How do you disinfect a pen?

[seminolewind]

How can I disinfect a pen that had some chick's with Marek's in it? Has anyone used something to spray the ground with? What about lime? Clorox?

 

[TwoCrows]

Ammonia kills everything. Bleach will not get everything and neither will lime. Go to the store and buy a few bottles of ammonia. Make a 10% solution in water. (I think it is about 2 cups per gallon) Don't breath it. Use a watering can and drench the entire place down. Let it dry and if you are really paranoid, do it again. (I did it 3 times!) I did this to some ground with cocci all over it and I never had an outbreak after the treatments. Good luck!

 

[chkn]

That's good to know. I just got done dumping buckets with a little clorox and Dawn soap in the run and hen house. I like the waterer idea very much and the ammonia. Thanks!!!

I had been using the high pressure sprayer and then using the attachment for soapy water but the stupid thing wasn't drawing very well last time (and I've got enough to fix!). It's a pain to haul out anyway.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Bleach is absolutely ineffective on disinfecting soil, it is inactivated in short order by organic materials in the soil.

Quicklime and hydrated lime are very commonly used for disinfecting soil after sewage spills, disinfecting sewage sludge, and disinfecting pond bottoms.

Caustic limes work on the same principal as ammonia, they are both alkalis and the high pH kills microorganisms.

I've never heard of pouring ammonia into the ground to sanitize it, although it will likely work. I'd have questions about it's persistence though. Spreading lime will keep the pH up for quite a while, not sure about the ammonia...

I usually use hydrated lime. I spread it rather thickly on the ground and let it sit as long as possible. A person could also till generous amounts into the top few inches of soil.

 

[seminolewind]

Good thing that the pen is only 8 x 8 feet. I can do that with a watering can.

 

[TwoCrows]

Quote:
I do not know much about using lime to kill certain organisims. However cocci can only be killed with ammonia, being cast as I had mentioned here. I wouldn't want the soil to retain all this lime, at least not in my alkali soil. But I am sure lime might work for disinfecting this pen.

 

[TwoCrows]

Quote:
I did this to a 20' x 30' area!!

Exhausting! If you do have any chickens in this area, do this after they all go to bed at night as it needs to air off and dry before they use the area.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Quote:
Coccidia are killed by akalis, which would also include sodium hydroxide (lye) and caustic limes.

I wouldn't want the soil to retain all this lime, at least not in my alkali soil. But I am sure lime might work for disinfecting this pen.

Does anything grow there after soaking it in ammonia?​

 

[Mac in Wisco]

I've been doing some reading and the consensus is that ammonia is one of the most effective disinfectants against cocci, more effective than other alkali disinfectants, yet I find no references to treating soil with it. In poultry literature dating back to the '40s hydrated lime is recommended for floors, dirt floors, and litter to help prevent cocci. Ammonia is usually referenced for cleaning facilities and equipment, although the cocci oocysts are generally in the dirt and manure.

Not to say that it won't work...

 

[TwoCrows]

Quote:
Coccidia are killed by akalis, which would also include sodium hydroxide (lye) and caustic limes.

I wouldn't want the soil to retain all this lime, at least not in my alkali soil. But I am sure lime might work for disinfecting this pen.

Does anything grow there after soaking it in ammonia?​

Ammonia is actually good for plant growth at low amounts and I have found that even the weeds grew greener after this treatment.

(although weeds will do well no matter what!)