What are these and are they bad in a coop

[hegazi]

Looks like chicken food to me! But your litter should be dryer. Add more litter. Actually the whole idea behind deep liter is to have a healthy biomass of decomposing litter with creepy crawlies living in it for the chickens to eat and help decompose things and mitigate odors. It should not be too wet or you will have problems, conversely, if it is too dry, decomposition will not take place or be very slow..

Sounds like a very precise balance to keep! I'll work on it. Thank you

 

[hegazi]

You have goats in your chicken coop?!
Goats can get very sick form gorging on chicken feed.
But that maggot-like thing, no matter what it is, your chickens would probably like to eat it.

Yes but our chicken coop is more like a small barn. I keep the chicken feed packed away while the goats are in at night and then the goats are out all day and the chicken feed is available to the chickens. I'm just concerned now that the goat pee may be keeping the shavings too wet.

 

[aart]

Yes but our chicken coop is more like a small barn. I keep the chicken feed packed away while the goats are in at night and then the goats are out all day and the chicken feed is available to the chickens. I'm just concerned now that the goat pee may be keeping the shavings too wet.

Chickens have been living on multi species farm forever, as long as they have good ventilation when closed in barn, they should be fine.