Cleaning chicken poop off the brick paving by the back door

[margaretanne]

Having free range chickens is great, but they love to hang around on the patio and poo all over the brick paving by the back door.
What is the easiest way to clean this glorious mess which they have left me?
Margaret

 

[chikkenfriend]

Oh Lord, yes! What a glorious mess! I'd like to know if there is an easier way too!

Don't want to use chemicals and I don't own a power washer. My solution therefore is to go back to basics. I soak it down with the hose, sprinkle a layer of baking soda and scrub with an acid brush on a long handle. (Brush and handle we're $10 at Home Depot)

And wouldn't you know it, the front patio is their favorite hangout. Luckily my patios aren't too big.

 

[lazy gardener]

I would put up some deer netting around the patio to keep them off it.

 

[margaretanne]

I get the gist of what you are suggesting, but we don't have wild deer here in Australia. Perhaps bird netting would suffice?.... do chickens ruthlessly search for and slip through holes the way cats do?
We have a newly completed cattery. Yesterday there was a torrential downpour and now there are about 25-30 chicken poops on the cattery floor, where they obviously decided to seek refuge from the rain. AND they ate all the catfood while they were at it. I turned on the lights to feed the cats this evening and there was the rooster roosting on a stainless steel table in the middle of the cattery. I returned him to his pen with the hens. I obviously have a lot to learn about chickens.
Margaret

 

[lazy gardener]

Yeah, bird netting would work. The deer netting comes in a 7' x 100' roll, and i cut it in half to get 3.5 x 200'. Use light wt fiberglass poles woven through the fence to hold it up, attach clothes pins to the top, tent stakes as needed at the bottom. It's very light weight, but durable. The chickens get confused by it, try to go through it, then give up. Don't even think about flying over it for some reason. you could cut bird netting and do the same thing.

 

[margaretanne]

Thanks we appreciate your reply. We have about an eighth of an acre fenced off with cat fencing- 3m tall, pine posts,cat netting which fold over at the top for 2 feet. No cat has scaled it yet. It is a handy free range area for the chickens, but they share with the cats. The patio is set up with furniture and cat towers and soft bedding, so the cats need to be able to access it, whilst keeping the chickens out. A mesh that is hard would enable the cats to climb over, but keep the chickens out, then there is human traffic also.An I am not so keen to feed chickens premium catfood at $90 for 10Kg!!
Margaret

 

[trudyg]

I've needed a solution, too. Mine love to sit under the cars in the carport, so many poops! You would think they would go in the tractor shed, but no they only dust bathe there. We get so many flies from this. I try to hose it off every night, but you can't get all of them. The dry ones flow right away, but some of the stinkers are really tough to get off, esp those really stinky ones. I've made wood frames covered w/ chicken wire to stop them coming onto the deck (easy to move so we can come and go). The bird/deer netting in those tomato stake poles will work, I think, and I can lash the poles to the carports poles.

 

[chikkenfriend]

I would put up some deer netting around the patio to keep them off it.

That's a good suggestion but garage door is there too. We're always bringing feed, water, garden tools... You know, stuff. Besides, it's fun to sit on the porch with chickens in my lap, on my shoulders... You know.

I get the gist of what you are suggesting, but we don't have wild deer here in Australia. Perhaps bird netting would suffice?.... do chickens ruthlessly search for and slip through holes the way cats do?
We have a newly completed cattery. Yesterday there was a torrential downpour and now there are about 25-30 chicken poops on the cattery floor, where they obviously decided to seek refuge from the rain. AND they ate all the catfood while they were at it. I turned on the lights to feed the cats this evening and there was the rooster roosting on a stainless steel table in the middle of the cattery. I returned him to his pen with the hens. I obviously have a lot to learn about chickens.
Margaret

Yes! My chickens get into and onto everything!!

Good cluck and happy chikkens, All!!