Chickens invading the house.. help.

[sunflour]

@jak2002003 Sounds like your best solution is to use some chicken wire barrier to keep them off the porch?

 

[speckledhen]

One of my more "challenging" hens, Tiny the Terrorist Attack Hen, would come sit on the mat at the kitchen door, quietly. I wouldn't know she was there until I opened the door and pushed her. And at times, she would actually peck on the screen door for someone to come pay attention to her. They are smarter than folks give them credit for, trust me, even that dumb hen had her moments. I'll look for a picture of the rolling gate we constructed, not sure what folder it's in. We removed it at some point.

 

[speckledhen]

Here is the gate before we painted it white. It had a wheel on the bottom to hold it and roll it back, very convenient, and a gate hasp at the top.

Another picture of the gate:

 

[Patinas]

I feel your frustration because I have the same issue with my flock. They have tons of area to free range and yet they hang out right on the stoop of the back door to the covered patio area....and yes, they poop all over it!

I tried training them by chasing them off and even resorted to using the hose to discourage them but to no avail. They just keep coming back! They even like taking a nap on the patio chairs! Drives us nuts!

We thought about fencing around the patio but we have a lovely territorial view and decided a fence would diminish it so at this point I'm resigned to cleaning the patio at the end of the day. I do not want to keep my flock locked up all day so this is just the price of free ranging the flock.

For the warm months, I bought one of those magnetized screens so I could keep the patio door open and the chickens out. They were always sneaking in the house until I got screen. So far they have not figured out how to bust through the magnets. Our dog has though so I'm worried if they watch her long enough they too will figure it out!

Wish there was an easy solution but if there is, I certainly haven't found one for keeping them out in the yard. They just love sitting on the stoop and watching us through the glass...it's actually kinda funny/weird that they find us so interesting! lol

 

[Blooie]

I started to have this issue. A few well placed squirts with the garden hose made them change their minds.

 

[jak2002003]

Thank you all so much for the great replies and suggestions.. I have read them all carefully.

The chickens free range area is totally limitless. We live out in the county and there are few fences. Lots of interesting things for them to do... lawn, construction site with sand, gravel and rocks, a pond, the orchard, neighbours houses and their chickens, etc.

If a door is left open more than a few minutes (any door) the birds will walk right into the house, through the porch, down the hall and into the living room. They are poop machines. We will walk in and step in it with bare feet... which is not nice. We live in Thailand and its the culture to take off shoes before entering houses. The birds will be happily walking about the room. Thankfully we have all tiles in the house, so no carpet to get messed up.

I though about adding more birds (as I only have one rooster and one hen now). But then I saw the posters photo of a small flock on her porch.. so don't think numbers in the reason!

I used to have about 20 birds.. but we had a serious outbreak of fowl cholera in our province and most people lost all their birds. I was lucky that my rooster survived. He was the first to get sick and nearly died, but recovered fully.

He was on his own for a few months.. because it was pointless to restock as the disease was still about, and I was really upset about my birds deaths, because I had had many of them for nearly 10 years and they were pets.

During this time he got super friendly with our smallest dog and would follow her around everywhere. The both sat outside the front door together most of the day, and he would try to follow her into the house when I let her in for the night. He also got super tame with us... even though we did nothing to encourage it. In fact we got more of a welcome off him when we came home, than we did from the dogs. He would come running down the driveway to greet us, beating his wings, and escort us back to the house.

So, thinking about it more, this might be the reason they are like this.. because he thinks we are his flock. The new hen was really scared of us at first, but now she is as bold as the rooster (although she will not let us get near her to pick her up or hand feed her). The rooster is easy to pick up and 'throw' outside, and then she flies after him.

I am going to ask a friend to make us a small chicken tractor with a house attached. Then I can keep them in there and move them around the garden... and only let them out when I am in the garden to keep an eye on them.

 

[N F C]

"So, thinking about it more, this might be the reason they are like this.. because he thinks we are his flock."

I think that explains the behavior very well. Good idea on the tractor and small house for them. Maybe somewhere down the road you can add several more ladies and he won't have time to be in the house, he'll be too busy with his girls.

 

[RNPAULIE69]

mine love my little back porch lol

 

[jak2002003]

View attachment 1243966mine love my little back porch lol

You have very cute hens there. I really like the golden colour one.. she is very beautiful. My hen is like that but a bantam and has a black tail. The rooster is very colourful. I will try to get some photos on here later today.

I decided not to add any more hens. The seem a happy couple, and he does not harass her. She is in perfect feather condition.. in fact I think she is the boss of him.. she has him searching for insects for her and then snatches them off him very rudely!

 

[ChickNanny13]

I had the same "problem" .... My brooder is in the patio which is outside out sliding glass door. So all that I ever raised hung out in the patio after foraging, yes poop all over & several hours a day picking poop. This has been going since 2013, last year I got some 8wks olds that spent a few weeks in the brooder but I did not allow them to roam the patio, they were confined to a mobile run during the day. Then moved into their Enclosure & confined I miss having chickens roaming the yard/patio but I don't miss having to clean the patio several times a day