UGH! Pullets POO In Water! Ideas?

[Astrid]

Hi there,
I've got six pullets, hatched August 2, who are separated from the three two year old hens by a wire x-pen. They have a separate door to a separate outdoor run, their own feeder and waterer and a lovely roost, yet they INSIST on piling up together against the x-pen to sleep. Now that they've gotten bigger, I've caught them roosting on top of the waterer and one on top of the feeder. Of course, they poop all in the water and food! I cannot keep dumping all this food and water!

Any ideas on how to discourage them from roosting on the feeder and water, and encourage them to roost on the ROOST?!

Thanks so much for any ideas!

astrid

 

[nivtup]

Is the roost higher than the top of the feeder and waterer?

It needs to be if not.

Other than that, I dont know........

 

[Astrid]

It is higher. Here's a picture. The feeder and waterer sit in front of this, up on a cement block so they don't fall. There are deep shavings on the floor; this was when we were building the coop. The hens are on the other side of the coop, separated from the babies and roost on a wide shelf that was there (our coop is a separate room in our old carriage barn.) I'd say the horizontal bracing to which the 2x4's are attached is 3 feet off the ground.

 

[nivtup]

Do you ever see them on the roost or the ladder?

 

[so lucky]

If your feeder and waterer have flat round tops, you could get a funnel to duct-tape to the top. They can't perch on the top of the funnel. I did this for mine, when they were young and using a small plastic waterer and feeder. But I think you can get some pretty big funnels....

 

[lclough1998]

You might try going in after they go to bed and move them onto the roost, may have to do it several nights in a row.

 

[CapricornFarm]

Does your waterer have a flat top? If so, cut the bottom out of a plastic milk jug, place the jug over the top of the waterer, they will be unable to roost on it. ;-)

 

[SteveBaz]

I put my feeder inside a pan that makes it hard to poo in it because they have to hang on the edge with tails out and a water unit that does not allow for perching

 

[wyododge]

Quote:
I made dunce caps out of wire fabric and cellophane. My wife named them after the inventor... You can see pics on my page. They actually work very well and were very cheap. Any material would work. You could even use cardboard or heavy grade paper.

 

[allpeepedout]

For such a small number of birds like yours, I simply water out of an 8-qt plastic bucket, filled to brim, placed right up against a wall. Much easier to clean and refill than my fancy plastic waterer.

Because it's against a wall, chickens don't have much room to roost on it, and when they do, their hind end hangs outside bucket. Only once have I had poo in bucket. Does need daily dumping/refill and water level must be kept high, of course.