Preventatives before putting them out in the coop?

[Jbum]

Anyone recommend any kind of preventative treatment actions I can take before I move them out? I did clean out the existing coop really well and plan to do a apple cider vinegar wipe down when Mother Nature allows and provides a decent day lol. Treatment against fleas, ticks, mites etc. Just looking to see what worked best for most folks.

Thanks in advance!
Jbum

 

[sourland]

If the coop has been sanitized and sprayed, I would move them and then monitor as usual. Good luck with the transition.

 

[Mrs. K]

I just broom out, fresh bedding and set up feed and water stations. Clean water, fresh food, and fresh air is really all they need.

 

[aart]

If no birds in coop previously I'd skip any wet 'cleaning'...
...moisture can actually promote organism growth, mothered ACV or not.

 

[Jbum]

If no birds in coop previously I'd skip any wet 'cleaning'...
...moisture can actually promote organism growth, mothered ACV or not.

There was birds in there before. As far as I know all healthy. That’s why I’m just double checking.

 

[aart]

There was birds in there before. As far as I know all healthy. That’s why I’m just double checking.

How long ago?

One good thing to do with chicks is put a chunk of sod from near the coop/run into the brooder once a week starting at about 1-2 weeks old, that will help them acclimate to any organisms present.

You could try to sanitize the coop, but the ground where the chickens were before cannot be sanitized.

 

[Jbum]

How long ago?

One good thing to do with chicks is put a chunk of sod from near the coop/run into the brooder once a week starting at about 1-2 weeks old, that will help them acclimate to any organisms present.

You could try to sanitize the coop, but the ground where the chickens were before cannot be sanitized.

They had their flock in here up until the beginning of February when we bought the house. I did have them out in the garden yesterday and that is near the coop?

It was their first time outside!

 

[Ridgerunner]

The only preventative I do is to feed them dirt from the run on their second or third day in the brooder and every few days after that. The gets them any probiotics the adults have to pass on to them, gets grit in their system, and gets them started on any flock immunities they might need. Basically strengthen their immune system from the start. In your case, by now some of those benefits would be gone, but not all. I don't think you did that. It's not that big of a deal, just a missed opportunity.

In your situation I would have swept the coop out, removed cobwebs, any loose stuff. Then sprayed it with a bleach/water solution soaking it pretty well, then letting it air out a few days before I put any animals in. Once the smell is gone it would be safe for them. Vinegar is a disinfectant but might need to be fairly strong to be as effective as a bleach solution. Still, it is not a bad choice.

My suggestion is to observe them and see if you have anything to treat. Now that they have been exposed to their environment they have been exposed. Even with you efforts at cleaning they would have probably been exposed anyway.

I'll mention an old thread. Someone in your position found a mass of insect eggs in the old coop. The mass response on here was kill, destroy, sanitize. Clean! They obviously were not mites, lice, anything harmful to chickens. While I agreed cleaning the coop was a good idea, I was saddened thinking about how much fun the chickens would have had chasing all that free protein when the eggs hatched.