Cleaning an old coop & preparing it for chicks

[sillygrilla]

I purchased a little place this summer that has a chicken coop on it. It hasn't been used for almost a year or maybe longer, but the previous owners kept some sheep in the coop as well as chickens. It has a dirt floor. I've been able to get the majority of the sheep manure out, and will scrub all the old chicken poop off the roosts & walls before winter comes (I plan to get chicks in the spring). I'm wondering how careful I should be with getting all the old animal droppings out, and if I should remove some of the dirt floor as well. I don't think sheep have any parasites that might hurt chickens, but previous chickens might have left some in there - would they still be able to infect my chicks after a year+ with no hosts to live on? Any hints on whether I should sanitize the walls or if a good scrubbing with soapy water would work? If I should sanitize, would bleach in water be OK if it has a few months to air out before I get the chicks? This will be my first chicken experience, and I want to start out in a good position to raise a healthy flock. Any ideas will be very helpful! Thanks!

 

[sunflour]

Most recommend vinegar for coop cleaning, but that's with them living in it so It should be safer. But ammonia and clorox are a bad mix for us too if poop is not totally dried? But clorox smell stays around a long time inside an enclosure.

But why not just tear out the old roosts and replace…then they will be new and fresh. If they are not easily removed, change to a style that is, so you can replace if needed again down the road.

Scrub or if possible power wash walls and paint interior walls. Add sand or straw to floor when they move in. Since coop is obviously on the ground, make sure perimeter is not penetrable mice, snakes, diggers.

Be careful, old coops can be a source of respiratory infection to humans, make sure you mask up when you start cleaning.

 

[sillygrilla]

Thank you sunflour for your cleaning tips. I might just replace the roosts - they are very easily removed. I hadn't thought about painting the walls - that would certainly make future cleanings easier! The coop does need repairs around the bottom where critters have chewed their way in. I also plan to put some hardware cloth around it, and bury it into the ground, to further prevent intruders.