Lime--which kind should I buy? Disinfecting the ground after disease.

I'm getting ready to go to TSC to buy some supplies in the next hour or so, and I need to buy lime. Here is the situation--I had diseased chickens this fall, which have been gone for many months. The coop is cleaned out and bleached. The run is still lined with the old sand, and I plan on getting as much out as possible. I was told it would be a good idea to lime the ground of the run then put clean sand on top. The new chickens are going into the coop today, just four of them, and I'm afraid they will be able to get into the run because the pop door can be pushed out from inside the coop. I want them to have run access if possible anyway, because it's no fun being cooped up in a 4x4 coop 24/7!

So the problem..TSC has two kinds of lime. One is a powder for gardening and the other is pellet lime. (This is what the guy on the phone told me.) Which should I buy? Is it ok to put it on the ground then put the sand several inches deep right on top? Can the chooks go out there right away? I can't find any good information on using lime around chickens, everything is conflicting.

Another question--my diseased birds were out in my yard free ranging this past summer. Can I sprinkle lime around my yard? Does it hurt the grass? Should I just not let my new birds free range at all? (That will be hard, I love letting them out to roam...) My other birds had avian leukosis, cocci, and IC. I got them from a bad lying farmer. My new chicks have not been exposed to anything, they are perfectly healthy so far and have been in my garage, which I coated and scrubbed in bleach before they went out there...

Any thoughts? Mainly, I need to be sure I buy the right kind of lime!

My thoughts, I would go with Hydrated Lime since you have had a disease in your flock, that is what I used acouple summers ago in my main run. I didn't have or have had any illiness but I wanted to freshen the soil since it rains alot here in the Spring. I had to till the soil, add the lime and hose it down for a few days. It also rained so that helped the lime to seep in. Hydrated lime or any lime burns chickens feet, so I kept the hens out of that run for 2 weeks before putting them back in.

Thanks for replying! I thought lime might burn or poison them, but I wasn't sure. I will probably put the lime down and make sure it's moistened in for a week or so, then put a layer of gravel if I can find any cheap, and a couple inches of sand on top of that. Or do you think if I put the lime down then the gravel and sand on it immediately after it would be safe right away?

I hope the people at TSC know which is hydrated lime! Was the kind you bought pellets or powder?

What Hubby bought was the powder. I'm really not sure if you can let them back in so quickly with what you suggest. I got my information from a long time poultry person when I did our run and he said no to letting them back in quickly.

the powder is fast acting lime the grainuals are time release i would use the powder fast acting wet it and then put sand and or gravel over it keep the birds off about two weeks

The powder is probably "hydrated" lime. (Calcium Hydroxide_
It's more caustic, and generates heat when it gets wet.

The pellets are usually made from calcium carbonate, and break down very fast.

The hydrated lime is more hazardous to handle, but will do a better job for what you want. Just avoid breathing the dust. Once you put it down, wet it, and it will be safe to cover and let the chickens use the area.

http://www.ext.vt.edu/departments/envirohort/factsheets2/lawn/sep94pr2.html

My flock had pox and I didn't want to take a chance with breeding and selling any of them so I gave them to my mother in law and they will now be a closed flock. My question is what do I use to disinfect my coop and run before I put my new chicks in it.