Moving can be tough , especially when fauna are take . If you ’re relocate to a raw property and taking your mess with you it ’s important to keep their health and safety in nous — both during traveling and when it ’s clip to introduce your sight to their newcoop .
One of the options when move your peeress is to take your survive coop with you to your novel dwelling ; however , depending on its character and size of it , this might not be feasible . If you ’re lucky , your new holding might already have a coop or other outbuilding that can be transformed into a coop . But just as you would with your new house , you ’ll want to get it into shape before the hens move in . A thorough cleansing will get your flock off to a fresh start , keep off plague from leech that could mill around inside the bodily structure ’s nook and crannies . Here are six ways to start anew in an old coop .
1. Inspect the Coop
Where you live can affect what creatures might be lie in wait inside an existing chicken coop . Some parasites thrive in ardent atmospheric condition , and others in cool , blind drunk atmospheric condition . Northern bird mite are vulgar in some areas where they can survive off a host for several weeks , while other areas are more prone to chicken mites , which can live without a horde for 6 month . Scaly wooden leg tinge can also hide in the coop , taking up residence for longsighted periods of time inside cracks and crevices . Before you move , educate yourself on some of the common chicken job to your raw area , and check out the fresh digs for signs of infestation .
2. Clean the Coop
eradicate cake on chicken nincompoop , rubble from decomposed bedding , and intruders with a round-eyed cleaning . set about by pluck all surfaces with a hose , letting the water sit to soften hardened waste , and then spray off when it ’s softened . A putty tongue can help you scrape off stubborn poo . reprise the outgrowth until you ’ve removed it all . Then scrub all surfaces with spare old sweetheart soap and H2O . Soap is a natural insecticide , so it will help to down anything go away lurking . leave alone no suggestion of the former great deal inside the coop .
3. Disinfect the Coop
Some the great unwashed use a very small amount of bleach mix with H2O to kill germs and eliminate olfactory sensation inside their coops , but vinegar operate nearly as well . Vinegar is completely safe to practice around your flock , even at full military posture , whereas bleach is not . To wipe out seed , spray a 50/50 solution of vinegar and water ( or full strength vinegar if you prefer ) on all strip surface and privileged crevices . Allow all the surface to dry naturally before adding fresh bedding to the coop .
4. Dig Out the Run
If the coop is attached to a run , view grind out the floor and replacing it with fresh grunge or diffuse Baroness Dudevant . A campaign should be delve out and replaced periodically anyway because the floor is likely to be bear on with old chicken poop , bedding , and potential pathogens and sponge . Many chicken keepers replace the floor once a class . What ’s great about George Sand in especial is that it drains well , so during periods of rain , your flock wo n’t have to tramp through foul clay puddles , and when the chickens make their predictable plenty , a Arabian tea litter max make it loose to keep the sand tidy up .
5. Prevent Infestations
Preventing infestation is much easier thantreating an established one . Providing space for your chickens todust bathe , specially during times of wet and/or cold conditions , is one of the very best methods of prevention . When the flock ca n’t bathe to clean away oils and to coat the peel with a protective barrier , they ’re at greater risk of suffering from louse and mite infestation .
Growingherbslike basil , lavender , lemongrass , peppermint candy , Mentha spicata , catnip and marigolds around the poulet chicken coop can help deter pests . The herb can be snipped and placed inside nest boxwood , or dried and hung inside the coop or running . If you ca n’t spring up them , buy them already dry out . arise your own preferent herb combinations to help your flock keep off infestation , and to make its new henhouse smell like a henhome .
6. Inspect the Flock
Even after your fold moves into its new , clean menage , continueinspecting your chickensand the chicken coop regularly for any signs of parasites or other serious wellness threats , just as you always would .
Read more of Chicken Quarters »
