Inherited huge coop full of chicken/turkey poop. Disinfecting suggestions needed

[okiemamabear]

We just bough a house that included a 8ft x 8ft metal sided/roof coop that had been housing chickens and baby turkeys. It's FULL of poop, which I want to add to the compost but I need suggestions on how to disinfect the coop so I can add some new guinea keet we're getting soon. I'm so afraid of Coccidiosis and it doesn't look like the previous owners were very attentive bird owners. I was thinking maybe odoban? Thank you in advance for any suggestions.

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome!
Shovel it all out into your compost pile, and see what the flooring is under it all. If it's concrete, it can be cleaned fairly well. If it's dirt, that's actually a good floor for a coop, but you could pour concrete over it to make a new floor, which is a big help keeping out predators.
Otherwise, realize that most home coops aren't really 'cleanable', as in hot water and disinfectant, they just aren't. You could scrape off the 'big hunks', use a shop vac, and stain or paint the interior if that appeals to you.
Coccidia are pretty much everywhere in the soil, unavoidable.
If chickens were housed there within the last year or two, Marek's disease could be in the soil and surroundings, but guineas aren't affected, so you are good there. If it's been years since chickens were present, that's great.
Mary

 

[Sonya9]

the contamination likely depends on how long the coop has been empty. If you can move any outdoor runs from one side to another of the house that would likely be ideal (better still plant a garden in the old run space). I don't know much about guineas but with chicks it does seem micro-organisms play a large part in preventing a coccidia outbeak and you can buy them as an additive for food or water.
For years I have only had broody raised chicks that run around the main coop and are NOT on medicated feed and not once have any of them gotten sick. Their varied natural diet along with ingesting various organisms in the soil likely keeps their gut healthy and in balance.

 

[RiverOtter]

Shovel everything out of the coop, then sweep and scrub as high as you can reach and then down to the floor, and the floor, with a hard broom.

Then get some barn/masonry/hydrated lime -NOT garden lime- and a big bag of fine white livestock salt.

Take 3 parts lime and 1 part salt, and mix in enough water to get the consistency of milk. Paint it over every surface with a course brush.
Whitewash will disinfect and also kill any bugs it comes in contact with. It does a good job on odors, too. It does on looking really watery and dries to a nice white.

For a dirt floor, just spread a good bit of lime and rake it in. Then spread at least a little sand over it for a nice surface. Depending on your climate, maybe spread a nice, thick layer in lieu of bedding.

You'll have the cleanest, prettiest coop in town.

 

[Folly's place]

The whitewash looks really good, but I've used solid water based stain (from the oops paint section) on mine, also good.
Mary

 

[RiverOtter]

The whitewash looks really good, but I've used solid water based stain (from the oops paint section) on mine, also good.
Mary

The paint looks really good, and lasts longer, but doesn't have the same disinfecting, deodorizing, anti-insect effect. Whitewash will need refreshing once or twice a year to keep those properties.