Algae/mold growing on ground where chickens free range

[Chikmum1]

Hi all,

We’ve had hot temperatures, lots and lots of rain and high humidity for weeks

Over the past week or so my backyard is growing algae and fluffy white fuzz all over it so much over such a short amount of time I’m having a hard time removing it all daily (new spots over night) my yard is a hill, the soil is very sandy like beach sand, grass is constantly having to be reseeded and grows but dies off within a couple weeks regardless of how much we tend to it, because of the hill erosion from rain and the sandy soil... now it’s compacted and growing the algae/fuzzy white mold on the grassless areas which is a large area.

my chickens have been sneezing and I’m thinking this may very well be the reason vs a illness (I’m sure these both can cause illness) how concerned should I be for my chickens’ health?? Should I keep them out of the yard... their run is fine because it has a wooden retaining wall all around it and drains well but they’re happier out on the lawn. What can I do to rid the yard?? I took a shovel and removed all the white fuzz but I have to redo that daily, we talked about tilling the entire yard but I don’t know how much that would help In regards to it just coming back.. the entire flock is sneezing like crazy today. Is there something chicken safe I can spray around to kill the algae/spore/mold before I go tilling the yard??

thank you all

 

[Chicalina]

The green stuff won't harm them. Not sure about the white stuff, but soil is full of microorganisms like bacteria, spores, fungi, etc. That is a normal part of a natural eco system. Any sneezing by the chickens i would think is much more likely to come from their coop where they sleep if it is poorly ventilated, damp, full of poop and ammonia or there is dust. Or it could be a freestanding disease.

I wouldn't be digging out bits of natural things growing in soil every day. That's like weeding a horse pasture - the horses just don't eat the poisonous weeds, they are too savvy.

 

[Chicalina]

https://cluckin.net/the-sick-chicken-symptom-checker.html

you might find this useful

 

[Chikmum1]

The green stuff won't harm them. Not sure about the white stuff, but soil is full of microorganisms like bacteria, spores, fungi, etc. That is a normal part of a natural eco system. Any sneezing by the chickens i would think is much more likely to come from their coop where they sleep if it is poorly ventilated, damp, full of poop and ammonia or there is dust. Or it could be a freestanding disease.

I wouldn't be digging out bits of natural things growing in soil every day. That's like weeding a horse pasture - the horses just don't eat the poisonous weeds, they are too savvy.

Thanks wasn’t sure if it was something that could harm them like blue/green algae can be harmful to animals.

coop is well ventilated, droppings boards are cleaned daily, pine shavings cleaned out weekly, it’s not damp inside, should I be worried that they’re all sneezing?? but have no other symptoms?? Anything to look out for if other symptoms come along??

 

[Mamatomany123]

Thanks wasn’t sure if it was something that could harm them like blue/green algae can be harmful to animals.

coop is well ventilated, droppings boards are cleaned daily, pine shavings cleaned out weekly, it’s not damp inside, should I be worried that they’re all sneezing?? but have no other symptoms?? Anything to look out for if other symptoms come along??

Chickens sneeze but they shouldnt all be sneezing constantly. In the 25 weeks I've have mine I've only caught 2 of them sneezing 2x.

 

[Chikmum1]

Chickens sneeze but they shouldnt all be sneezing constantly. In the 25 weeks I've have mine I've only caught 2 of them sneezing 2x.

I have a flock of 7, I’ve heard about a handful of sneezes today while I was outside (couple hours) it’s no just one chicken sneezing continuously it’s like 1 sneeze per chicken every 30-45 mins followed by no sneezing from anyone and then after a while one will sneeze time will go by and a different one will sneeze and they’re all just taking turns sneezing 1 sneeze at a time

 

[Chicalina]

I thought algae could be harmful when it blooms and takes over a lake and suffocates the other flora and fauna, usually due to chemicals like nitrogen washing off the land into the water (from intensive farming).

I just did some searching and found this interesting article. Seems that the chicken droppings on top of the very damp conditions could be causing the algal bloom. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170517143609.htm

But also, are you sure it is algae and not lichen or moss? Are they even eating it? Chickens are pretty smart when it comes to avoiding poisonous stuff.

If it were me, I would just dig and turn over the top layer of soil to help it all compost quicker and maybe try and rotate the chickens on different bits of ground so they don't foul up the whole area at a time. And perhaps dig in some gravel to help the soil drain quicker from rainfall.

I'm sorry I'm not an expert. Maybe someone will suggest something better.

 

[Chikmum1]

Thanks for the reply, it definitely appears to be algae it’s smooth and slimy, I looked over the article you attached and I don’t think they’re pooing enough around the yard given how much of the algae I’m finding.... our yard is pretty big and given how it’s basically all over the place but who knows, I would assume they’re ingesting it at least a little when they scratch around for bugs, the algae has only been present for a short amount of time and literally appeared over night, the white fuzzy mold stuff I’ve been digging up when I see it because there’s not much of it in comparison to the algae.... I’m just wondering if they’re not ingesting the algae, when it’s dried up is their digging making it airborne and they’re inhaling it and it’s maybe making them sneeze.... I just think it’s odd that they’re all basically sneezing this algae and fuzzy white mold is the only things that have changed yet they don’t have any other symptoms thus far. We haven’t brought in any new birds or had anyone over who has chickens, We’ll work on the yard and improving it’s absorbency this weekend and hopefully it won’t be an issue after that. We’ve never had any type of illness so I’m completely clueless when it comes to this....

 

[Chicalina]

There are a number of respiratory conditions that chickens can get, and you are right to be concerned about sneezing. Do they seem to be wheezy, bubbly water eyes, mucousy, panting?

Maybe your local vet can give you an idea if any other animals are affected like this in your area at the moment. If it is a widespread problem locally, then someone else must be affected too.

It is best to identify what is wrong first, so perhaps your vet can take a sample, and then see if an antifungal or antibiotic is needed?

 

[Chikmum1]

There are a number of respiratory conditions that chickens can get, and you are right to be concerned about sneezing. Do they seem to be wheezy, bubbly water eyes, mucousy, panting?

Maybe your local vet can give you an idea if any other animals are affected like this in your area at the moment. If it is a widespread problem locally, then someone else must be affected too.

It is best to identify what is wrong first, so perhaps your vet can take a sample, and then see if an antifungal or antibiotic is needed?

No other symptoms at all everyone is acting 100 % normal. no vet within a couple hours from us sees chickens unfortunately, I know from calling around for one of my dogs (Before we had a established vet) in the past when we first moved to our current town that non will do any type of stool sample unless the animal is a patient & unfortunately no one around here takes chickens as patients. When we first got chickens I called basically every vet I could find so I would know where to take them if I ever ran into issues....