Hi!! How can I discourage my chickens from pooping on my deck?! Not a big deal, but less poop would

[unioncampfarm]

After months of reading stuff on this site I finally joined! Ok, so the addiction started with 3 serama roosters someone gave to my young kids last November. My family and I now have 24 birds total. Buff Orphingtons, Ameracaunas, Silver Phoenix, Sweetgrass Turkeys and the original Seramas. They lay eggs for us, eat bugs out of our gardens and pastures and we eat the extra roosters. Until the 'day' arrives we do treat them as pets-so they get treats, get petted on and picked up (including the roos). Everybody except the Seramas run totally free range and go into their coop only at night or when they feel the need to poop inside.
So... they wait for us outside on the deck where the BBQ is (kinda creepy if you think about what we're cooking) and beyond that is where we park, so I'm tripping over overzealously friendly chickens while carrying little kids/groceries etc. Is there anything I can do other than sweep the deck daily? I realize this behavior is probably totally ingrained at this point. They even perch on the window sills and talk to whoever is in the farm office on the first floor! It's cute, but the poop isn't. Any advice is appreciated & if it can't be fixed, sweeping the deck off will just stay on the kids' chore list.

 

[liz9910]

Welcome to BYC! Unfortunately I don't think you can train chickens, you can try fencing off the deck/areas you don't want them to be in or you may need to build a big run for them and keep them locked up good luck to you.

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome to BYC! Agree it is going to be pretty hard to train the chickens to just stay off the deck permanently. Fencing off the deck is probably the easiest option. I have heard of using motion activated sprinklers, that might be something to try, though that maybe as much of a nuisance as the chicken poop.

 

[sumi]

Welcome to BYC

Glad you joined us! The only way to keep the poop off the deck would be to keep the chickens off the deck

 

[All Henned Up]

Welcome and enjoy!
Steve.

 

[drumstick diva]

If you give them treats near the deck, that may be why they congregate there. If so, give them their treats only in an area far away from your deck, so there is one major reason not to lie in wait for you. Good luck.

 

[Teri Metcalf]

Greetings from Texas! Give it up and call it your poop deck. We hose ours off when we're expecting company. Otherwise we figure it just comes with the territory--chicken poop for the soul.

 

[unioncampfarm]

Haha! Thanks all for your guidance. I've figured it just comes along with the territory at this point. Although the sprinklers would be pretty funny, but I think it'd probably scare off my littlest kids too. Unfortunately the deck is already enclosed in the yard's picket fence, but on the funnier side, my husband is in the navy so perhaps we'll just call it the 'poop deck' like one of you suggested.

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC!