Ashtyn Claire
In the Brooder
- Jul 6, 2017
- 8
- 2
- 19
My name is Ashtyn, and I recently signed up with BYC to ensure that I am providing the best care possible to my sweet Rhode Island Reds, Blue Laced Red Wyandottes, Black Shumens, and my Leghorn..... AND, I need some serious advice on the following!!!
1) My hens are free-range (I coop them at night) so they roam where they please, but their nesting boxes remain a mess!! I never experienced this issue with my previous round of hens, so it lead me to ask this publicly. Does anyone else have this problem? I have tried several alternatives to nesting boxes themselves, I started with straw then quickly realized I should move to wood chips and I have found no difference in the way they mess in their nesting boxes and eggs. I clean out their coop area frequently (at the minimum of once a week), and on other forums I have read that would alleviate their predisposition to mess in their nests, but have found no relief there either. Next, I read that simple turf layered boxes should help (but no information as to why), lastly, I heard that larger coops would make a difference... But neither of these options are money friendly so I decided to turn to my BYC friends before making any major changes or investments.
2) Next, I love my hens to death. They are very much my pets, they run to me when I call them, they meet me at my jeep door everyday when I come home, and I even paint their nails often
. BUT, I am still in school so I am living at home, and my dad isn't as big of a fan of them as I am.. So, I run into a few problems. The biggest being, HOW CAN I KEEP THEM OUT OF THE FLOWER BED? We live on a big wooded property and their coop is no where near the front of the house, yet everyday they mosey on up to the front and eat off the flower buds and dust themselves in the mulch. Is there any suggestions as to how to keep them away from the area? The problem begins when we are not home, so no way to run them off.
HELP PLEASE!!
Thank you all so much!
Ashtyn Claire
1) My hens are free-range (I coop them at night) so they roam where they please, but their nesting boxes remain a mess!! I never experienced this issue with my previous round of hens, so it lead me to ask this publicly. Does anyone else have this problem? I have tried several alternatives to nesting boxes themselves, I started with straw then quickly realized I should move to wood chips and I have found no difference in the way they mess in their nesting boxes and eggs. I clean out their coop area frequently (at the minimum of once a week), and on other forums I have read that would alleviate their predisposition to mess in their nests, but have found no relief there either. Next, I read that simple turf layered boxes should help (but no information as to why), lastly, I heard that larger coops would make a difference... But neither of these options are money friendly so I decided to turn to my BYC friends before making any major changes or investments.
2) Next, I love my hens to death. They are very much my pets, they run to me when I call them, they meet me at my jeep door everyday when I come home, and I even paint their nails often
. BUT, I am still in school so I am living at home, and my dad isn't as big of a fan of them as I am.. So, I run into a few problems. The biggest being, HOW CAN I KEEP THEM OUT OF THE FLOWER BED? We live on a big wooded property and their coop is no where near the front of the house, yet everyday they mosey on up to the front and eat off the flower buds and dust themselves in the mulch. Is there any suggestions as to how to keep them away from the area? The problem begins when we are not home, so no way to run them off.HELP PLEASE!!
Thank you all so much!
Last edited:
Welome to BYC.
Ashtyn
