We emptied our coop last fall. Cleaned it out and sold our chickens. They were old and I wasn't going to feed them all winter. For the worst winter ever, glad I did. There was 3 ft of snow to the coop almost the entire winter and now it is surrounded by water (never happened before in our 4 years here.) Anyway, we just hatched out some babies and have another order arriving in 2 weeks. My son approached me last night. "You know, I think we have a lot of work to do to get that coop ready." Yep we do! When we can get to it, I want to start with a good disinfecting. Any tips?
Lime. Hydrated agricultural lime, the sort they can also eat, kills pathogens and oocysts alike. It will sweeten the ground, help get the health of the soil in balance, and break down manure. Also, it helps control fungi and molds that can become harmful in excess.
Did you have chicken health problems before you got rid of them? If not, I would clean out the coop, perhaps spray it down, add new bedding and continue on. If you have mites or lice, then a more thorough cleaning may be in order. There are several methods to do this, from insecticides, to natural remedies. Both have their drawbacks and may have limited effectiveness.
