Discouraged by poop

[azygous]

To control poop, pick it up every day. That really the only way.

What he said.

Really. If you are against poop, keep it picked up. It will only get deeper if you don't, and draw lots of flies in summer.

I'm the sort that appreciates an odorless coop and run, so I use poop boards in the coop, wash them every morning, and use sand in the run, and like a giant litter box, scoop poop several times a day. I have a very generous compost pile, and a great vegetable garden because of it.

 

[ConservativeRed]

Talking of keeping coops clean, for the last year I used straw on the bottom of our coop. BUT this year I'm thinking of using pine shaving instead. Any thoughts on this? If I do how often to change? We have 3 hens laying 4 chicks a raising

Thanks

 

[weimlikeschicks]

I could definitely understand being worried about poop (health and smell reasons) if you live in a sub/urban area. Not only for your own family, but neighbors as well. While some people are blessed with great neighbors, a large part of society has gotten this idea that they can sue or otherwise enforce their perspective legally simply because they feel mildly infringed upon. Doing your best to keep smell and noise in check, as well as having an answer for any health related questions, can go a long way towards mitigating that. If I were in your situation I would build a large run and coop and use some of the innovative ideas around here to creatively collect your poo; I think many people have already said they use poop trays, that's what I would do for starts.

For the record, dog poop (and cat for that matter) is only like that because eating kibble everyday is basically like eating a five layer burrito from taco bell, every day... Maybe with a little whey powder sprinkled in. What would your poop smell like? Dogs on raw diets poop about 1/3 as much, and it dries up and turns white in less than a week. Same for cats.

 

[beausonge]

I have been using pine shavings since I got my first chickens last February. At the present time I have 3 hens and a rooster. I started out with 5 hens but one died during molting and a raccoon got the other one when she was free ranging. My husband built me a 6'x8' coop with a concrete floor. Best thing since sliced bread! I have a sidewalk scraper and it is so easy to just scrape adhered poop off the floor or roosting sheet. I keep the shavings about 6 inches deep in the general area and about 8 inches deep in the hutch where my rooster sleeps (He us a big Cochin and can't get up on roosts) and under the board roosting sheet where my hens nest and lay their eggs. I just go in every day and pick the poop out of the shavings with a small rake. I also have my feeders hanging from the ceiling with baling twine (we have horses). This way I get my feeders (regular feed and calcium for the hens) up off the floor so they don't step in them, throw shavings into them, or poop in them. I hang them about chest high. I have my water-er up on bricks so their water is chest high. Like the hanging feeders, this prevents a lot of mess. It takes me about 5 - 10 minutes to clean the coop. In the summer, I did it twice a day because heat + poop = pee yew! Every month or so, I just shovel everything out of the coop and start all over. Before I put down the new bedding I dust everything in the coop with diatamascous (sp?) earth to prevent bug growth. I use a mask when I am doing this as the diat... earth should not be breathed in. I also use about an 1/8 of a teaspoon in my 2 gallon water-er to prevent that black stuff that gets in water troughs. It really does work - I have not had any kind of growth in my water-er.

Hope that helps.

 

[Fulton Heights]

Thank you all for weighing in. I attended a Backyard Chicken class this past weekend at Drumlin Farm. When the classroom stuff was over, we went out to their chicken house and chicken tractors. I was surprised at how un-mucky the tractor area was, and how low the odor was.

And as others have pointed out, I already have to clean my countertops and stuff before I eat or prep food, so this will be no different. And we already take our shoes off at the door. The Backyard Chicken class really helped me see the reality of chicken keeping. So, note to other newbies, go see some coops in action! And I'm no longer discouraged but encouraged. Thanks again for all the great feedback!

 

[Glasshen]

Glad you're feeling better about it. Sometimes it is easy to have angst about things we have never done. You did the best thing, saw for yourself.

 

[Kate1]

I haven't had a lot of experience keeping chickens but I have long experience dealing with poop. I have three big dogs and do dog rescue fostering on a small suburban lot so dealing with poop, urine and various organic smells is a daily experience. In the past, summer heat was very challenging. Agri/Tec makes an multi-enzyme concentrate that you mix with water and spray on surfaces called Abate (XP) that is environmentally sound and safe for living creatures- kids, dogs, chickens, fish etc. It alters the poop and urine and eliminates ammonia. Ammonia can be a big problem to breathe and is not good for chickens (or anyone). Flies love to lay larvae in poop and, though your chickens love to eat the larva, the neighbors will not love you for breeding flies. Abate (XP) works. Fly larvae doesn't hatch. The chicken coop and run is just outside my bedroom window and MUST smell fresh. It works on dog dander smells in carpet, garbage bins, kennel runs, and yards. They use it in zoos and any place that organic odor is a problem. It is supposed to be effective on skunk odor but, thank goodness, I have not had to try out its effectiveness there.

This is my first post. I have been mostly reading for information but I just had to share my discovery of this great product. I think they may advertise on this site. I live on the gulf coast near Pensacola and am on my second try with raising chickens- this time with the right set-up. The flock consists of 2 Delawares and 2 Rhode Island Reds one month old and soon to add two Australorp pullets from a local breeder when they are old enough to sex.

Disclaimer: I have no stock in this company nor do I sell the product. I am just a happy consumer.
Kate

 

[Ole rooster]

I once thought the same thing about having children. The poop is a killer. But I got the thinking, heck I do that still today. How can I expect him not to do the same? So in order for me to propagate my race I just have to put up with. Then I got chickens. Wow, here we go again. But like I said, I pick up every day and and check my boots at the back porch with a hose handy just in case I find one I didn't avoid. To me it's not that big a deal. Just another function in a days work around the place.

 

[Dukeofhawg]

Welcome Kate... Thank you for the valuable input. We look forward to hearing more of your Chicken wisdom. Very practical!

 

[srbeckys]

Kate - do you know if Abate is the same or different than the pet store product called "Nature's Miracle"? I've used that for several years in dealing with my dog's indoor accidents. It neutralizes the smell and cleans the spot...mostly for odor and permanent stain elimination on fabrics and floors... and it's worked great but doesn't seem like something scalable for an outdoor animal like chickens.

I'd worry more about the whole shoes in the house thing if I didn't have a geriatric dog (through marriage) who doesn't have good control.

Maybe after he "goes"?