Using bleach to disinfect a yard? Or do I need something better?

[MESOFRUFFEH]

I have had some chickens that have been sick and I have been using part of my back yard sectioned off as a recovery area for them. The only problem is, I have a few other pets that frequent the area. If i used a bleach solution and sprayed my yard with like a 1/10 ratio do you think that it would be enough to get rid of any viruses and bacteria that chickens carry? Or should I spend the extra money and buy a better disinfectant? I am also a bit worried about my grass, I don't want to kill it.

I have another area inside the chicken yard that has no grass that I am going to spray with a much stronger bleach solution before I use the area again for my new batch of chicks. Its where I put the new chickens to introduce them to the flock for a few weeks before I integrate them. I just want to know if the bleach can kill everything that could possibly be out there. I am still battling an illness that has spread through my flock, and most everyone is over it, but I would like to clean my holding pen before I put anyone else in it. I will be needing it in a few weeks. If I put a pretty strong bleach solution on the ground, how long do you think it would be before its safe to put older chicks out there?

 

[MESOFRUFFEH]

OK, well, I was trying to do this as cheaply as possible, but after a lot more research I guess bleach isnt going to work. I was hoping someone here had some tried and true info for me.

http://www.revivalanimal.com/Oxine-Fogger-and-Oxine-AH.html?sku=15101-801&VID=109&VIID=1430

About Oxine... I keep reading something about activiating it with citric acid. Does anyone know anything about this?? I know Kathy said a lot of people had used it. I just want to make sure this respiratory illness and coccidia don't rear their ugly heads anymore. And if possible I would like to not kill my grass. I have been fighting illness in all my chickens for weeks now and I am worn out!!!!

ANY info would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[Folly's place]

You really can't sterilize the back yard, without draconian measures that just aren't practical or reasonable. What disease(s) do your birds have? They may be carriers for life, and infect any new birds anyway. Without a diagnosis, and still having the same birds in your coop, trying to clean the dirt is a waste of time. Mary

 

[MESOFRUFFEH]

You really can't sterilize the back yard, without draconian measures that just aren't practical or reasonable. What disease(s) do your birds have? They may be carriers for life, and infect any new birds anyway. Without a diagnosis, and still having the same birds in your coop, trying to clean the dirt is a waste of time. Mary

Well, the area I am most interested in treating, is not really part of the chicken yard. its my back yard that I turned into a "recovery area" for my hen that broke her leg. It is far far away from the rest of the chickens. She has been having a bout of diarrhea, so I would like to clean her area before putting her back out and before adding any other chickens to that area (won't be any time soon). I know I cant get rid of everything, but I would like to at least get rid of most of it if possible.

The holding pen area inside the chicken yard, I was just going to try to clean it up some before putting anyone else in it over the next few months. But draconian measures do sound like something I could do there. I could cover that area in hay or leaves and start me a fire, maybe that would kinda sorta work?

They have had runny noses and some have had respiratory issues, more than likely carriers, but all the birds I currently own have been exposed unfortunately. I just didn't wanna plop a batch of chicks down in a dirty holding pen, even tho they have likely been exposed to whatever pathogens are there.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Yea, respiratory problems do tend to be chronic with chickens. If that's the case, I wouldn't bother disinfecting, honestly. You can completely strip and burn the area, but any new birds are going to be exposed as soon as you put them in.

If you were going to cull your entire flock and start over, then disinfecting would be worth the effort. But, if they're going to be sticking around, then its not going to make a difference. I'd just clean those areas up the best I could, removing as much soiled bedding and waste as I could and not bother with the Oxine or burning.

Good luck.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

You can always dig out a few inches of earth in the pen and replace with clean fill.

 

[MESOFRUFFEH]

I *THINK* that my hen with the broken leg has been dealing with coccidia, and she has been in my back yard, closest to the house, far away from everyone else. That is really what I am most concerned about treating. I would eventually like to build a permanent "special needs" coop in that area. That area has grass that i don't really want to kill tho. The holding pen area is nothing but dirt. I just don't know what to do about the back yard area, other than just leave it alone and hope for the best. Just wasn't sure what my options were.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

The options are to treat each case as it occurs or cull your flock and disinfect everything before starting over. If growing chicks then use medicated feed or have amprolium on hand in case of cocci outbreak. As for the other illness, some respiratory illness are contagious. Birds will get over it but be carriers. You don't know what you have until you get a sick bird tested.

 

[MESOFRUFFEH]

Yes, I had 2 bodies I was going to send off for testing, but to make a long story short, by the time i'd have been able to send them off they would have already been quite old and they wanted them as fresh as possible. I wasn't going to spend that much money to send them and have them tested only to find out the bodies were too decomposed. I would take one to be tested, but the place that does the testing is quite far away. I have been waiting for another one to die so I can send that body, but no one else has passed. So far, just two small chicks died from it. I have been dealing with this for quite some time now, and I think just about everyone is over it. I do not want to cull and start over, as we literally just got started after not having chickens for 6 or 7 years.

I guess what my plan is going to be is to build me a nice chicken first aid kit, then deal with problems as they come along. I have a decent "hospital" cage now, so I can keep them quarantined. I do want to add some different breeds to my flock eventually and it breaks my heart to think that I can't do that. We might just let this group live out their life, then start over in a few more years. But what I am afraid of is that I will go through all of that trouble, only to have whatever we've got live through the cleaning etc and we will have to replay this nightmare all over again. Really the only thing I can think of that would fully solve our problem would be to move and start all the way over at the same time, and that will not happen for at least another 8 years when my son is out of school! Maybe we can just keep a closed flock until then. The plan is to move once he is done with school. But even then, how much of this have I spread all over everything in our house, from shoes to furniture etc.

I guess we shall see. Just was not sure what my options for disinfecting the yard were, but sounds like theres not really much i can do! We will just have to live with it. Thanks everyone for the answers!

 

[beginnergirl]

You can mail a bird in for a free necropsy to some state universities. If you search BYC for necropsy, you could find it. I think ice packs need to be included. So if you have a box and ice packs, it should be easier that a long drive.