Need to keep chickens away...

[CityBredCountry]

We have 32 open/free range chickens. We pin them up at night and let them out to roam free in the yard during the day. The problem that I am running into is that they are coming up onto the porch and pooping everywhere (as expected) but now the poo is getting dragged into the house. Is there something (spray or plant) that we can put down to keep them off the porch and steps?

 

[Kelsie2290]

There is no real way to boundary train a chicken. You pretty much have to fence them either in or out. You might look into electric poultry netting, it is movable.
Some people have had luck with motion activated sprinklers in flower beds if set exactly right, don't know if that would work with a porch... but some hens eventually don't care if they get wet either.

 

[mtngirl35]

Maybe you could try making another spot more desirable. Try putting treats, water, and a shady spot as far from the porch as possible. Short of screening the porch that's the only thing I can think of.

 

[centrarchid]

Do you have any patches of vegetation around?

 

[CityBredCountry]

Thank you all.
I do feed them near their coop, it's more of a treat that they get as they graze all day long in the grass.
@centrarchid : We do have have a 1x8 acre area. 2 of it is cleared with vegetation around the border, but nothing like that around the porch.

I may be stuck to washing the porch down daily. Would they learn if I shooed them away each time they come up?

 

[torilovessmiles]

I would just screen in your porch. It's a pretty simple and safe one-day project, and can also help to keep bugs from bothering you and flying in the house. It's not very expensive to do, depending on the size of your porch

 

[aart]

You could squirt them with the hose when they come near the porch..eventually they'll get the idea not to come there.

 

[goodhappens]

I found putting up a large blanket worked best, it blew in the wind and scared them, havent had it up for a few days and the havent come back up yet. Fingers crossed

 

[centrarchid]

What I do is place a feeding station in a good cover patch well away from porch. If cover patch comparable to porch with respect view is provides and has predictable supply of eats and possibly a place for dust bathing,,then the loafing may shift away from porch.