Poopin' in the coop

[suderm]

My pullets are in a new home, is it safe to say they are pooping in the coop because they are unsure of their new home? Or am I not offering them somewhere else to go? They have the pine shavings in the coop and an enclosed run otherwise. Will they get in a habit of going outside the coop (for the most part?)

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello and welcome to BYC!

If you just brought these birds home or just moved them out to the coop (within the past few days) and they are still getting used to your coop and area, yes, they are going to hang out in the coop for safety reasons at first. It takes them a while to get brave enough to be outside more and will at some point only go into the coop for laying and sleeping. But for now, they are feeling out their new home and territory and are spending more time in the coop where they feel safe. Give them time, pretty soon they prefer to always be outside!

Enjoy your birds!

 

[junebuggena]

Chickens fill their crop at night with food before they go into the coop for the night. While they are sleeping, all that food they ate is getting digested, which leads to a lot of poop. This is normal. Chickens produce most of their poop at night, while they sleep. That means the coop will always have poop in it. ALWAYS. This is part of having chickens. And chickens poop where ever they feel like they need to. They don't hold it in till they are in a particular spot.

 

[IAMSWUTIMS]

Mine poop everywhere. In the coop, on the coop, on the sidewalk, in the garage......

 

[suderm]

Thanks everyone! I assumed it was just going to be a constant cleaning thing in there.

 

[TwoCrows]

Thanks everyone! I assumed it was just going to be a constant cleaning thing in there.

It will be first thing in the morning, but if you let them out during the day, they will spend much of their time outside and won't venture into the coop much. Once they are used to going outside and aren't afraid to leave for long, make sure to keep food and water outside. Chickens won't go into the coop looking for water or food, at least they will avoid going through the trouble.

 

[ChickenMammX4]

Chickens poop everywhere. They aren't like dogs that won't poop where they sleep, in fact, most of the poop will be concentrated under the roost where they sleep. We have a poopboard filled with PDZ under the roost to catch the poop, making clean up fast and easy. We then sift it out and throw it on the compost.