Sanitizing Old Shed for Conversion

[maenfayne]

As my chicks are happily in their brooder, it's time to get this shed converted ASAP. We bought it secondhand so I certainly want to clean it out well. I've read several things about people using bleach to deep clean the coop, but they've never said what concentration they use. Certainly it's not straight bleach right? Are we talking the regular capful of bleach in a gallon dilution? How would you go about cleaning it out?

My plan was to attack the cobwebs, wipe everything down with a dry cloth first, sweep it out, and then spray it all with a sanitizing solution - wait - and wait - and wait- and then scrub it all down and rinse out. Then let it dry, add some peel and stick vinyl to the floor as it's plywood, and then sanitize that too for good measure. I'm not worried about the coop always being sanitized of course, but I don't want to move my girls in with a whole bunch of unknown stuff.

 

[ashlierami]

As my chicks are happily in their brooder, it's time to get this shed converted ASAP. We bought it secondhand so I certainly want to clean it out well. I've read several things about people using bleach to deep clean the coop, but they've never said what concentration they use. Certainly it's not straight bleach right? Are we talking the regular capful of bleach in a gallon dilution? How would you go about cleaning it out?

My plan was to attack the cobwebs, wipe everything down with a dry cloth first, sweep it out, and then spray it all with a sanitizing solution - wait - and wait - and wait- and then scrub it all down and rinse out. Then let it dry, add some peel and stick vinyl to the floor as it's plywood, and then sanitize that too for good measure. I'm not worried about the coop always being sanitized of course, but I don't want to move my girls in with a whole bunch of unknown stuff.

I use white vinegar to sanitize my coops. It's biodegradable and food grade so I feel better about using that around my birds. Plus it will take any odors left behind with it and not be harmful. I do not dilute it and I let it set on the areas where poop is dried. It softens and can be sprayed away with a hose. I will probably receive backlash for this but I use Lysol spray to spray my coops ( no birds inside) when I have a sickness going around them. I air it out plenty but it really helped when the winter bug hit my flock. I also use the vinegar as an air freshener every other day I spray the coop and there is no odor. I have had the same shavings in my coops for 3 weeks with 13 birds and there is no poop odor lingering.

 

[maenfayne]

I use white vinegar to sanitize my coops. It's biodegradable and food grade so I feel better about using that around my birds. Plus it will take any odors left behind with it and not be harmful. I do not dilute it and I let it set on the areas where poop is dried. It softens and can be sprayed away with a hose. I will probably receive backlash for this but I use Lysol spray to spray my coops ( no birds inside) when I have a sickness going around them. I air it out plenty but it really helped when the winter bug hit my flock. I also use the vinegar as an air freshener every other day I spray the coop and there is no odor. I have had the same shavings in my coops for 3 weeks with 13 birds and there is no poop odor lingering.

Vinegar is great, I planned on using that when the girls were moved in as I don't want to mix bleach with their droppings or have it around them. For some reason I hadn't even considered using vinegar as my initial cleaning. Thanks for the idea!

 

[Folly's place]

It's not possible to 'sanitize' a wood structure, but some cleaning is a good idea!
Wear AT LEAST a N95 face mask, and maybe a disposable
hazmat' suit, depending on what's there.
Were chickens or other poultry in it? Rats? Raccoons? Toxic herbicides or whatever?
If it's pretty good, just sweeping may be enough.
My old shed turned into coop would probably melt if I sprayed hot water with bleach all over it! Don't get crazy with cleaning solutions and damage the structure.
Bleach won't really sanitize in the face of dirt, so some cleaning out is good, but don't get crazy about it...
Mary

 

[Fishkeeper]

Really, really wouldn't suggest bleach. Bleach and ammonia make chlorine gas, and I'm not sure if the ammonia in chicken waste will do the trick.

Can the roof come off, by chance? Direct sunlight is a great disinfectant.

 

[Gray Farms]

I use about a pint of bleach in a 2 gallon hand sprayer filled with hot water. Soak it down good.

 

[aart]

My plan was to attack the cobwebs, wipe everything down with a dry cloth first, sweep it out, and then spray it all with a sanitizing solution - wait - and wait - and wait- and then scrub it all down and rinse out. Then let it dry, add some peel and stick vinyl to the floor as it's plywood, and then sanitize that too for good measure. I'm not worried about the coop always being sanitized of course, but I don't want to move my girls in with a whole bunch of unknown stuff.

Were there chickens in the shed before?
If so, how long ago?
I'd just shop vac the whole thing and forgo any wet cleaning.
It could take weeks for plywood floor to truly dry enough to stick tiles down,
and moisture is not good for a coop.

Got pics of shed?

 

[maenfayne]

We were told it was a tool shed and no animals were sheltered in it before. Since bringing it to our property it's just been sitting out back. Our chicks are in our mudroom since coming home from the farm store and will stay there for at least the next 3 weeks.

The shed is aluminum with. Plywood bottom, wood frame and joists underneath and a metal covering around the frame. Along with the peel and stick tiles we are also going to add bubble insulation to prevent condensation from building up and dripping, cut several ventilation holes up high and cover with hardware cloth, and completely enclose the front inside a 8' x 10' run so we can keep the doors open during the day and close at night.

 

[Fishkeeper]

If it didn't have animals in it, just hose it out and it'll be fine.

 

[imnukensc]

Wear AT LEAST a N95 face mask, and maybe a disposable
hazmat' suit, depending on what's there.
.....some cleaning out is good, but don't get crazy about it...
Mary

These 2 statements don't go together.