Petrified poop

[Beaglegal]

You can if it makes you feel better. There are animal safe disinfectants, but really, anything in that poop would be stuff the chickens have been exposed to already. It would be a good idea to check the chickens well for mites/lice, as it sounds like the previous owners were somewhat lacking in their husbandry practices. If you find signs, you will want to spray the birds and the coop with permethrin.

What would be signs of mites? Seeing them on the bird? They are missing some feathers lately but I attributed that to moulting as it seemed to correspond to a drop in egg production.

 

[Beaglegal]

That's kind of the way chickens and other livestock have been kept for thousands of years. You don't want the poop to build up because that can stink and poop build-up can lead to diseases, so there are limits. It's been more recent where chickens are now considered pets and people that never grew up with chickens, horses, cows, or other livestock and keep pets like dogs in the house that people have become obsessed with cleanliness. To me that level of cleanliness is not natural but there are many people where a high degree of cleanliness is desired. Obviously the previous owners did not share that. Even if you consider them livestock there are limits. I don't know how bad what you have really is. I suspect I've seen worse growing up in a small farm area all those decades ago.

If it were me I'd check for mites and lice, maybe get a vet to check a fecal sample for worms. Check to see if you do have a problem. If you do, deal with it. As for cleaning I'd scrape the dried poop off, either a scraper or a wire brush. Wear a face mask, that dust is not good for you to breathe. You may want goggles. Take a bath afterwards. I don't know how conducive that area is to actually washing with soap and water. To me that would be unnecessary and may not be practical anyway. That may be a pretty large area.

I personally would not try to disinfect unless I was specifically treating something. As mentioned, they have already been exposed to anything present and, if they are healthy, their immune systems are strong enough to handle it. If you do use anything to disinfect it, air it out well before you allow the chickens or ducks back in. Maybe even set up a fan to clear it out. Poultry have sensitive breathing systems and can be affected at fairly low concentrations. You don't want to harm them by truing to help them, especially when they don't really need the help.

You are probably right, I need to get used to a certain level of reality. I just want to keep them at the standards to produce safe eggs and keep them healthy. I once read an article about white washing the coop inside. Is there any advantage to that?

 

[K0k0shka]

That's kind of the way chickens and other livestock have been kept for thousands of years.

It's been more recent where chickens are now considered pets and people that never grew up with chickens, horses, cows, or other livestock and keep pets like dogs in the house that people have become obsessed with cleanliness. To me that level of cleanliness is not natural but there are many people where a high degree of cleanliness is desired.

Piggybacking on this thread to say thank you for putting my mind at ease! I only found out about the existence of poop boards recently, through this forum, and honestly, the idea of scooping chicken poop every single day was hard to believe at first. Surely people didn't do this for the thousands of years chickens have been domesticated... I grew up on a farm too and that level of cleanliness would've been not only impractical, but would've been thought crazy, too. I understand why people want poop boards, especially when you come from scooping kitty litter (another modern pet invention), and I've noticed that they're advertised and recommended heavily on this forum, but I'm glad to see that there are other points of view as well.

 

[Ebony Rose]

what about a pressure washer?

You haven't lived until you've wrinkled your nose at a coop full of countless months (years) of WET poop buildup.

 

[Jandsloch]

I

Should I wipe it down with anything? I feel like the poop has probably soaked into the wood.

have disinfected my coops with a 50/50 mix white vinegar water sprayed it down after a good cleaning and allowing to dry completely before putting bedding or anything (including chickens) in...hope this helps edit: I use a “sprayer” for weeds it sprays just enough without soaking

 

[chickens really]

If it doesn't completely dry then mold spores grow fast and you will have another issue on your hands..

 

[Jandsloch]

If it doesn't completely dry then mold spores grow fast and you will have another issue on your hands..

Exactly....that is why I use the sprayer I do. It doesn’t soak and if done on a nice sunny day it dries up. I make sure of it. 1 coop at a time just Incase it doesn’t

 

[chickens really]

Exactly....that is why I use the sprayer I do. It doesn’t soak and if done on a nice sunny day it dries up. I make sure of it. 1 coop at a time just Incase it doesn’t

Well that's all good for you but the OP said this is an old Coop so possibly the wood will hold moisture before it drys completely and mold will grow...

 

[Beaglegal]

Well that's all good for you but the OP said this is an old Coop so possibly the wood will hold moisture before it drys completely and mold will grow...

Yes it is definitely an old coop and living in the Pacific Northwest we do tend towards dampness. I moved here from the desert and am not used to the damp and the mold it brings quite yet, so I thank you for bringing this up because it hadn’t occurred to me

 

[chickens really]

Yes it is definitely an old coop and living in the Pacific Northwest we do tend towards dampness. I moved here from the desert and am not used to the damp and the mold it brings quite yet, so I thank you for bringing this up because it hadn’t occurred to me

Scrape it and use a spray to control pests . Then put in clean bedding and add in the birds again...