Disinfecting and cleaning a used coop - what are the best ways to insure it's safe?

[AlyssaK]

So I have a little coop and run setup that my friend gave me that was relatively dirty (feathers and poop on it) and so I scrubbed off the poop and sprayed it all down and then I used a 1-3 ratio of bleach and water and sprayed it all down once, while it was wet (so that the bleach/water mixture would soak into the wood as it dried a bit) and then let it dry for a day.

Is that good enough?

I was thinking about respraying it all down again with the bleach/water mixture but then thought maybe that is overkill or worse maybe that isn't remotely enough what needs to be done.

Looking at the coop - doesn't seem to have been sealed, I do have wood sealer ... should I take the time and seal the wood?

What are the best ways for making sure a used coop & run is safe for new birds - especially if you don't know if there had been health issues or bird deaths in it?

 

[oldrooster]

I'd like to hear ideas also on how to clean a coop like this...

 

[AlyssaK]

Yeah kinda was hoping that folks would know something more about it than I do ...

I figured bleach would kill most anything. And two applications (one wet, one dry) would catch both surface and deeper. And then sealing it would "lock away" anything that remained, away from the birds.

But I am not versed in diseases that can be spread via contact with past bird dna/fecal matter/feathers/dust/etc. so maybe there is something else that I should do.

I need to get this bird out of my bathroom - but I don't want to risk it - if it will take another few days or a week to get it fixed up right I'm happy to do it.

 

[Eggsoteric]

For a thorough disinfecting, I like to use VirkonS - it's a DuPont product.

 

[Mtn Laurel]

I'm getting ready to do the same thing but the tractor I'll be cleaning is the one my adult birds are in now. They're going to a permanent coop and the chicks I'm getting tomorrow will go to the tractor when they're feathered out. So, all the germs will be from my own flock that these chicks will eventually become a part of. A little different than your situation as you've no clue what's gone on in your coop.

My plan is to scrub out with detergent and a weak bleach solution to get it clean. After hosing that out, I'll wipe it down with a vinegar/water solution as I pretty much clean and rinse everything with vinegar and have been doing so for years. After that I plan to whitewash the interior and exterior. Should have done that last year but didn't get around to it. Whitewash takes a few days to dry and cure. It helps disinfect as well as deters some bugs.

 

[SkyBlueJar]

The bleachwater treatment should probably take care of everything.

When we took home a secondhand coop, I scrubbed it out with apple cider vinegar. Let dry on a sunny day. Covered all the perches and floor and well the entire inside with diatomaceous earth (to kill any mites). That's all I did. Our birds have always been healthy in there.

 

[AlyssaK]

Thanks guys!

I finally got the previous owner to tell me that there were never any deaths - just happy healthy roosters until the rehomed them for some reason.

So yay!

This ought to do until I can assemble everything we need to get started on building the permanent coop - I bought the building plans for a walk in coop from thegardencoop.com as I just really love a lot of what they have lined out. Though I think I'm going to add on an extra section and maybe extend the coop bit across one entire section - that way I will have lots of room, and then maybe two sets of the external nesting boxes on each section. I've got a pair of orpington pullets that should be coming in a couple of weeks so I know I will at least have two birds that will be on the larger end - and I want to have enough room for them to spread out if they need to. It will take me a wile to get all the supplies together though.

 

[sphillips]

I had the same question. I have 6 8 week old chicks, and will be getting more this next week. My current chicks have been healthy with no problems, but wanted to disinfect the bathtub brooders before I put new chicks in there. It's always been my experience that bleach will kill just about everything, so I will use that. Thanks everyone for the great info as always!