Outdoor Run Maintenance - Preventing Coccidiosis

[Goober9]

Hello BYC Community,
I have 4 lovely ladies, about 12 wks old today actually. They live in a very nice sized coop within a fenced in pen. See pic. The pen is about 68ft in circumference (21ft diameter). The ladies free range in the pen area daily from 7am to 8pm. Naturally, the grassy pen area gets pretty poopy. Should I be attempting to disintegrate the poop using a garden hose once or twice a week? I’m concerned all that poop will lead to coccidiosis but perhaps I’m being paranoid. I live in North Carolina, and it doesn’t rain all that often so the grass stays quite dry unless I personally water it.

The run inside the coop is always nice and dry. Their feed is always dry. Their henhouse inside the coop is also always nice and dry and well ventilated.

Thanks for your opinions.

 

[NatJ]

Coccidiosis likes moist conditions. So leaving the poop dry would actually be safer than trying to wash it away with a hose.

In general, chickens develop some immunity to the strains of coccidiosis present on your property. They do this through regular exposure to small amounts. They have problems when there is a giant amount at once, especially if it is their first exposure. So if they are not already having trouble, they may be well on their way to developing the immunity they need to stay healthy even when conditions do change (such as rain makes it wetter.)

You could keep corid on hand, so if you ever do see symptoms you are prepared to treat them. It might be worth it for the peace of mind even if you never do have to use it, and of course if you do need it, you'll be glad you have it.

I think you are probably worrying more than you need to. But I have no personal knowledge of that area, so if there is something else to consider, hopefully someone local to you will chime in to say so.

 

[townchicks]

Go ahead and water your grass, enjoy it while it lasts! If you feel there is too much poop, you can rake it up while it is dry. Yes, coccidia proliferate in moist conditions, but hosing down that area is not going to be a problem. Coccidiosis develops when there is an overload of Coccidia in the chickens intestinal tract, before the chicken has developed resistance to them, via the immune system. Your girls have already been exposed to what is in your soil, and have had time to develop resistance. My hens go out in the winter when there are puddles on the ground, and literally drink from those, without problems.