavings.
Sand acts like kitty litter.
It’s easy to scoop out the mess daily and keeps things much cleaner.
For the eggs, I use nesting pads in the boxes, and I clean those weekly.
Also, check that your hens are only sleeping on the roosts and not in the nesting boxes at night
Chickens tend to poop where they sleep, and that could be part of the problem.

HenThusiast wrote: Sun Jan 19, 2025 3:53 pm Hey everyone, I’ve got a small flock of chickens, and while I love having them, keeping their coop clean is driving me nuts! I bed the coop with large flake pine shavings, but it gets dirty so quickly. I’m constantly having to scrub poop off my eggs, even if I’ve just cleaned the coop the day before.

Does anyone have tips or tricks to keep the coop cleaner for longer and avoid dealing with messy eggs? I’d love to hear your suggestions!

Oh, I’ve been there! Chickens are great, but they sure don’t care about keeping things neat, do they? Here’s what worked for me:

First, I added a poop board under the roosts, which catches about 90% of the droppings overnight. I line it with a thin layer of sand or a plastic liner and scrape it off each morning. It only takes a couple of minutes and saves a ton of mess in the bedding.

Second, I switched to straw for the nesting boxes and started using nesting box pads underneath for extra cushioning and cleanliness. When the straw gets dirty, it’s super easy to replace.

Finally, if you’re finding poop on your eggs, it could be a sign that one or more hens are sleeping in the nesting boxes instead of the roosts. This happened to me at first because I didn’t have enough roosting space, and some of my hens preferred the boxes. Adding more roost space (and making sure it’s higher than the nesting boxes) solved that problem completely.

One trick I’ve found helpful is to add a poop board under the roosts and clean it every morning.
Most of the mess will end up there, not in the shavings.
For the eggs, make sure your hens have a designated, clean nesting box with fresh bedding.
If some are laying outside the boxes, try blocking those areas or refreshing the bedding more frequently.

Try adding nesting box liners like straw or nesting pads that are easier to replace.
Also, clean out the poop regularly with a kitty litter scoop.
It helps keep things tidy between full cleanouts.

Make sure your hens have plenty of space. Overcrowding can lead to messier coops and dirtier eggs.

Consider using sand in the coopits easy to sift out droppings and keeps the area much cleaner. Plus, it dries quickly!

Install roll-away nest boxes! They keep eggs clean by letting them roll out of reach as soon as they're laid.

Have you tried the deep litter method? It's a game-changer! Add fresh shavings on top regularly and turn the bedding to break down waste naturally.