Keeping Chickens Off Back Porch

[Delta2 23]

Oh, trust me! That is something I have every day of the week! They seem to always find a hole out of their enclosure... and come right up to the door. I shoo them away with brooms, newspapers, anything - and they keep coming back, so mrsbros it doesn't discourage them.

 

[BitsyB]

I kind of like it when they hang out in front of the sliding glass door, they preen and nap there, and seem contented and relaxed. I think porches/decks= security to them.

Like some of the other posters, I have come to accept the "Poop Deck" as part of having chickens, and have a hose right there to wash the poop into the nearby garden bed (great fertilizer!)

 

[woodmort]

Tear off the porch!!

 

[eKo_birdies]

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lol i don't think it has much at all to do with there being a problem with comfort.

to the OP, the chickens like you and obviously know you are the hand that feeds them. they are quite the little beggars! i live on 40 acres and frequently have visitors pecking the sliding glass doors to say hello. they have every possible amusement they could need as well as their nutritional needs met, no health issues, great housing, adequate food and water, etc. so nothing "missing" there.

what i've found works is to get a super-soaker type squirt gun and pump up w/ a decent amount of pressure (obviously nothing outrageous) and after a few encounters they will scram when they see you coming just from the sight of that big squirt gun. just make sure if you have kids they don't get carried away lol

 

[eKo_birdies]

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lol of course! i don't know why i didn't think of that

 

[gryeyes]

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Same here, except I have a lot more than 3 chickens.... Oddly enough, I'm not all that bothered by the poo. I don't think they poop that much on the porch, actually. It could be because the porch isn't connected directly to the house, but is one big concrete step away from the back door. The chickens tend to hang out in the little dirt corridor between the house and the porch.

What few poops I do encounter on the porch, I either sweep away, or if I have stepped in some I just use the shoe/boot brush I keep just outside of the door. I use it all the time because I DO step in poop - and now, mud - all the time in the back yard.

What I find amazing is that the ducks are always billing the screen door open to sneak in and steal dog food or dabble in the dogs' water dish, and they have NEVER pooped in the kitchen/house! They do poop on that concrete step just outside of the screen door, though.

I highly recommend getting one of those boot brushes. They're invaluable!

 

[mrsbos]

Linda, I know they'd poop on the boot brush for sure....just because!
I have to vent about my dh, though. I looked out the sliding door today to see a bunch of cereal strewn across the patio. My husband admitted to throwing a bunch of cereal out the door for the chickens as treats.....right onto the patio! Of course, HE doesn't ever take the time to hose the patio off in the freezing cold twice a day like I feel I have to. Perhaps some day it won't phase me anymore. I am saddened, however, to think that the days of freely running around barefoot in the lush lawn are over for the kids and me. We've never had dogs or cats and I just can't get over how much poop there is everywhere now. Totally just love my chickens though, and couldn't imagine penning them up anywhere. They get the enjoyment of the whole yard! Hopefully the grass will be greener next summer for all of the extra fertilizer!

 

[parisplus3]

This sounds sooo mean, but I trained mine to stay off the porch by just telling them "to get down" (repeating many times) then squirted them with a squirt bottle. It worked well! But if I'm on the porch, NOTHING works. Just gotta love em!

 

[GammaPoppyLilyFlutter]

My chickens used to not be able to go on my patio. However, we soon realized that it was a lost cause.

 

[NHchicks]

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We never dare go outside without flipflops/shoes/boots. That's just the way it is now. However, our grass has never been greener and lusher.