weather report

12 degrees this morning. It did not feel that cold. Perhaps it is because the temps are supposed to rise and be in the 30's. That would be great because I clean the coop today. Every few days I wash down the roosts and walls. I've been using a product made by a company called Care Free Enzymes. They have an Egg Wash, Barn Oder and Manure Eater, a Poultry Water Protector that you put in their water, and a Poultry Protector for cleaning. This stuff is great. I scrape off the big hunks and then spray on a solution of the Protector and water and let it sit for a few minutes. Anyone who knows chicken poop, knows how tenacious it is. Well this stuff eats right through it so I can just wipe everything with a damp cloth. If it does get into the 30's everything is a little easier because it won't freeze as soon as I spray it.
The other part of my routine is to turn the bedding. I am using the deep bedding method for the coop and though this is supposed to compost as it goes I find that ammonia fumes do build. So when I toss the bedding I spray on the Oder and Manure eater. 40 chickens make a lot of poop and pee but this takes care of it.
Other chemical products are available for these purposes but I don't want to expose the chickens to them. I am not using antibiotics or vitamins and I feed them Green Mountain Organic Layer Mash. All of the above products use enzymes which are earth and animal friendly and organic. My plan is to keep the coop as clean as possible, give the flock plenty of fresh air and ranging space and supplement their feed with fruit vegetables and yogurt. I don't think you can skimp here. You know, garbage in, garbage out.