Tired of cleaning up poop

[Kittyf]

I think you should rehome the turkey asap - Craig's List is an excellent resource for that as Jeapa mentioned. I know there's someone out there who would love another turkey.

The chickens, depending on how many you have and with a well-designed coop and a suffucient fenced run should be fine with good weekly cleanings. We have 6 and really enjoy them. Yes, I must feed, water and watch out for them daily, but they bring me lots of satisfaction, amusement, joy and eggs. What's not to love? But if you truly don't want them, by all means try Craig's list for them, too.

You must want them, or it just won't work for you. There's no shame in admitting that it just wasn't what you thought it would be. Now you just need to change things so you and the birds can all be happy.

Kate

 

[Aschenfire]

Wow... Yes, please place an ad on Craigslist for these birds. You were not in any way prepared for them and they are just doing what chickens (and turkeys) do. They deserve to be in a place where they will be welcome, and even if someone takes them for a Sunday dinner, they will be appreciated.

 

[Nicole01]

The chickens are a lot of work, but easy work. I'm disabled after breaking my neck, but I still can walk a few hundred feet at a time. The coop and pen/run need to be cleaned often, I clean 2-3 times a day when needed, especially first thing in the morning. The poop builds up an ammonia and will make them sick, especially if there is not enough ventilation.

I free range mine too, but to eat grass, bugs, worms and especially clovers. They get to stretch their legs and stop feather picking each other. We spent over 1000 just on our run. We were expecting to spend 100! Huge sticker shock. Our coop was cheaper since its a big room in our garage using particle board. Here's our run. It has both welded wire and hardware cloth, a steel roof and side panel to keep the sun, wind, snow and rain out. We were not expecting this cost seriously! We cover the open parts in plastic in the winter and we put a heater inside the coop. It must be cleaned at least 2 times a day since mine don't like snow.

Our free range door before we made the upgrades

I spay all the poop into the ground 2-3 times a day when I'm taking the dogs outside. Next year we are starting to build a fence around our entire 4 acre property. In our heavily wooded area we will most likely use free fencing posted on Craigslist even if it's a different color then the front. There are hundreds of ads for free chain link fencing. This will keep stray dogs out and our chickens in.

There is nothing wrong with rehoming or even eating the turkey or chickens in that matter. I have one I'm culling next weekend for Saturdays dinner. We will process her in the morning and eat her for dinner, I'll probably put her in a brine for a few hours. She doesn't give us eggs, plus I keep adding to my flock like crazy.

Once your on top of the poop cleaning it's not so bad. However, fowl is not for everyone. I have to keep my flock on my property at all times! My neighbors hate my chickens. They love the eggs, but they still can not stand the sight of chickens even in my own yard.

 

[Mattemma]

I got tired of poop on the drivweway and I fenced off the chickens with some plastic fence,bamboo poles,and zip ties.Works great.

 

[ButchGood]

I went Knee deep in some turkey poop on my porch this weekend.

They have the biggest, greasiest stuff Ive ever seen. I don't think they can take two steps without taking a potty break. But I love my turkeys and my chickens. I have a concrete porch and a hose end sprayer. The stuff just disappears with a stream of water. Sometimes I'll walk around the yard around the porch and spray it into the grass. Its getting pretty green around the porch. Plenty of water and fertilizer in that area, and green grass is something special in Central Texas in the summer.

 

[Indigosands]

How do you mean too expensive for fencing? I bought a giant roll of stucco wire (same as chicken wire) at home depot for $40 and used t-posts though you could certainly use scrap wood for the posts. Staple it on. I keep my chickens at least partly as pets. So I don't mind having to rake a little poo out of the garden. It's not everyone's cup o tea. So treat them more like livestock and keep them contained in a proper pen. The deep litter bedding method might be the answer for you if you cringe at the thought of raking poo. Simply use a pitchfork to turn the wood mulch and it all composts down without smell. Also keep in mind that lots of people keep just 2-3 hens and are completely satisfied with that. Maybe that's all your family wants or needs.