As the weather gets cooler it seems that the poop is not going away naturally as well as it did when it was warmer. Maybe I am dreaming, but it seems that way. The chickens free range in my whole back yard. There are five of them. Is it going to get worse this winter and if so what practical steps are there to address this on a entire yard level. Thanks
No things don't break down or compost in cold. Since freezing is 4months out of the year here nothing except large compost piles breaks down. How big of area? It shouldn't really be noticeable if they are wandering a whole yard. If they are in a run most end up putting something like sand down because the chickens kill the grass and turn it into a mud hole come warm weather again.
To some extent, precipitation will wash it into the soil and spread it out. But to a large extent, yeah, poo just sits there til the grass starts growing in Spring and the insects really get back into gear. The problem is even worse with large livestock but even dogs in the backyard will cause similar effects. I would suggest that you get used to having chicken poo strewn around the yard for the next while In some climates hosing (to spread it out, as much as anything) might be an option, and you can use a shovel to get it off walkways etc, but largely you just have to wait til Springtime. Or put the chickens in a run for the winter, probably with some straw or whatever that you change periodically (or at least when there's a warm wet spell, b/c boy will it start to stink). Good luck, have fun, Pat