Thanks for the quick replies yall.
The nesting beds have pine shaving in them. And that's it. The floor of the run is just dirt and a bit of straw, mainly dirt. And the floor of the coop is concrete.
The roosting pole is there, but none of them have used it yet, that i've seen atleast. I didn't build a box to catch manure under the roosting pole yet, so I haven't added any bedding / litter to the box. Whatcha think?
I'll get some pics up tomorrow when it's light out for sure.
I have 9 chickens. 8 pullets 1 cockeral 4 pullets and 1 cockeral are 6-7 weeks old. 4 other pullets are 11-13 weeks old.
At first it was diarea in the box on the way home from picking them up, i think cuz they were stressed, but by the next day i see tons of hard stool in there.
Should I remove the poop from their nesting beds?
Do yall clean the floor regularly or let the poop be, someone told me it keeps moisture in the air or something.
Let me know what ya think, just a guy trying to learn here.
Are the "nesting beds" the actual nest boxes that they will be laying eggs in? If so, get a piece of wood or something and block them so they can't enter them. They should really not be going in them right now. They will poop a LOT at night while roosting and if they're in the nest boxes...guess what?...you're gonna have very nasty nest boxes. Chickens like to lay their eggs where it's clean...repeated soiling of the nest boxes might prompt them to find other places to lay their eggs when the time comes.
Personally, if it was me, I'd be getting lots carbon material...DRIED leaves, wood chips, etc., down on the coop floor in a thick layer. Most (but not all) plant matter that is chopped, broken, cut down into smaller pieces work...most things from the garden is fine without chopping up...tomato and potato plants aren't good though. You can buy wood chips at
Walmart and
TSC (among other places). You can also keep your eyes open for power-line clearing crews that chip up trees and limbs...ask them if it's ok to take the chips. Also, sawmills can have wood chips. Beware than some chips can stink, though.
Pine chips are what you really want, in regard to wood chips.
The run can use that same organic matter, too. With all of that chicken poop sitting around it'll stink and flies can be a problem...the microbes that break down the nitrogen (chicken poop) needs a balanced diet, this is accomplished by adding carbon material (leaves, wood chips) otherwise it'll be a mess. People report a big difference in the smell and in the fly population after adding organic matter. Adding this organic matter is sometimes referred to as the "Deep Litter Method"...DLM, or as "built-up litter". Once a thick layer gets put down in the run it can help greatly with mud problems, too. There again, some people do not like this method and prefer a bare floor and run...they curse the DLM. It all depends on what works for you.
The chickens will scratch through all of this stuff, stirring it up for you (it needs to be stirred). Sometimes you might needs to take a pitch fork and break up the top layer a bit. Eventually it will break down into some nice compost. It will also give the chickens something to do to keep them from being bored and the microbes that establish in the litter can be good for their health
None of the chickens are using the roost poles because they're most likely sleeping in the nest boxes. Close those nest boxes up and they'll be more apt to "find" the roost poles. Where is the highest concentration of poop located? As I alluded to earlier, normally the concentrated poop is wherever they roost at....they go to bed with a full crop, digest and poop all through the night as they more or less sleep...then they wake up in the morning with an empty crop ready to eat and start the cycle back over, pooping at different locations during the day, but again concentrating it at the location that they roost at night. If you can contain/handle the poop created while they're roosting you will have taken care of probably more than 1/3 of the poop problem. That's where a poop board helps out. If you don't use a poop board (or dropping pit) then there will be a high concentration of poop beneath the roost poles which can be raked up a bit and fresh litter thrown down if you wish to.
Clean the poop up, don't leave it there for them to constantly walk through. Raw poop will raise moisture and ammonia levels...both are not good. Getting a layer of wood chips down and stirring them a bit every day or two (if the chickens aren't doing a good job), in my opinion, will help a lot.
Keep asking questions, that's how we learn. Read all you can. If you have a subject you are interested in...DLM, fermented feed, electric fence, vaccination, etc., etc., do some key word searches here on the forum and also Google. That's will give you a "quick fix" in regards to your sought after information and will give you information to ask even more precise questions. Research and questions...and the education continues.
Get some dried carbon material down on the floor/ground and block off those nest boxes until they start laying.
Best wishes,
Ed
