I bought a coop that I found on Craigslist last week. It is an Amish built coop that I couldn't have bought the materials for what I paid for it. I'm a do it youselfer and always build stuff like this myself, but have eggs in the incubator and needed another coop and no time to build one and really couldnt pass this deal up. My fear is getting it clean and making sure its disease free. I really didnt even want to pull it in my driveway without bleaching it first. I unloaded it from the trailer and got a bucket of simple green and bleach and scrubbed the outside and inside with a brush. I really spent a lot of time and got it spotless. Then I took a pressurized sprayer and mixed bleach and water and sprayed the whole coop thoroughly inside, outside and underneath. I am going to give it a day or two and spray it again to be sure. Can any of you think of anything else that I need to do before I pull it down to where the chickens are? Do you think the bleach is all I need? Just a little paranoid that I might be bringing home a disease. Thanks, Darryl
I've never been in your situation with buying a used coop. But seems like your going above and beyond so hopefully it all goes well.
X2! Aside from lighting it on fire, you're way more clean than I would've done... No pressure washer here!
Well, there are always disinfecting things, like wipes and sprays. Just make sure they are non-toxic. I would just make sure to rinse off the coop with water throughly after using anything like that. Also try to get the corners and cracks well, as thats where germs and diseases would normally be missed. You may want to get a little handheld UV light. They make some that you hold in your hand and "wipe" over anything, and the UV light kills 99.9% of germs. Just don't look at the light bulb for a long time because "extended exposure to the eyes" can dry them out and hurt them, like a sunburn hurts your skin if you are exposed to long. (takes a really long time, like a few hours straight, so don't worry) Just turn it on, and hold it a few inches above the coop, and slowly "swipe" over it all. Then you can reuse it for whatever cleaning you want to do. Its very safe, and they are used in public places like restraunts to handle the germs. They're only a few dollars, like $5 or so. If you are still worried after all your cleaning, you might want to try giving your chickens something like sav-a-chick after moving them in. You mix it into the drinking water and it has electrolytes and vitamins to keep them healthy. Definitely not necessary, but a good idea, especially if you have young chicks that can get sick easier. Besides, a stronger flock is better any day. Really, as long as you have a healthy flock, they should be able to deal with any germs you have left. Everything nowdays kills "99%" of germs, so you can't really kill everything. (although the bleach would have come extremely close) Just do the best you can and you'll be fine! Good luck!!! Post pics of your chickens in their happy new home.
