cleaning chicken shed?

[smudgley]

Hi - As lots of you know we are nearly ready for our new chickens. (Not had any chooks before) - We have a shed which has previously had chickens in. We want to give it a good clean/power wash before we put ours in there. It's had nothing in it since September 04.

What should we use? any tips? IS it safe to put ours straight in there after a clean?

As far as I know the lady who used to live here had 9 x healthy hens in there.

[Admin]

Try cleaning the shed down with Virkon to be on the safe side.

[Sandy]

If it was me I would do a really thorough clean of the coop and walls and ceiling and floors... chickens may be healthy but some are carriers and you have no idea what went on before you got there

I would get some bleach and a really good strong disinfectant and some hydrated lime (builders use it )

I would take out anything I could take out
Really scrub what ever I could outside and then inside
Then wash out with hot soapy water and flush out with clean water

Wait for it to dry.. then spray the entire area with bleach (extelent disinfectant) ... this is all before the birds arrive not when they are in the coop

wait for that to dry
Then spray out with the insecticide.. spray the ceilings in all the cracks and crevices.. walls and floors especially in any cracks and crevices.. wait for that to dry

I would then sprinkle hydrated lime onto the floor and into any cracks and crevices.. the lime will dry out many of the creepy crawlies

Check for any wood that is damaged and replace anything that needs to be relaces.. check the nest boxes and replace if they need replacing.. don't put any nesting material into them just yet

I use lettuce boxes I get from the local super market.. I cut out one of the larger sides and leave a lip of around 10 to 15 cm to stop the nesting material from being kicked out.. then when they get a bit on the tatty side.. because they are cardboard.. I just rip them up and place them into the compost heap.. cost me nothing and work really well and a great size for the girls

Sandy

[mollyd0g]

I use chlorine dioxide to clean everything in the hen and bantam houses, including feeders and drinkers. This is an excellent chemical as it is environmentally friendly (degrades to table salt), is 200 times more effective than chlorine bleach and can be used to treat respiratory infections (in the correct dilution) in the hens. It is harmless to humans, chickens and their food etc. I have used used it to great effect when a few of my layers picked up micoplasma last autumn. I occassionally give them a fogging to keep everything clean and sweet smelling. It ismy best "chicken" discovery to date!!!!!

[mollyd0g]

P.S forgot to say chlorine dioxide must NOT be activated when using it near animals, hens etc.

[saffy]

hi what is the correct dialution for chlorine dioxide for cleaning poultry pens please thanks for your help saffy

[Ash]

Hiya ,
id give it all a good jet-wash first , thats if you have a jet-washer handy of course
Then i would use virkon S , give everything a right good scrub then leave it to dry .

Ash