Nckyturkma
Chirping
Hello everyone! I live in Prunedale, CA, in northern Monterey County. We have been keeping poultry since February. We have sandy soil, but it is very fine and silty. It produces a fine dust that coats everything. We have two coops in our backyard that we built. Each one is a rectangle and has about a 9' x 4' x 5' run with an attached coop that is maybe another 4'×4'. The run is just hardware cloth with a dirt floor (wire extends into soil 12" below coop) and a corrugated metal roof. The coop is all plywood (with ventilation at top) and has a wood bottom.
We have 3 laying hens in the one run/coop, and another 3 birds that we raised from chicks (2 young chickens and a young turkey) in the other. They spend their time in the run when they are not free ranging in our grassy backyard. Due to the dirt floor, the waterer gets dirty so fast. It gets coated in fine dust and gets dirty. We clean it out twice a day. It is raised, but not hanging. We tried the nipple waterers but our chickens didn't catch on and we didn't try very hard to make the switch and went back to a traditional waterer.
This summer has been unusually cool and very wet (normally it is hot and dry). We put down straw in the run when we got the chickens, because I wanted to try the deep litter method, but it has been getting damp and not drying out. I feel like that can't be good. We took it all out and just have the dirt now. The coop itself doesn't get very messy. We have some straw in the nesting boxes and below where there turkey sleeps and we clean it out and change it regularly. I am mainly unsure what to do in the run where they spend most their time (when not free ranging a few hours a day).
What is the best way to keep a clean run to reduce disease, parasites, and protozoa?
I don't mind cleaning out the run/coop regularly. I would rather that than have them pecking around and ingesting their feces. Should i put plywood down to reduce the amount of dust, or just leave the dirt? They like to dust bathe in the dirt, but will it be better to keep them off the dirt (mainly the turkey) to reduce parasites and protozoa? I also read sand could be a good option, but there was mixed reviews about using sand with respect to cleanliness.
Anyone live in Central CA or just have advice in general? I am not a clean freak, I just don't want to create a moist environment that breeds disease, and I would love to not have to clean the waterer twice a day (if possible). Thank you!!!!
We have 3 laying hens in the one run/coop, and another 3 birds that we raised from chicks (2 young chickens and a young turkey) in the other. They spend their time in the run when they are not free ranging in our grassy backyard. Due to the dirt floor, the waterer gets dirty so fast. It gets coated in fine dust and gets dirty. We clean it out twice a day. It is raised, but not hanging. We tried the nipple waterers but our chickens didn't catch on and we didn't try very hard to make the switch and went back to a traditional waterer.
This summer has been unusually cool and very wet (normally it is hot and dry). We put down straw in the run when we got the chickens, because I wanted to try the deep litter method, but it has been getting damp and not drying out. I feel like that can't be good. We took it all out and just have the dirt now. The coop itself doesn't get very messy. We have some straw in the nesting boxes and below where there turkey sleeps and we clean it out and change it regularly. I am mainly unsure what to do in the run where they spend most their time (when not free ranging a few hours a day).
What is the best way to keep a clean run to reduce disease, parasites, and protozoa?
I don't mind cleaning out the run/coop regularly. I would rather that than have them pecking around and ingesting their feces. Should i put plywood down to reduce the amount of dust, or just leave the dirt? They like to dust bathe in the dirt, but will it be better to keep them off the dirt (mainly the turkey) to reduce parasites and protozoa? I also read sand could be a good option, but there was mixed reviews about using sand with respect to cleanliness.
Anyone live in Central CA or just have advice in general? I am not a clean freak, I just don't want to create a moist environment that breeds disease, and I would love to not have to clean the waterer twice a day (if possible). Thank you!!!!
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