chickens under cool dark porch & worms

[jenfarsh]

Hi, I have 7 (2yr old) hens & 2 (4mth) mallards. I just found a roundworm (I think) in one (chook) hens droppings. I just finished giving all chooks valbazen.

I have a 10x10 deck attatched to my house. It is 2' high, and under is red clay dirt, dark, moist and never sees sunlight. It gets hot in SC and the birds escape heat and hawks under there. Plus they like to be ready when I open the door to deliver BOSS or cat food scraps!

Now my question is: Will the soil under the deck be just a perfect moist/dark environment for the worm eggs to fester? No sunlight gets under there and I understand sunlight kills the worm eggs. OR, is the de-worming sufficient and not to worry about the soil under the deck?

I could block them from entering this most loved hiding spot... but is it necessary?

They will be so confused if I block this area... they have been hiding under there (in the heat of the day) for close to 2 years now.

They do have a 1/2 acre yard to free range all day. There is ample hiding areas, grass, shade, wooded areas. But this one spot is just the most favored.

My wooded area was the original hiding spot until a hawk swooped down through the trees, landed on the grass and then ran toward them. I was there and chased it away. So they are not fooled by the protection of trees anymore. That is when they discovered the deck.

Any help would be great! Thanks so much... Jen

 

[ivan3]

Rake in about 1/4" of dolomitic limestone (garden lime/not hydrated or slaked lime) and then add 2-3" of large grained sand. Also, on hot, humid days, set up a cheap,, adustable speed, box fan (so that it moves the air under deck). we just use nylon cord to welded wire fencing and run through fan handle. Just use eye hook screwed into deck. The sand (lot of surface area) and the air moving over, between, grains will get it and keep it pretty dry (depending on grade of soil under deck).

Our house is built on an old stone foundation, the chooks like to get under deck and press against those stones on very hot days. They will also gather directly in front of fan (just for the moving air).