Needing advice on maintenance in a chicken run

[Boise-girls]

I saw that you have a problem with mites and flies. I picked up this stuff from my local farm animal supply store and let me tell you, TOTALLY worth the money. I sprayed it around the coop, windows and door frames, and in any nooks where mites like to hide. I haven’t seen a fly, bug, spider, anything of that sort since i sprayed.

Thanks! If the stuff I'm using now doesn't do the job, I'll check that out!

 

[CKfarm22]

Thanks! If the stuff I'm using now doesn't do the job, I'll check that out!

You can also spray this stuff on the chickens also, i didn’t do that because i felt it was necessary. But i really recommend it. They also have a powder that you can spread in the litter of the coop but i don’t know how much that does. I hope it works out for you and you can get rid of those mites!

 

[Boise-girls]

You can also spray this stuff on the chickens also, i didn’t do that because i felt it was necessary. But i really recommend it. They also have a powder that you can spread in the litter of the coop but i don’t know how much that does. I hope it works out for you and you can get rid of those mites!

Thanks! Only one of them seems to be bothered, but of course, everyone has to be treated, along with the coop. They probably have nightmares about getting grabbed off the roost from a sound sleep and getting crap put on them!

 

[CKfarm22]

Thanks! Only one of them seems to be bothered, but of course, everyone has to be treated, along with the coop. They probably have nightmares about getting grabbed off the roost from a sound sleep and getting crap put on them!

Haha I know i would have nightmares. You can also dry dust baths if you haven’t already. This stuff you can just spray on them and hopefully you wouldn’t have to grab them off the roosts at night!

 

[3KillerBs]

I had seen other replies saying they use wood chips but i feel that would be way too much work to replace.

The thing with wood chips in the run is that you don't have to replace them as often as other materials -- every 6 months to several years maybe depending on your climate, chicken density, and other circumstances because you're not replacing them due to being dirty but due to them having composted down as they react with the manure.

Different people have different views on doing chores. I personally think of that "Only 10 minutes" of daily cleaning many people talk about as a nightmare chore -- one of those neverending, never actually accomplished, have to do it no matter what you feel like, how bad the weather is, or what else is going on in your life horror chores.

My preference is to have one big job that I can schedule for favorable weather on a day off. As I said in the article I linked earlier, it took less than an hour and I was good for another 3 months. Raking up pine straw to add to the run takes an hour or so every couple weeks -- with a larger effort when the needles are falling and I have to clear the driveway anyway.^

When I move the chickens from this pen to the Chicken Palace I will enlist my sons for extra help and spend several hours spreading the litter on my garden area. Moving gorilla carts of wood chips in as they destroy the grass will be a 15 minute job once a week until it's well established then I'll have long periods where no maintenance will be required at all.

BUT, just like I find "Only 10 minutes a day" horrible to contemplate, others find that big, hour-long job a nightmare task and prefer the small daily chore. It's a matter of personal style and preference.

^I do most of the yardwork because DH is a landscape and maintenance guy at work so it's not fair to ask him to come home and do more mowing.

 

[Boise-girls]

I'm definitely an "only 10 mins a day" gal. Those big jobs bring out my inner procrastinator!

 

[3KillerBs]

I'm definitely an "only 10 mins a day" gal. Those big jobs bring out my inner procrastinator!

It's all a matter of personality. I have a great dread of those daily chores that you never can actually call finished because as soon as you've done them they need to be done AGAIN. I frustrates me no end so I'm not adding chicken chores to the daily list of futile tasks.