Washingtonians

[Sudsy Chick]

I love Mama Fancy's name

Adore the blue chicks, too!

 

[FirewifeJess]

I pick up every single day - and I still get complaints from the hubby and kids. But they don't complain when they're eating the eggs!

Sectioning off a portion of the yard or keeping them confined to the run is the only way you're going to keep poop-free zones.

I think I'm just going to have to pick up more. I don't want them confined more than half the time, I think it's mean!

 

[itsren]

Interesting article on why NOT to use misters!
http://www.ourlittlecoop.com/2012/07/maybe-just-smart-chickens-dont-like.html

Must be why my chickens seemed so pleased that my children broke the sprinkler yesterday.

 

[FirewifeJess]

Quote:

 

[Chicken Rustler]

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Do yours ever free range? Are they always in the run? How many s/f does each bird have in there? Just wondering if mine would try to kill each other if I left them in there almost full time. I know DH is ****** but the birds just seem SO much happier free ranging that I hate leaving them in the run longer than a couple hours in the morning. Plus, in this heat the run really gets hot, though a fan has somewhat remedied that the last couple days, for the newbies who have stayed in there. TIA.
I have 3 coop/runs. One is 806sf with 24 LF. Then one is 816sf with 5 B Am and the last one is 887sf with 5 B Fav. They all get along just fine. The 2 B pens are big enough that I actually have to mow them or they turn into a jungle and I loose the birds.

 

[FirewifeJess]

I have 3 coop/runs. One is 806sf with 24 LF. Then one is 816sf with 5 B Am and the last one is 887sf with 5 B Fav. They all get along just fine. The 2 B pens are big enough that I actually have to mow them or they turn into a jungle and I loose the birds.

That's no help at all! How about us NORMAL backyard chicken folks who don't have AMAZING stuff?!

Wanna trade me? I'm sure you could do so much with my place...

 

[itsren]

Jess, it was great to see you today. Thanks for inviting me.

OK question for y'all: How do you keep your patios and immediate backyard areas reasonably clean from poo? My DH is getting ticked off that "We can't use the backyard it's so gross!" **insert terribly whine here** I hose off the patio daily (or twice daily), I flick all the solid poops I can see into a little can with a spatula, I scoop all the poop out of the sandy run, and I scoop all the poop out of the coop poop shelf. I don't know what else to do. Is he just going to have to get over it? Do all chicken owners have chicken poop problems all over the yard? **sigh**

I do, but I have a small yard (and only 3 chickens to clean up after, which is pretty easy). I have to keep the place clean for my kids to roll around the grass. I'm not so worried about the flower beds, because no one usually walks there. On the grass, my kids don't watch where they are walking and spend just about as much time rolling on the grass than they do walking on it. Yesterday Bryan told DH... "Dad, the chickens must not be pooping because I only found one poop today!" LOL! He didn't see me go out there in the morning, clean up and hose off the grass before they went out to play. I also clean up the patio.

If I had a place as large as yours, I'd probably designate an area close to the house as a "poop free" zone - a place I'd keep clean so the kids could do sommersaults or whatever there. The rest would be a "watch your step" zone. You have enough land that most of that poop will break down and wash into the grass fairly quickly.

 

[itsren]

Who is ready for some cute pictures?!?!?


This was the first chick to hatch!

WOW! What an amazing photo!

 

[FirewifeJess]

Jess, it was great to see you today. Thanks for inviting me.

If I had a place as large as yours, I'd probably designate an area close to the house as a "poop free" zone - a place I'd keep clean so the kids could do sommersaults or whatever there. The rest would be a "watch your step" zone. You have enough land that most of that poop will break down and wash into the grass fairly quickly.

Great to see you too! Thanks for the help, I think that's wise. After we get all the garbage cleaned out of the side yard and some other things moved around I think I'll just work really hard at keeping the immediate yard clean. I'll never clean the back of the yard across the bridge. Or probably down by play structure either since they always have shoes on to play down there.

 

[itsren]

Again, do they have MUCH more than 10s/f per bird or are they pretty content in their run? I think I might try keeping them confined more often...that way they also don't freak the heck out if we leave town and don't let them free range for a few days!

I didn't get back home from the point I saw you until 9:00 tonight. Mine ended up stuck in the run all day. I peeked in on them in the coop when I got home - they seemed fine. They also did OK when we were gone to Chelan for 5 days, too. As far as I know, our pet-sitter only let them free-range once the entire time we were gone. We have slightly more than 10s/f per bird. I can't remember the exact number... I think it was 39s/f and we have 3 birds.

I think yours would probably be OK spending more time in the run. It might help them adjust to each other, as well (just an assumption... I don't know). I read somewhere if you put a chicken in a new coop/run to leave them there for 5 days so they learn that is their new home. I was really glad we were going to be gone 5 days, because I probably would not have done that if I had been home. Now they're in there quite often, even when the door is wide open. They love their run.

Do you have a dust bath (or multiple dust baths?). That's my chicken's favorite hang-out in the run. They actually dust-bathe in the dirt floor of the run, but they love to lay snuggled together in the dust bath. Our dust bath has play sand and food grade diatomaceous earth (to kill bugs) in it.



Guess what!??? Drama got up on the roost all by herself tonight!

I have been setting her on the roost each night like you suggested.