Coop and advice

[Pumphrey]

I need some help. I am adopting a chicken who got her leg broken by a horse. She just had surgery 2 days ago and has pins in her leg. I work for the vet who operated on her. I have an 8x10 dog run and am wondering what to put on the bottom for substrate? Do you rake every day to clean the poop or what is the best way to keep it clean. I can't let her free range because we have hawks in our neighborhood. She also has stick fleas which are being treated ( bad infestation) so I want to make sure she does not contaminate my yard. How can you tell when they are all gone. They don't seem to fall off when they are dead. Thanks for any advice.

 

[3KillerBs]

You can use any dry organic material for bedding/litter in the coop/run.

Straw, wood chips, wood shavings, pine straw, shredded paper, wood pellets made for horse stalls, dry leaves, or whatever is locally abundant and affordable.

If you're concerned about parasite contamination you could plan on burning the bedding after the treatment is complete.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

I need some help. I am adopting a chicken who got her leg broken by a horse. She just had surgery 2 days ago and has pins in her leg. I work for the vet who operated on her. I have an 8x10 dog run and am wondering what to put on the bottom for substrate? Do you rake every day to clean the poop or what is the best way to keep it clean. I can't let her free range because we have hawks in our neighborhood. She also has stick fleas which are being treated ( bad infestation) so I want to make sure she does not contaminate my yard. How can you tell when they are all gone. They don't seem to fall off when they are dead. Thanks for any advice.

What do you have for her to roost at night? Can you get another chicken or two to keep her company? They are social animals and do not do well all alone.

I don't have anything on the floor of our run - just bare dirt. (It was grass once, long ago... LOL). The manure breaks down in the sun and rain and is not a problem - but then we have a very large run. Most folks use wood chips, mulch, leaves, etc... but some also use sand that can be raked clean. Your girl will also need access to the dirt for dust bathing, or provide her something for this purpose if you choose to cover the run floor.

 

[Pumphrey]

What do you have for her to roost at night? Can you get another chicken or two to keep her company? They are social animals and do not do well all alone.

I don't have anything on the floor of our run - just bare dirt. (It was grass once, long ago... LOL). The manure breaks down in the sun and rain and is not a problem - but then we have a very large run. Most folks use wood chips, mulch, leaves, etc... but some also use sand that can be raked clean. Your girl will also need access to the dirt for dust bathing, or provide her something for this purpose if you choose to cover the run floor.

 

[Pumphrey]

Thank you for your advice. I would like to put her on dirt but want to make sure the fleas are dead and gone first

You can use any dry organic material for bedding/litter in the coop/run.

Straw, wood chips, wood shavings, pine straw, shredded paper, wood pellets made for horse stalls, dry leaves, or whatever is locally abundant and affordable.

If you're concerned about parasite contamination you could plan on burning the bedding after the treatment is complete.

 

[Pumphrey]

I have a horse and use wood chips for her. There is another chicken there that needs to be rescued so I will probably have her too. She is the worse of the two with the fleas. I like your idea about burning the bedding.

 

[Pumphrey]

Thank you for your advice. I would like to put her on dirt but want to make sure the fleas are dead and gone first

 

[Pumphrey]

What do you have for her to roost at night? Can you get another chicken or two to keep her company? They are social animals and do not do well all alone.

I don't have anything on the floor of our run - just bare dirt. (It was grass once, long ago... LOL). The manure breaks down in the sun and rain and is not a problem - but then we have a very large run. Most folks use wood chips, mulch, leaves, etc... but some also use sand that can be raked clean. Your girl will also need access to the dirt for dust bathing, or provide her something for this purpose if you choose to cover the run floor.