chickens and kids in yard?

[Cocotte]

We've got a half acre lot and I'd like to have a chicken tractor in the backyard with 3-5 chickens. Our yard is fenced and I plan to let the chickens free range around some as well as be in the tractor run. How much chicken poop can I expect to have on the grass after the tractor has been in one place for a while? Or maybe a better question is How often should I move the tractor so that there won't be a ton of chicken poop in one spot? I just want to make sure my little kids can still run around and play in the yard without getting all chicken poopy, if possible. Its not like that the park with the Canada geese poop everywhere, right??

 

[sherrydeanne]

3-5 chickens will poop enough in one day that I wouldn't want a young toddler or crawler anywhere near it. If your kids are older and you're just worried about stepping in poop, moving it every day will alleviate that some. If you want, you can move it every other day or so and hose down the area; water will wash most of the poop away.

 

[KaterCheek]

Half an acre is a lot of area for 3-5 chickens. Would they be running out all the time, or would this just be an on-occasion thing? I agree that if it's a toddler, you might want to watch them (toddlers will put some nasty stuff in their mouths!) If they're older, it doesn't seem like it will be a problem.

Maybe I'm just inured to it, but I figure hey, it's just chicken poop, not hot lava. If your kid steps in it, are they really going to die? I mean, people let their kids play in the same yard as a dog, right? And dog poop is a lot bigger than chicken poop.

 

[Cocotte]

Quote:
Yup, totally agree with you there!

My kids are 3 1/2 and 1, the younger one won't be out wandering in the yard without really close supervision, and the older one really just wants to play in the sandbox most of the time. I'd like to have the birds wandering around free as much as possible so they can get lots of exercise/bugs to eat and be happiest.

 

[SurprisingWoman]

I have half an acre and this summer it wasn't a big deal to deal with the chicken poop. This winter when the girls only had paths to navigate, the deck right outside the sliding glass door and that's about it there was quite an accumulation of chicken poop.

The kids won't be playing outside much if you live in snow country so that shouldn't be a big deal.

We have five girls. The grandkids love them.