Hey, I am new to the chicken raising world, and I have a question. I have a coop that housed 7 hens until this past weekend. We built a new, larger one and still have the old. I will eventually have 12 in the new coop. I just ordered 5 chicks, and they should be here next week. My question is how do I thoroughly clean the coop to be used by the next group? I will not be putting the chicks in there until they are ready, but I want the coop cleaned and ready. Thanks in advance for the feedback!
Obviously, get all the poop out; scrub the roost, nest boxes, etc. till they look as close to brand new as you can get them. Clean out all of the bedding (ALL of it) and spray either some bleach or vinegar on the floor, walls, and in any cracks that may exist. That will get out any bugs that may have been living in there. Since the newbies won't be living in it for awhile, leave all the windows open and if weather permits, let it freeze. Freezing it will make sure anything microscopic living in there will die. There will be others who are way more specific than me i.e., people who breed chickens and know heaps about biosecurity. BTW, this isn't the time of year to be ordering chicks. You should wait till spring, which is when they are usually born. Then it is easier to keep them warm and they can mature at a more natural speed. Typically, they hatch around april or may, and start laying aroaund august. That gives them enough time to get into the swing of laying, and then they get a winter break. Then they will lay for longer, and their bodies won't get stressed out by making so many eggs so soon.
I just broom clean. That is it. Ordering chicks now makes transitioning from brooder more difficult. And be ready to handle the challenge of integration.
I've read that Oxine is a superb disinfectant. It would definitely give you peace of mind knowing you've cleaned the coop thoroughly. But if you can't find Oxine, good old diluted bleach is universally effective.
