It’s a temporary enclosure for some chicks until they can be integrated into my big coop. I just have to get them out of the brooder. Seems like it’s adequate for a temporary place, no?
Yes, for chicks it would probably be fine. Just not really for adults. But for me, I don’t think it would be worth all the effort to disinfect it, personally. But up to you.
Yeah, maybe...except for the risk of Mareks.
Could you put a small percentage of the flock in, and see what happens with them?
The problem with Merricks is that once one is exposed all things it has to be assumed to be a carrier for the rest of its life. And once the rest of the flock are exposed to that carrier, they also have to be assumed to be carriers for the rest of their lives. That's not to say that one cannot successfully maintain America's positive flock. Plenty of people do. But it is a lifetime commitment. After exposure, every new bird you add to the flock should be vaccinated against Merricks. Not because it will prevent them from getting merricks, but rather because it will tend to greatly reduce the severity of Merricks when they do get it.
I've had a small one very simialr that worked really well for raising some chicks and also as a hospital or broody breaking ward. It was sufficient short term. In all honesty, I wish I hadn't given it away. It was nove to have more options.
Thank You. Okay, I hate to disappoint you but I had envisioned a coop more like a 4k Large custom build or Quality Amish type etc. being well worth the trouble of very extensive cleaning. A pre-fab is just not worth it in my opinion. I have ordered a pre-fab for very little money because I wanted some of the parts for my brooder within my Large coop (and willing to throw away the stuff they call wood which I call chemical veneer.) I'm afraid that other than that exception, I'd always pass on pre-fab whether free or not and hard pass on Mareks risk. Sorry. I just think you can do so much better. Check out the Coops section for ideas and what if you check out things like Craig's list, FB market, etc. for something small that you can upcycle. My first coop was a (free,) old dog house (no Mareks.) Good Luck!!
