I've been over-cleaning my coop for years and it backfired

My hens started getting mites last spring, and my vet in Tacoma said my constant deep cleaning was stripping their natural protective oils. I only scrub with vinegar water once a month now. Has anyone else had a problem from cleaning too much?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_thomas3mo ago

That point about stripping their natural oils is so true. I messed up my own flock's feet by over-cleaning the roosts. They need that built-up grime for grip, and without it, they started slipping and getting bumblefoot. Now I just scrape off the worst of it and leave the rest. Sometimes trying too hard to keep things spotless does more harm than good.

leet321mo ago

Oh man, you're preaching to the choir here. I did the SAME thing with my horses' hooves last year. Thought I was being a good owner by scrubbing them clean every single day, but all I did was mess up the natural seal and give them super dry, cracked feet. My farrier was like "stop that right now, you're ruining the hoof wall." Now I just hose off the mud and call it a day. It's wild how we think "cleaner is better" but nature usually knows what it's doing. Live and learn, I guess.

hill.hugo3mo ago

Same thing happened with my dog's ears, kept cleaning them and gave him an infection. Vet said I was wiping out all the good bacteria.