Disinfectant

[TnChickHen]

What could I use as a disinfectant in my coop? I have a large 10x10x6 metal dog kennel that everyone is currently in, with dirt floor. I don't have access to oxine, as it is a money issue. Could I water down some bleach and spray down the coop with it??? I'm just looking to see what I can do in order to make it less infected. It needs a good scrub down. Thanks!!

 

[MandyH]

What is it infected with?

 

[TnChickHen]

I had a pretty sick chicken in it....

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Bleach will work to some extent, but doesn't work very well on wood. I usually use hydrated lime. Spread a thick layer and let it set for a while. It's mildly caustic and will kill all the bacteria and drive away the parasites. Since it is caustic, you don't want to breath it or get too much on your skin. I wear a cheap dust mask, fling feed scoops full of lime across the floor, and then broom it into all the cracks and crevices. I cover it with shavings or straw before putting birds back in.

You could also make a whitewash of lime and spray, roll, or brush it onto everything, disinfecting while giving everything a fresh coat of white.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

For some reason I thought it was a wood floor and coop... If it is a dirt floor, about the only thing that is going to disinfect it will be the hydrated lime.

 

[nalisea]

Not to butt in... what mix of lime and water would you use? I have a barn cat that normally hangs around the coop, would it have an effect on him? We have gone through a nasty week with pullorum and lost our entire flock of chickens, either to death or de-population as recommended by several vets. Total count lost as of this evening will be 101 chicks, 2 ducks, and 8 turkeys. I have been told I need not only disinfect the coops but also the house, our shoes, in our car, and the yard to get rid of this disease. If anyone has any ideas that would be great!

TnChickHen, good luck with all of your disinfecting! I have been told that once bleach is sprayed onto organic material, such as dirt or hay, it no longer kills disease instead it will just cause mold creating a whole mess of problems in the future. From spending the last few days on the telephone with Professors at OSU here in Ohio that are in charge of the Animal Science department, lime is about the only thing that will help. There is also something called "RCL" but I have not been able to find it anywhere.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Quote:
Do you mean for whitewash? It would be something like 10 or 15 lbs of hydrated lime to 5 gallons of water. Otherwise I just spread dry lime heavily and push it around with a broom.

For your coop, I'd do a thorough dry cleaning. Remove every last trace of manure and dust. Make sure to clean any fans, ventilation intakes, areas that collect dust. Whitewash the walls and lime the floor heavily. Dust the lime into every crack and crevice. There are also fumigants that you can buy to disinfect a coop. Formaldehyde was popular in the past, although I don't know what is specifically available now. Don't use water for cleaning any more than you need to. Bacteria thrives in wet conditions. Hot and dry is best in this situation.

For the run, I'd lime the dirt heavily and till it into the top few inches. Is it possible to move your coop and run to fresh ground?

Let everything sit for as long as possible before restocking. A few months or even over the winter wouldn't be out of the question if you can go that long.

Where do you think you picked it up from? Do you think it came in with some specific livestock you purchased or do you think somebody tracked it in from visiting other farms, livestock auctions, the zoo, etc?

 

[nalisea]

Thank you! It is definitely not possible to move the main coop, the shed where the coop is located was built in 1860 and still all original except for the inside. It really isn't clear where we picked it up, the two options we have are a wild bird that we found dead in the yard with the same symptoms or the opposum that was lurking around the coop and possibly killed 2 of our chicks. I didn't see signs of sickness before they died but they also didn't look mangled. Other than that I haven't even left the house for a month, I like being home with my animals. We are so far out in the sticks we really don't have visitors all that often.

After the evening of "de-populating" our entire flock, I believe I will be waiting a while before bringing any chickies home. I have never been so heartbroken in my life!! I don't think my eyes have been dry for the last 3 days.

 

[MandyH]

Years ago my husband brought home a cornish X that he found in the road that apparantly fell off the chicken truck. Well a few weeks later all my birds got sick. Turned out to be Coryza and we had to kill everything we owned also. The dept of ag told me to saturate EVERYTHING (including the dirt) with bleach and wait a few weeks to get anymore birds. He said since it was Summer (hot and dry) the bleach would kill that organsim and I guess it did. We waited 6 months before getting anymore birds and our biosecurity after that was on the verge of OCD. Can't ever be too safe.

 

[TnChickHen]

Thanks Mandy. That helps out a lot. I might have to cull the ENTIRE flock (which is about 14+). Our baby chicks are in a separate area, so they should be fine. I did sanitize with what I had yesterday, so I'll see what that does.... sigh