Used coop, OCD cleaning help needed!

[secuono]

We may be buying our first house, but who knows, it's kinda run down, but on 5acres! There is a shed that was turned into a chicken coop. There is months and months worth of food, feathers and poo all over the inside.
I was wondering if we do get the house, how do I go about cleaning this coop to be clean and livable?
Any other info I should know about how to fix it up?
Thanks!


Inside coop.

Back of 'coop' on right. Left is a water/well treatment house...thing...lol.

Front of coop with enclosed run.

Run view, has bird/deer netting on the top of it.

 

[mgw]

I would just rake and shovel it out as best you can. does it have a wood floor or just dirt. If it is wood just try to get it scraped off and put down fresh bedding. do the same if it is dirt. How cool to buy a house that already has a coop and run

ETA HEY we joined on the same day.

 

[hallerlake]

I would start by scrapping every thing off , and shoveling everything out. I'd then clean the inside of the structure with a bleach solution to disinfect it. I'd give the inside a coat or two of light colored gloss or semi gloss paint. Finish off with sand or shavings, and you're ready to go.

You might want to think about covering that run.

 

[hallerlake]

MGW's solution would work, but you did say OCD.

 

[Beekissed]

I wouldn't disinfect a thing! All those good germs waiting right there for your flock....could be a good thing. Expose 'em early and let the strong survive!

This is an old wood structure....no way of cleaning out all the "germs" and bleaching won't get all the nooks and crannies. Painting will just cover the walls and you will use a heck of a lot of paint as it will soak into all that dry wood. Whatever is in that coop is also in the soils around the coop....can't bleach that.

I'm with mgw....rake it out, fresh bedding and be happy you have a coop and run already! And it already has all the good microbes in the soil that your chickens need to establish a good, strong immune system. Yay!

 

[secuono]

Quote:
The run is covered with deer netting. My current run is made totally of deer netting, so this would be a huge upgrade security-wise.
But I free-range, so that will be nice, easy door to do that, too.

 

[lighthawk]

To clean the inside and outside I would clean it the same way I do my home. This also makes an excellent preparation for paint. I mix 25 oz of laundry detergent (liquid) and one half of a large bottle (1.4 gal) of clorox bleach (be sure to use clorox and not some clone, it does make a difference) pour both into a 5 gallon bucket and fill with SOFT water. When it is thouroughly mixed pour it into a 3 gallon pump up sprayer. Spray all the surfaces inside and out (this is a very strong solution so insure adequite ventilation when spraying inside) let it work a few minutes then simply rinse thouroughly with a garden hose. You might want to do one or two walls at a time as you want to rinse before the solution begins to dry. This sloution not only cleans dirt and grime it kills any mold or mildew and turns wasp nests to tissue paper that will just rinse away and it will kill the wasps. Spider webs fall apart and rinse right off. It will also loosen and remove any paint chips. If you run into any really stubborn spots just touch them with a brush and they will clean right up. Be very carefull not to get it on your skin and wear eye protection. Been using this for about 6 years now with no harmfull effects when used properly. By the way I have ruined many a shirt using this so wear old clothes.

 

[lighthawk]

BTW this stuff cleans everything it touches so doing only half a wall is not recommended.

 

[clairabean]

Shovel all the dry stuff out. Sweep or shop vac the dust. Wear a mask!! Then throw a coat of pain over it all. Fresh white paint will brighten it all up.

Depending what is on the floor, you can always put down some lino or something.

 

[biddyboo]

I'm with beekissed and mgw: a little scraping and adding to a new compost heap, and your chickens will be happy as can be. Your coop is roomy, ventilated, enclosed. Add a thick layer of pine bedding chips and bring your girls home. I really believe that anything more appeals to your sense of order and appearance, but won't matter at all to the hens, and I too believe in building tolerance by exposure. I've seen coops with many thriving chickens where the buildup on the floor is incredibly deep everywhere. I think you've moved into a great situation. Sweep, scrape a little if you must, and then relax and enjoy your new property. ~G