Discouraged by poop

[zzGypsy]

we've got all kinds of critter poop in the yard and we've got in-out cats and dogs, and we have mostly hard floors for that reason... because we know we're going to have to clean some mud and some poop. it's not something we stress on - wipe the counters down before you cook, don't eat food that's been on the floor. BTW, a squirt bottle and a ScatMat will keep the cats off the counters...

to the OP, a stationary coop will contain the poop.

 

[mikecnorthwest]

For our first cycle of hens we let them free range in the backyard of our suburban home. It was fine and they were happy but the result was a backyard patio with poop all over the place and daily cleaning if we wanted to be outside. We replaced those hens last September because they'd peaked on egg production. With the new hens I decided to build an attached run to my coop so I could have my backyard back. Take a look at my BYC page for how it looks.

I think your solution could be similar... build an attached run area adjacent to your chicken tractor or perhaps build a new walk-in style coop with enough run space for your hens.

 

[Dukeofhawg]

Being poop-free is over rated

 

[TinyBirds]

I don't think chicken poop is anywhere near as dangerous as they make it sound sometimes. We've had chickens for years, and used to have dogs/cats too, and no illness from the chickens that I'm aware of, even with the kids not being that consistent with the hand washing. We don't let the pets or shoes upstairs though where we sleep though, since once we got fleas in our bedroom from the dogs/cats.
When we used to live in suburbia, we just let our 2 hens out in the day to have access to the whole back yard along w/ our dogs/cats. I clipped one wing just in case they tried to fly over the fence, but I never even saw them attempt that. I honestly never even thought about worrying over the small amount of poop the 2 hens made, and our kids were toddlers at the time. It seemed like most of their poop was at night when on their roost in a small coop, which we cleaned up every few days.

 

[carladababe]

One chicken's poop is another person's fertilizer, like one person's noise is another's egg song.

 

[cobrien]

no need to be discouraged by poop... or worse - folks who like to tease city folk just for asking a question while living in an urban area. both are part of life, i guess! but some of us do undertand the challenges of having animals a small yard.

I've had chickens in the city for over 10 years. we occasionally let our girls run loose in the yard and we pick up their poop with a pooper scooper just like we do with our dogs. Here's a helpful tip: chicken poop is way easier to find than dog poop (and relatively speaking, it's not very smelly either). Chicken poop is brown with white streaks, making it very easy to find. It really stands out against the green background of the lawn or brown dirt, unlike your average brown dog poo that you step in while searching for it. What we pick up goes right in the compost bin for 6 months and then into the veggie garden. I consider it "harvesting the poop" not "cleaning the poop" so it doesn't really feel like a chore.

If your cats are walking on your counters...they are already tracking germs all over it, some from the dog/cat/wild bird/etc. poop in your yard. A little chicken poo won't change much.

I had a tractor for a long time but switched to a permanent coop. Works better for us but it is personal preference. I needed a coop that is very secure from predators and the tractor wasn't cutting it as our lawn isn't level enough. If you don't want to harvest the poop from your yard it is the way to go. As long as the poop stays dry it won't smell and you won't even need to clean often. If you do build a permanent coop I recommend making it as big as you can afford/accommodate in your yard.

 

[RedDrgn]

No shoes enter our house, ever. Our cats are indoor only and we don't have any dogs. We've also got 2/3 of an acre for the chickens to roam when they're not in their run, so it never gets bad in the yard with only 5 birds.

Other than keeping the cats and shoes in or out full time, I don't see what you could do other than have a permanent run area.

 

[Dukeofhawg]

"or worse - folks who like to tease city folk just for asking a question while living in an urban area. both are part of life, i guess! " People were just having fun with it, they meant harm. Seems to me a lot of folks have great suggestions and can have a little fun at the same time. Sometimes it's less discouraging if others see the light side of things.

 

[CSWolffe]

For the record, I'm one of those 'city folk'. And talking about how many of us have a problem with things that are not sterile and manicured is not offensive, it's an observation.

 

[elmo]

Personally, I'll take chicken poop over dog poop any day. We have a small, elderly dog, and because of his age he's not going very far out the back door before he does his business these days. It seems I'm stepping in it or nearly stepping in it every day as I go out back to tend to the chickens. Dog doo is nasty and smell stuff compared with nice, clean, odorless chicken poop.

And, unlike chicken poop, you can't put dog doo in your composter to turn it into compost. Nasty stuff.