Undoubtedly, the best things you can do to keep your chickens healthy, thriving, and laying eggs is to feed them a well thought trough diet and provide them with a neat and tidy home.

 

No matter whether you have a large or small flock, there will be a need to carry out daily chores and some maintenance work and a deep clean several times throughout year. This all comes part and parcel with a flock of backyard chickens.

 

There is a of reasons why hygiene is important include promoting general good health, maintaining good air quality and preventing pests.

 

Air quality can be affected by increased ammonia levels and poultry dust. Chicken droppings naturally contain ammonia which can, without a robust cleaning regime easily build up to toxic levels. Droppings can also spread poultry disease and parasites.

 

As well as droppings by the shedload, chickens generate dust. Poultry dust is comprised of dander (dead skin), feathers, litter and bird droppings. Over time, if unattended, it can build up thick coat and blanket everything inside the coop. Chickens have very sensitive respiratory systems and as chickens move about the coop, the dust becomes airborne and may lead to serious respiratory issues and illness.

 

It’s not uncommon for chickens to become infested with both internal and external parasites. Some of the more common external chicken pests include poultry mites, lice and ticks. These minute predators feed on the body of your birds and will use the chickens housing and bedding materials for reproduction and to perpetuate their life cycle. If left unchecked, large infestations can lead to anaemia, illness, decreased egg production and even death.

 

It all sounds to be a lot of work, but don’t despair, a robust housekeeping cleaning regime makes easy work of it.

 

PPE:

Dust mask, disposable gloves and disposable apron

 

Daily:

It’s important that chickens have fresh, clean water, so clean out the waterer and provide the chickens with fresh water. Adding apple cider and a few crushed cloves of garlic helps gut health.

Clean up leftover food in the evening so as not to attract vermin and replenish the feeders in the morning.

Give the coop and nesting boxes a quick tidy.

 

Weekly:

Give the feeders and drinkers a through clean.

Remove the old bedding from the coop and nesting boxes,

inspect for mites and

Disinfect coop, nest boxes and roosts.

Spray the coop, nest boxes and roosts with a mite repellent of your choosing.

Dust the coop and nest boxes with either a permethrin-based product or DE.

Add clean bedding to the floor and nesting boxes and dust the bedding.

 

Monthly:

Inspect each bird for parasites and signs of sickness.

Check the bird from Wattle to claw for anything that is not normal. 

Check over the entire bird for mites, paying special attention to the areas under the wing, the fluffy butt and around the vent.

Look at the scales on the legs and check the feet.

Do a sample worm egg dropping sample.

If you discover parasites, do an extra deep coop clean.

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Quarterly:

Remove everything that you can and give the coop a deep clean.