Disinfecting the Brooder/Land for New Chicks

[JackieK318]

For those of you with wooden brooders, like me, what do you do to disinfect the brooder between batches of chicks? Do you just replace the flooring altogether? Do you have laminate or other non-porous flooring down?

I had a bout with coccidia last year, even on medicated feed. Should I trash this brooder and build a new one? Is there anything I could do to treat the ground?

 

[silkiechicken]

Well, I had a bad case of cocci once but did nothing to the ground. I put the chicks out too late the time I ended up with cocci so they didn't get enough dirt expsure while young. I just pick up the brooder and set it down on a new patch of dirt.

 

[JackieK318]

So, since my first and only time lost me 5 chickens over a period of months (even though treated with Sulmet and Albon), when should I put the babies out in the pen with the others?

I was feeding them Purina medicated starter. The feed mill was out, so I got one bag of non-medicated, then went back to medicated. Could the two weeks of non-medicated be the reason for the previous issues? Has anyone's chicks gotten coccidia while on medicated feed?

P.S. My chickens were free range before and now will have a 16' x 20' pen and typically weren't in the pen location when they had parasites.

 

[Heidi]

Silkiechicken - what do you mean your chicks didn't get exposed to dirt while young enough? I have 10 week old chicks in a brooder in the shed - should I let them go out into the run while it's only 30 out? I surely don't want them to get cocci.