Yes, it is still technically fall, so we are still technically okay finishing up the last of our fall projects. Last week's was the semi-annual cleaning of the chicken coop. This thankless task falls on the shoulders of my husband. The fall cleaning is much easier than in the spring, since the chickens are free-range and spend most of the summer out of doors. During the winter the chickens tend to hang around inside the coop where it is warmer.
Hubby scoops the bedding into our wheelbarrow, then hauls the barrow out to our garden and spreads the litter over the ground. A couple of dozen more trips, then he takes a broom and sweeps the ceiling and the walls, bringing down the dusty cobwebs. It's amazing how much dander chickens can shed -- it gets over everything, a heavy coating of dust. Over the winter the shavings and chicken litter will settle down into our garden soil to feed next year's potatoes, tomatoes, corn, carrots, beans, etc.
Here is our clean(er) coop with a new substrate of wood shavings.
2 comments:
So, how many inches of chicken #@"* does hubby have to dig through to get to the bottom?? Did Owen help? What a thankless job - kinda like dusting. You know you have to do it, but it's just gunna come back again anyway...!
It's about six inches deep to the bottom. The stuff is pretty loose, though. He wears a dust mask and is covered in stuff when he comes in. He peels off his clothes and heads straight into the shower.
No, the boys don't help. But that's a good idea -- maybe next spring...
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