Free range poop control

[zanre5]

My first set if birds started in our kitchen. They were transported in and out for a while until it was warm enough. Our new ones never lived in our house. The original birds peck the sliding door when they are hungry, eat the dog food on the porch and make a nasty mess all over the porch and sidewalk. I've never seem the newbies in the front yard yet. Can I train them out of porch pottying?

 

[redsoxs]

Short answer....no. I don't think anything short of a fence (or keeping them cooped) will keep them for going wherever they want. Sorry.

 

[centrarchid]

You can get them to range elsewhere if you have enough acreage with adequate distance from porch. Having cover in some of the more distant are will help as well. Otherwise you shall continue to step in deep doodoo.

 

[zanre5]

There is plenty of room. They just want handouts from my kitchen. I'm hoping they will forget if I stop throwing scraps out from the kitchen and only scrap them in their coop.

 

[centrarchid]

There is plenty of room. They just want handouts from my kitchen. I'm hoping they will forget if I stop throwing scraps out from the kitchen and only scrap them in their coop.

How much distance do you have available to get them to move. Couple hundred minimum required.

 

[zanre5]

We live on 5 1/2 acres. About 3 of it is hilly and wooden so they don't go there a lot, but some. The rest is fair game.

 

[4 the Birds]

My first set if birds started in our kitchen. They were transported in and out for a while until it was warm enough. Our new ones never lived in our house. The original birds peck the sliding door when they are hungry, eat the dog food on the porch and make a nasty mess all over the porch and sidewalk. I've never seem the newbies in the front yard yet. Can I train them out of porch pottying?

No way would I let our chickens free range up around the house, on the porch, sidewalk, etc.... I would create a fenced area so that they can free range but away from areas that you don't want poop and don't mind plants/grass scratched to dirt. I also would never have chickens in the house! Baby chicks are ok in an inside brooder for a few weeks but as they get big the dust will fly! Just my 2 cents worth.

 

[zanre5]

Oh. They were babies in a confined "cage".

 

[Mickey Lou 04]

I don't know how to break it but depending on whether your in a drought turn on a sprinkler, it'll wash away the poop and it might be worth a try to see if they'll go through the sprinklers. Maybe they'll give up coming to the door.

 

[Zaxby's2]

Try searching "keeping chickens away from patio" on here. It has a lot of ideas but the main thing you need to know is never feed them anywhere close to where you don't want them to be. Keep things like dog food out of reach. Be consistent with shooing them away from your porch/sidewalk. Keep them penned up if you won't be there to shoo them and they haven't stopped coming back. You should have a lot less messes this way good luck