OH, what I forgot to mention about the clean-out - we use clean pine shavings for the bedding in the hen coop, which is what I like to use for mulch between rows as well. So after the hens have scratched and scraped and er, used it, it gets rather pulverized and permeated and becomes fantastic.
Chicken poop, rabbit poop, horse poop it all revitalizes the soil. LOL
Annimal bedding becomes mulch
Chicken scratching becomes surface tilling and insect pest control
But the best part is annimal manure nutrients : SOURCE :www.//squarefoot.creatingforum.com/t9518-animal-manure-comparisons
N / P / K (Nitrogen/ Phosphorus/ Potassium)
Alpaca/Llama 1.7/ 0.69/ 0.66
Chicken 1.0/ 0.8/ 0.4
Horse 0.7/ 0.25/ 0.55
Sheep 0.95/ 0.35/ 1.0
Cow 0.6/ 0.15/ 0.45
llamas take the prize for nitrogen
chickens win the phosphorous dept
* please note the high nitrogen content of various manures, as they require 'ageing' or they will burn plants if applied while 'fresh'.