How to clean out a previously used coop?

[LydiaWitman]

Hello! I'm brand new -- this is my first post! Nice to meet you all!
I just bought a farm and the chicken coop appears to be in great shape (and hens were happy enough to lay eggs in it -- there was a stray one still in there), but it's kinda covered in poop. It's a wooden floor and walls. How do I clean it, assuming I should -- or maybe it doesn't need cleaning? If I don't get any good ideas I might try just taking a hose to it and then spraying it down with white vinegar. IS that a terrible idea? For my own flock (which will be my first, yay!), I intend to use the deep litter method, so before I put a new flock in there I plan to treat the wooden floor (or find some old vinyl flooring) to protect it before I put down the first 6 inches of litter. I'm using the article about deep litter from the Chickens 101 Essential Guide to Raising Chickens published by HobbyFarms.com (bought from Tractor Supply).
Thanks for any ideas!
-Lydia

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC. Where, in general, are you located? Climate matters so it's useful to know what your conditions are.

I'd start with shoveling it all out, dusting down the walls with a stiff broom (wear a mask to protect your lungs), and using the shop vac on what the shovel and the broom leave behind. I personally would be unlikely to use any wet cleaning method unless spot-cleaning BADLY caked areas. I don't like applying water to wood unless it's critical.

But I would throw as much as possible open to air and sunshine for as long as was practical. Sunshine is nature's great disinfectant.

I wouldn't routinely paint the interior of a chicken coop if I were building it, but this is a situation where a coat of paint or of old-fashioned whitewash seems appropriate -- to seal up anything untoward that might be there.

I also wouldn't try to attempt actual Deep Litter -- a moist, actively-composting system -- on a wooden floor. The support posts for my Little Monitor Coop are rotten because of the Deep Litter in my run. But I am a strong advocate for the use of Deep Bedding inside the coop -- a dry, non-composting system -- because of it's many advantages.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/using-deep-bedding-in-a-small-coop.76343/

 

[aart]

I might try just taking a hose to it and then spraying it down with white vinegar. IS that a terrible idea?

Yes, it is.
Best to keep things dry.
Shovel out all you can and take some pics.

Welcome to BYC! @LydiaWitman
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[Mellowmalt]

x2 to keep it dry. Once you get it wet it will seep into the wood and start smelling.
Use paint scrapers, shovels and brushes.
I try to lay down a sheet of something to collect the poo in future but if you are able to clean it well this time then that is up to you to decide.

 

[Vickischics]

WELCOME TO BYC. WE are Egg-cited you joined us. As you have come to the right place for all your questions.
For me, it depends on how gross your new found coop is. I'd wear a N95 mask and googles. Then I'd scrape it and use a shop vacuum to suck up all the yuck.
Then I'd use a lot of Permethrin Spray in all the creases and crevices to rid all the critters, Mites and Lice living in the cracks.
The picture is of the concentrate to mix for a sprayer.
Then, open the coop to air dry.
Then add your linoleum flooring or whatever your using.
If your coop is too nasty, you might want to pressure wash it out but, that water pressure will permiate the wood so, it will have to be totally dried before letting your chickens it. That dampness is not good for them.
If you want to paint it. Use Kilts primer to seal the wood first and paint away!!
Its just that water and wood doesn't mix very well and takes Forever to dry.

 

[SusanMc]

Welcome , this has been an amazing place of learning and integrit for me...enjoy

 

[LydiaWitman]

WELCOME TO BYC. WE are Egg-cited you joined us. As you have come to the right place for all your questions.
For me, it depends on how gross your new found coop is. I'd wear a N95 mask and googles. Then I'd scrape it and use a shop vacuum to suck up all the yuck.
Then I'd use a lot of Permethrin Spray in all the creases and crevices to rid all the critters, Mites and Lice living in the cracks.
The picture is of the concentrate to mix for a sprayer.
Then, open the coop to air dry.
Then add your linoleum flooring or whatever your using.
If your coop is too nasty, you might want to pressure wash it out but, that water pressure will permiate the wood so, it will have to be totally dried before letting your chickens it. That dampness is not good for them.
If you want to paint it. Use Kilts primer to seal the wood first and paint away!!
Its just that water and wood doesn't mix very well and takes Forever to dry.

Thank you Vickischics for the awesome advice! I love Permethrin for treating my clothes (we have a lot of ticks here in central Virginia U.S.A.) and I wouldn't have thought of using it to treat the coop but that is a GREAT idea, thank you!!

Gotcha re dampness/water. Other commentors said the same thing. And in summer in central Virginia it's very humid so it would take forever for the coop to dry! And thanks for the tip re Kilts primer and the N95 mask and goggles!!

Here are some pictures of how poopy it is - would you scrape and vacuum this?

x2 to keep it dry. Once you get it wet it will seep into the wood and start smelling.
Use paint scrapers, shovels and brushes.
I try to lay down a sheet of something to collect the poo in future but if you are able to clean it well this time then that is up to you to decide.

Thank you Mellowmalt for the tips! Here are some pics of how poopy it is -- would you scrape and brush this?

 

[LydiaWitman]

Yes, it is.
Best to keep things dry.
Shovel out all you can and take some pics.

Welcome to BYC! @LydiaWitman
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!
View attachment 2699690

Thanks for the tips aart -- I've now added my location (central Virginia U.S.A., Appalachian foothills). It's very humid in summer so I definitely will not be using water to clean the coop. So glad I asked this group!!!

 

[LydiaWitman]

Welcome to BYC. Where, in general, are you located? Climate matters so it's useful to know what your conditions are.

I'd start with shoveling it all out, dusting down the walls with a stiff broom (wear a mask to protect your lungs), and using the shop vac on what the shovel and the broom leave behind. I personally would be unlikely to use any wet cleaning method unless spot-cleaning BADLY caked areas. I don't like applying water to wood unless it's critical.

But I would throw as much as possible open to air and sunshine for as long as was practical. Sunshine is nature's great disinfectant.

I wouldn't routinely paint the interior of a chicken coop if I were building it, but this is a situation where a coat of paint or of old-fashioned whitewash seems appropriate -- to seal up anything untoward that might be there.

I also wouldn't try to attempt actual Deep Litter -- a moist, actively-composting system -- on a wooden floor. The support posts for my Little Monitor Coop are rotten because of the Deep Litter in my run. But I am a strong advocate for the use of Deep Bedding inside the coop -- a dry, non-composting system -- because of it's many advantages.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/using-deep-bedding-in-a-small-coop.76343/

Wonderful advice, thank you 3KillerBs!! Thanks for the tip re Deep Litter (and I didn't know about Deep Bedding before -- so thanks for that). I love the whitewash idea -- I just found this recipe and it looks really straightforward. There is already some whitewash on the outside of the coop structure but not on the inside -- makes sense to whitewash the inside, too.

https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2014/07/whitewash-recipe-barn-coop.html

 

[3KillerBs]

Wonderful advice, thank you 3KillerBs!! Thanks for the tip re Deep Litter (and I didn't know about Deep Bedding before -- so thanks for that). I love the whitewash idea -- I just found this recipe and it looks really straightforward. There is already some whitewash on the outside of the coop structure but not on the inside -- makes sense to whitewash the inside, too.

https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2014/07/whitewash-recipe-barn-coop.html

You're welcome. I hope it works out for you.

I do think that given the fairly heavy soiling sealing it in with paint and whitewash is a good idea.