The annual dust bath

Today we cleaned out the chook shed. Thankfully, it only needs to be done once a year. The deep litter method of having at least six inches of hay, straw or sawdust on the floor seems to work well. The wooden floor of the old pickers hut was completely dry and clean underneath. And unlike last year, I did not find any little rat corpses hidden in a corner under the straw.

The amount of dust that poultry creates is pretty disgusting. You don't want to breathe that stuff in. Dressed in old work clothes, masks and goggles, we dragged out all the old hay and swept away piles of dust, grain husks and chicken poop. After the dust had settled, we spread out fresh hay. Following a tip from a local blogger, I cut all my remaining spearmint and distributed it around the shed (apparently rats don't like it), and then sprinkled lice dust around all the nesting and perching areas in the shed. I'm glad that job is done for another year. Our hens really do have luxury accommodation - check it out.