Used coop?

[Chick-e-poo]

My parents offered us their old chicken coop & I'm wondering if it's safe to use for our chickens? How should we clean/disinfect the coop for new birds? It's a large coop-9x10x7 high & it's all insulated. My parents built it and only used it a year and a half. There haven't been any chickens in the coop since 2012. They never had any sick birds & cleaned it weekly. We are considering taking it since we would only have to pay to have the coop moved (around $200) so it would save us a lot of start up money & we would have room for more chickens in the future. Is this a good idea?

 

[sourland]

Sounds like a great idea to me! I can't see any reason to not take advantage of this opportunity.

 

[Greywolf1962]

I have a 10×16×8ft coop that was given to me. A co-worker and I moved it about 10 miles to my house. It works great for the 10 chickens I now have with plenty of room for the ones my friend is incubating for me now. You should jump on it, because stuff like that doesn't come along often.
Good luck

 

[Ridgerunner]

It’s been empty since 2012? I’d take it in an instant.

There are several disinfecting products on the market but I’d probably go with a weak bleach/water solution and thoroughly wash it. I don’t remember the proportions but there is probably a bleach/water ratio on the bleach jug. Personally I would not worry about scraping every bit of poop, dirt, or grime off, just the bigger chunks, but soak it good and allow it to stay wet for a few minutes before you rinse it off. Give the bleach time to work. Then allow it to dry and air out well before you add chickens.

There is probably not much risk to start with since it has been this long, but a good soaking in a bleach solution should take care of anything that is there.

 

[Chick-e-poo]

Thanks! After reading some articles about keeping coops clean I was nervous about taking a used one, but I feel better now How often do you recommend cleaning the coop? I've read everything from everyday to once a week.

 

[Ridgerunner]

The only coop cleaning I ever do is scrape the droppings board when it needs it, maybe once every week, two weeks, or even three weeks. How often depends on how many chickens I have and how humid the air is. If it ever starts to stink I’ve waited too long. I usually get it early enough.

Then once about every four years in the fall I shovel out the coop floor and put that stuff on my garden. That’s not because the coop needs it, but that I just want that stuff on my garden.

I have a big walk-in coop that I keep very dry. My coop floor is dirt with wood shavings on top. My coop is oversized so the poop doesn’t pile up too bad, other than under the roosts. Other people have different kinds of coops and do it quite differently. We are each unique with our own situations, goals, and experiences. What works for me will not work for most other people.

I don’t try to keep them in a sterile environment. I try to keep them in a dry environment because a wet environment is not healthy. But I believe if I keep them in a dry environment that is not kept spotless, I’m strengthening their immune system. Others will disagree.

 

[aart]

Thanks! After reading some articles about keeping coops clean I was nervous about taking a used one, but I feel better now How often do you recommend cleaning the coop? I've read everything from everyday to once a week.

Some folks are germaphobe cleanaholics.



Quote:
I totally agree!


My roost board gets cleaned every other day - poops go to compost, the pine shavings totally changed out spring and fall and go to compost.

 

[Mrs. K]

Really if it has been empty for that time period, I would not worry about cleaning it with chlorox. Sweep it out, add fresh bedding, fresh nesting material, and add birds.

I would be thrilled!

 

[Chick-e-poo]

We are super thrilled Can't wait for spring so we can move it

 

[Forestry Guy]

If you haven't already moved it, it would probably pay to talk to a locally owned service that operates a roll back truck. I got the tow guy up the road to pick up my coop, 8x10, from about 30 miles away and drop it in my yard for $100. He charged me by the hour. Everybody else I talked to was $250 plus.