Poopy butt?

[rebrascora]

I think it is a lot more likely that rats and mice will go for spilled food from the feeder or even target the feeder itself, jumping up onto it. The shells are mostly calcium and mice and rats have little use for that, especially if the shells have been rinsed and baked in the oven before serving up for the hens. I actually just air dry the shells but right from an early age I was taught to scrape every last bit of egg white out of egg shells when I cracked then, so there is next to no egg residue in my spent shells. If you don't rinse them or scrape them out with a finger like I do, then there will be protein that rodents may be attracted to.

 

[ShrekDawg]

If you attach the grit and or oyster shell bowls to the coop.... I use cable ties round the framework in one of the internal corners of the run, it is almost impossible for them to poop in it when it is tight into a corner and you can fasten it 10 or so inches off the bottom so that it doesn't get dirt scratched into it. I use empty yoghurt pots and have two that fit one inside the other snugly. Then I secure the outer one permanently with the cable ties and sit the other inside it, so that I can lift it out, clean and refill it as required. Drainage holes in the bottom of each pot are helpful if your run isn't covered.
That said, I also just throw a handful of grit and crushed egg shells down in some of my pens for them to scratch through and eat as needed, much like they would naturally scavenge for such things or for scratch. It is funny that we worry about it getting "dirty" in a container but less so when we throw it down in the dirt.... so it may be our human perception of dirt being bad when it's not really.

That's a good idea, thanks. And theyve been in their run like 2 years so its like a poopy dirt mixture especially when it rains and mixes and sticks all together

 

[rebrascora]

You might want to research the deep litter method. It sounds like your run soil may be getting sour and deep littering will help to improve it and give the chickens a more interesting surface to live on and make you some compost in the process. Basically, you turn your run into a compost pile. Layering up a 6+ inch depth of litter with different litter materials, like shredded wood chips from tree surgeons, straw, chopped hedge cuttings, weeds, fallen leaves, even shredded cardboard and lawn mowings. I throw in a few barrow loads of horse manure from my stables every once in a while... fresh stuff is fine or older stuff..... whatever you can get for free. All the waste litter and poop from your coop all goes in there too and you keep topping it up and either give it a bit of a rake every now or then or throw a little scratch down to encourage the chickens to stir it up. It helps to break up the hard packed surface with a fork or pick before you start putting the litter in. I'm still quite new to the process and you need to adjust the materials to suit your climate.... if it is wet you want more of the larger aggregate stuff like the shredded tree limbs to help drainage and keep it aerated. If dry, more moist stuff like grass or watering it a bit to help the composting process. You might want to do some research and see if it might be something you want to try. It is referred to as DLM or Deep Litter Method and people use it in the coop too depending on their floor surface.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Oh yeah, I already plan on using that in the new run, which they are moving to soon, but I just figured it wasn't possible on this one cause they've been on it two years and had such a mix of materials and it's so hard packed?

 

[Chullicken]

We also shock treat our well once a year or so. Hopefully, that takes care of any bad bacteria.

Use chemicals for that or? I've heard of it just not sure what it involves.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

Use chemicals for that or? I've heard of it just not sure what it involves.

What I do is pour a gallon of bleach around the well casing. Then you flush it out by running all of the faucets, indoor and out. It takes about 2 hours.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

Use chemicals for that or? I've heard of it just not sure what it involves.

They do have pellets you can buy too, but then you dissolve them in water and they are essentially bleach. I was doing that for awhile, then my MIL told me all she used was the bleach.

 

[Rietta]

A bit late, but... I was searching threads for the same problem.. Anyhow, I raise rabbits and I decided to use rabbit feeders as grit and oyster dispensers for the chickens.. hung them on the fence about chest height. They do on occasion knock some out looking for the perfect piece, but they do not poop in em

 

[ShrekDawg]

A bit late, but... I was searching threads for the same problem.. Anyhow, I raise rabbits and I decided to use rabbit feeders as grit and oyster dispensers for the chickens.. hung them on the fence about chest height. They do on occasion knock some out looking for the perfect piece, but they do not poop in em

That’s a great idea!! I might have to do that. I currently just have a double bowl on the ground on some cinder blocks but they always get poop and/or dirt in it and it’s not under cover so gets rain and snow and stuff in it too. May have to go with that rabbit feeder idea and put it under the covered part of the run. Thanks for the suggestion!