Sanitize Craigslist Coop

[MAchicken105]

To be completely honest, I'm thinking I will power wash, dry, bleach spray, dry, sevin dust, wait a week, use borax, wait a week, repeat bleach sevin and borax steps and then white wash the inside. I have plenty of time (8 weeks+/-) before actual birds go inside.

Can anyone tell me a good maintenance plan to ward of mites and lice? I've now learned through lots and lots of threads on here that DE isn't always enough. I do plan on adding a dust bath to my run but don't have access to ash. Is that a problem? I'll have 6 chickens mainly contained to their 12x10 run.

Again, thanks to everyone responding. I'm learning a lot.

 

[mobius]

Good plan! Wood ash...find a friend with a fireplace or wood stove?

Whitewash is part of your prevention going forward.

Keep coop as dry as possible...and consider a poop tray with sweet pdz that you empty daily of poop with a cat scoop. That will help with dry ness and good for bird health anyway.

Consider eliminating wild birds (e.g. don't feed or water them) as much as possible...that is a possible source of mites and other carried diseases.

Spiders will eat mites so don't get rid of them in the coop! (Course the chickens may eat them , lol)

Regularly do a health check on your chickens with a good light, especially on their vent areas and feet.

You might be able to develop an herb spray with essential oils for the coop, or strew herbs in the coop that mites don't like (not sure atm what those would be tho).

This is not an exhaustive list but I sure would try to source some wood ash...non-treated non-painted etc wood of course...

 

[MAchicken105]

Thanks for this, never thought I'd post an add on Craigslist for local wood ash but I just did.

 

[mobius]

Nice! If you can put the ash in five gallon plastic buckets or totes you should have plenty for quite a while. Other additions for dust bath can be peat moss and/or top soil and/or dirt and/or sand....make up your own recipe. For my six, they sometimes dig their own dust baths but I used a tote and two of them can fit comfortably and I put peat moss and wood ash in there....they do use it! If they will be in a run, this approach might work handily...others here are more creative! Mine love to have the dust bath in a sunny area. You can also help them dig a pit or use a kid's play pool which gives them more room...they love to spread out their wings and roll around and sun themselves in the dust bath...

 

[MAchicken105]

Good advice, I'll bury a bin in their coop and hopefully fill it with ash from a good samaratin and sand and peat. Should I add DE or anything to that bath?

 

[mobius]

IMHO DE is not necessary at all...others may have ideas about what to add but it is really pretty simple...mine will make dust baths in gardening beds if allowed and they fling the dirt everywhere, so high sides are recommended...fun to watch! Even baby chicks love dust baths:


first dust bath for babies!

 

[Mrs. K]

Just read the directions. Sometimes when people are cleaning, there is the idea that more is better. Just read the direction and follow them. I would broom it out, wash it down, and dust it well. You should be good.

 

[lilwildrabbit]

When I grill out I put that ash into the run the hens love it just let it cool first I didn't once had to put out a hen! She wasn't hurt but had a few feathers burnt. Use for the inside a water soluable paint cote a first coat with a mix of what ever you use to know lol the mites then when that dries repaint it once more to seal in the poison. Make sure you keep the coop clean and dry mites need moisture to live if it stays dry inside you will have less of a problem. If I see mites on any of my birds I make a mix of the ash I have DE and seven dust put it into a big pan in a hole in the ground the birds will dust bath themselves. Putting it into the ground keeps it together for the next bird if not one will spread it all over the place

 

[lazy gardener]

When I grill out I put that ash into the run the hens love it just let it cool first I didn't once had to put out a hen! She wasn't hurt but had a few feathers burnt. Use for the inside a water soluable paint cote a first coat with a mix of what ever you use to know lol the mites then when that dries repaint it once more to seal in the poison. Make sure you keep the coop clean and dry mites need moisture to live if it stays dry inside you will have less of a problem. If I see mites on any of my birds I make a mix of the ash I have DE and seven dust put it into a big pan in a hole in the ground the birds will dust bath themselves. Putting it into the ground keeps it together for the next bird if not one will spread it all over the place

I hope you use wood when you grill, and not charcoal. I've heard the accelarants in the charcoal would not be good for your animals.

 

[aart]

@MAchicken105 I'd skip the power washing and multiple chemicals and just soak the thing with permethrin spray.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1134783/permethrin-spray