Getting ready to whitewash the hen house

My book, the Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery, mentions two methods for cleaning a chicken house and ensuring there are no remaining diseases from a previous group of hens; one option is to mix an ounce of lye with a gallon of hot water and scrub the whole thing from top to bottom, and the other is to whitewash the hen house with lime. The advantage of lime is it doubles as white paint to brighten the interior and make cleaning easier in the future, as well as clearly marking where has already been treated to make sure there are no missed spots. 

 http://www.graymont.com/what_is_lime.shtml 
I found this excellent website which has great information about what lime is and what the different types mean. From it, I've gathered I need hydrated lime, not quick lime, as hydrated lime is a fine powder which will dissolve into my water to make the appropriate solution. I also need type S, not type N, hydrated lime as type S does not require a long soak and is more readily usable. 

Hydrated lime is white, rather than the gray of garden lime, so that is also a good indicator to which is the right stuff to get. 

http://2footalligator.blogspot.com/2011/04/remember-tom-sawyers-whitewash.html
One blog I found gives the recipe as 2 gallons of water per 12 cups of hydrated lime. This site also has a bunch of great links to other sites on whitewashing. I think for the first year, I'll try regular water and lime, though there are many possible additives, like salt, milk, or flour, that are supposed to help with durability and other characteristics. 

http://www.craftsman-style.info/painting/032-whitewashing.htm
This site has a lovely description of how to apply whitewash: "Whitewash, as everyone knows, is applied with a wide, flat brush; the operator does not rub it on, as the painter does paint, but lightly brushes over the wall or ceiling with the brush so as to use the ends of the bristles, not bearing on enough to bend over the bristles so that a great part of their length will touch the wall. The brush is held lightly; the arm is not stiff, but bends freely at the elbow; the whole action should show flexibility and freedom. In whitewashing a ceiling it is well for the operator to begin on the side next to the windows, so as to be working away from the light." I am suddenly all the more grateful we showed the Karate Kid to my middle school class last year - I think I'll be calling on that zen karate master as I paint "up, down, up, down." 

Other variations on the whitewash recipe include adding salt, zink, skim milk, alum, soft white clay,
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Whitewash
http://fiascofarm.com/recipes/whitewash.html
http://newlifeonahomestead.com/2012/08/whitewash-paint/
http://gardeninggrl.wordpress.com/2011/04/26/preparing-for-chickens-whitewashing-the-coop/
http://gardeninggrl.wordpress.com/2012/04/16/chicken-chores-whitewash/