Using powdered LIME to treat past coop sites??

[PakehaCherie]

Hi everyone,
It was recommended that I use some powdered lime to treat the ground where we have had chickens/ducks/pheasants, to help kill any harmful mirco-organisms which might still be living there, in the soil. We have a spot where we were raising turkeys, and now that they are in the freezer, we want to use the ground space for another portable coop.

I have never used lime, and so far, I have done some research online - but there is not alot out there, except that there appears to be a difference between hydrated lime and ag lime. I don't want to use it in wet form, as I don't want to use something that requires me to wear a mask and get in in full protective gear! I wonder if anyone out there has used lime around chickens, and if so, how they used it and what kind they purchased. Does it really "work" to kill things that can harm your flock?

Thanks in advance for any recommendations!!!!
--PC

 

[speckledhen]

Liming helps with some diseases and protozoans like the oocysts that cause cocci. Hydrated is caustic, but is the most effective. Just be sure that it is "rained in" a couple times before birds get in there. Ag lime is safer and more gentle, but not as effective.

 

[chicmom]

I have heard that using lime will cut down on the smells too.....I believe someone told me to purchase "barn lime".

 

[PakehaCherie]

We are no likely to get any rain any time soon...I could water it with the hose though....I just have no idea how to apply it or how to use it....I also wonder if it's worth using? Is there anything else we could use?