Your thoughts, does it matter?

[king]

I spent 40 years cleaning he lofts out everyday. When I retired I went on deep litter and the condition of the birds was not effected. Does it matter for the birds? NO I been to many lofts in the last 50 years and have seen everyway birds are housed. What is important is the loft should be dry.
Many lofts are kept spotless not because the birds require it, but because the fancier like to see them that way. When you visit a fancier your probably going because of their results, and I've been surprised sometimes at the way the birds are housed when I got there. I recall one fancier didn't even have a drinker in the loft (the birds drank outside from a bath that had running water flowing though it, impossible to have cleaner water) he was a Top sprinter in a Fed that was 40 miles wide. They were the best birds I ever purchased £10 each (1980s)
Due to my COPD my stepson now cleans the loft floor now & then, I often think of the many hours I wasted scraping out. But either way do what works for you, but remember the birds don't care either way.

[Anthony webster]

Definitely agree it's personal choice

[Diamond Dave]

Would that prevent Young bird sickness - I don't think so.
Would it prevent any other form of viral infection - likely not.
It seems to me to be a bit of a waste of time. I scrape out every day and put a brush to the walls when I think it needs it.
I recently had Young bird sickness and used a loft white to dry the loft floor every day but Jesus, it really got to my chest and I wondered what it would be doing to the birds so stopped after a couple of days. Then I thought I can't let the birds out and wanted it to go through them all as quickly as possible so just scraped the worst of it up - its been 3 weeks now and the droppings are normal so I have just started letting them out again.

[Anthony webster]

I clean race lofts 2x aday but in winter ,cat litter and kiln dry sand is put down about 1to 2 inches thick and stays in until weather gets better

[PeteDerby]

I have 6 sections - 5 are floor grilles 1 deep litter that I kept that way from weaning my first young birds.

A few weeks ago, frustrated about the amount of respiratory issues I seem to have been experiencing (despite having what experienced fanciers have said is a really good ventilation design) I decided to clear out the deep litter section and put floor grilles in that section too.

Hey presto the respiratory issues have disappeared and my wife no longer complains about the ammonia-type smell coming from the loft. The mount of dust in the deep litter was incredible (it was Easibed).

Next season I intend to deep litter when weaning then clear it out after a month or so.

[Bowbroom]

Again it’s each to their own, we used deep litter for years, ours was sharp kiln dried sand on lime which was raked once a week and a light sprinkling of Harkers loft powder and topped up / reduced as necessary every close season we used to renew, the litter was used as a dressing on the allotment veg beds. Irrespective of the type of deep litter used it’s vital that the system is kept bone dry, we never had any issues with dust or smell.

[chrisroscoe]

i use to clean out in the morning and evening but i think that just me and wanting it to be clean for my own sake not for the birds lol