Do coops really look like this

[Bleenie]

I'm with you.. I'll take the ducks.

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[WestKnollAmy]

Everyone may have their own way of doing things but if I am going to eat what comes out of the coop and a chickens' butt as well as the chickens themselves, I want it to all be as clean as possible.
I have over 600 chickens and ducks, most are penned and I would have a stroke if mine got that nasty.

If you are this concerned over this coop and run then I say Kudos! You will be a great chicken Mom!

 

[elmo]

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Well, there's dirt and there's manure, two quite different things. It is true that many chicken keepers keep their chickens in small enclosures without cleaning up their waste, but this can hardly be blamed on the chickens.

Every animal produces waste, and chickens are no different. When you keep any animal, it's good to develop a plan for waste management.

Our chickens are no dirtier than our dog, who is no dirtier than my husband, for that matter. I'm happy to keep all of 'em.

 

[gryeyes]

Right now, my coops and back yard look like this. It has been raining forever and I am easily tired, so I've just been keeping their feeders full. They're waterers are full of rainwater. (My flock ranges freely, only one chook imprisoned in a separate infirmary and I've kept her waterer and feeder full. Her Infirmary Coop is on the back porch.) I just collected 3 days worth of eggs from all the coops but the weather has been very cool and I haven't any broodies, so the eggs are probably as good as if they'd been setting on the kitchen counter. Well, except they are a bit muddy.

I am having a new coop built, mostly to take the place of the little grow out coops which have become permanent lodgings for various groups of the chickens. It will be so much easier to attend to TWO main coops, then, instead of 9, seven of which are quite small. Not quite sure how I will get everybody to move, and which smaller coops I will keep in use, yet.....

But yes, you can keep your coop and run much more clean than this, or not. Or have some lapses in cleaning frenzies. But chickens and rainy weather make for muddy runs. Laziness makes for unpleasant coop interiors.