Help! have been trying to clean the shed out..

[Flighttattendant]

We have converted our 6x8 shed into the house for the girls.

I hadn't cleaned it out properly until today and they have been in there a good few weeks - but the farmer said, just put shavings on the floor and shovel it out now and again.

Well, today I decided to try and wash it down. It is now half full of brown water, the weather is pants so it won't dry in time for bed imo, and although I have used poultry shield there are still areas I feel it hasn't touched, and I am worried about it.

I was thinking of going to get some vinyl today to lay on the floor, saving the monthly washing out. Or do you not have to wash the floors anyway? I was thinking I would just lift the vinyl and spray underneath every few weeks, rinse vinyl down outside and put it back in - or maybe have two pieces to alternate.

When I was cleaning the floor I also had a couple of creatures leap onto me. They were pale, pinkish I suppose, the size of fleas - do these sound like red mite? There were none under the ends of the perch.

I will get some diatom today in case and once the shed is dry, I'll dust it everywhere - but our birds have no contact with wild birds as the run is also enclosed.

Any thoughts on all this appreciated, I feel like I am making more mess than I am clearing up!

Hi Flight - I show my poultry so avoid mites like the plague, IYKWIM. I have wooden houses too but I don't wash them out because it's too difficult to get them really dry unless it's a really warm day. To deter mites the house needs to be as dusty and dry as possible. If you have enough shavings you shouldn't find you get mess on the floors.

I brush/scrape my houses out- I don't brush out the dust. I spray with a knapsack sprayer using poultry shield. Leave it to dry - because it's mist it usually dries very quickly. Then I dust with diatom, fill with shavings and apply any repellent products.

You will see red mite if you have it - they're quite numerous usually. You may have chicken lice which are not usually a big problem - just check your girls vents and see if there's an lice egg build up around the base of the feathers. If so get some mite spray used for pigeons and give them a going over.

HTH

Wow - brilliantly helpful post, thankyou so much. I'm very glad you don't think it's mites. I'll get some lice spray in case it's that but I only saw two in there so hopefully it's not severe.

The floor was damp when I started - only a bit, but the poos weren't drying very well as it is very shaded, so that's why I felt the need to clean it out - it didn't feel 'dry' to me.
It seems to have dried out to some extent - I washed it down several more times with the watering can, after I posted, and it got rid of a lot but I have some wire on the floor and things get caught in it and can't be shifted. This is the main problem with scraping those areas. I probably wasn't using enough shavings actually, as well.

What I did was leave the floor to dry while they were out in the run, which it did to a degree - but not enough yet. So tonight I've put a layer of newspaper down, to absorb what dampness is left, and a blanket on top (cossetting them! But it's an old one) and their nest box and food etc back in.

I really needed a way round the wire bits getting gunged up with muck, so what I thought was to go with the removeable flooring idea.
This might prove a bit dodgy re mites etc. but I think it might work OK - managed to get a vinyl offcut, which fits the floor including wire areas and once the wood has dried out, I'll put it down I think, cover with shavings and wait and see.
Then after a week or two I can take it out, give it a clean and dry and the floor underneath will not need it. I'll check for anything hiding under it as well and
I'll spray poultry guard and dust if necessary.

This is the plan, anyway...does it sound OK? It's really good to know what your routine is, as a proper chicken person. I am really quite clueless.

Thanks again, very much.

I think that should be OK since you can always dump the vinyle offcut if it harbours mites. Just try to keep the inside dry and as dusty as possible - don't stint on the shavings.

I'd love to be a proper chicken person! The people I compete against have been doing it for 50 years so I'm still a learner!

Oh thankyou. I did buy a HUGE bag of shavings today so will be generous!

sounds like louse to me.
mine had them last weekend, were scratching like a dog with ear mites

doused them in Louse powder and haven't seen any yet

Didn't know you had chickens Fliight

Ooh thanks Sorky. I will get some louse powder!

Yes we have six