Solitary chicken - need advice

[toffeeandcoffe]

We have had our ex bats for about 6 weeks and were wondering what others do regarding chicken poo. We have a large patio area, and the same amount of grass. The grass is no problem, but the poo on the patio is getting to be a huge problem, not to mention the flies this is attracting. We can no longer relax in our garden. . Any advice or info as to what other people do regarding this matter would be most welcomed .

[Phosphorus]

I hose our patio down and luckily we have some flower beds on the side that the water can be pushed to - otherwise there is a drain nearby as well.

[JamesH]

yeah have an outside tap and hose pipe, blast the poops to pieces while pushing it to the edges, normally just disintergrates to nothing, then wander round the bark etc looking for bits to blast.

[Mrs Slats]

and surround yourself with citronella candles

[cluckbok]

We jet blast the poos each night of the patio and off the grass and they just disappear to nothing. If you do that each night then there is nothing for the flies to land on. The chooks free range each evening then we do it once they gone to bed. Plus we spray citronella around aswell.

[Hen Watch]

My lot used to have the run of my entire garden and their favourite place to camp out (and poop madly) was at the kitchen back door.

 

After 8 months hubbie put his foot down as he was fed up with his veg patch being eaten (no matter how hard we protected it).

 

Now my girls have Omlet netting keeping them in their third of the lawn. No more pooy patio or back door.

[Aga n Chickens]

Hello

 

Our chooks can free range on the patio and around the shrubs in the evening.

 

I use a cut away plastic milk carton 'poop scoop' for anything deposited on the patio and anything in the shrubbery can stay there as it will disperse in the soil.

 

I've read the posts about the 'korma poos' but the worst I've encountered recently was the 'super poop' that my broody produced when she had been turfed off the nest. The poor girl must have been saving it up all day and not wanting to make a mess in the nest box

 

All the scoopings go into a yellow trug with the pickings from the poop trays and gets transported to the compost heap at the bottom of the garden. Any fies etc are then well away from the house.

 

I also use garden lime, hemcore and Citronela spray to keep the run area smelling nice.

 

Kind regards

 

Christine

[stoice]

Where do you get citronella spray? Do you make it up yourself from oil and water?

[Aga n Chickens]

Hello Stoice

 

I found an old bottle of citonella in the medicine cupboard, must have been bought from the chemist at some stage when we were being bitten by goodness knows what in the garden one year. I think that you can buy bigger bottles in chemists for medicinal use than the essential oil bottles to use in burners.

 

Anyway, I just put a few drops in an old, rinsed our spray bottle (the sort you get for spraying the bath, with a trigger spray), and top it up with water, give it a good shake and away you go. Lovely lemony smells all round

 

Kind regards

 

Christine

[debbie26pet]

sorry to but in is this the item? woul dthis work couple drops watered down?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Garden-Bug-Repellent-Spray-Citronella-Essential-Oil_W0QQitemZ180258242523QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item180258242523&_trkparms=72%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C65%3A12&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

[jlo]

I haven't actually tried this but I was talking to someone with chooks the other day and they suggested keeping a bucket of water handy (but presumably not right by the kitchen door!) and tipping the poop into it to make a liquid fertiliser. I just shove it all onto the compost heap at the moment.

[Stevie]

I bought some citronella oil today from garden centre nextdoor-the type you put in a garden lantern as its flamable.Cost me £3.50 for 1litre and i soaked a cloth with it then popped it between the sunshade & Eglu's wire run.So far-its deterring the flies from entering their run so i squirted a small amount in the Eglus poop tray too for good measure.

 

ps.If you put it under the sunshade like i have-pop a piece of carrier bag under first so the oil dont come into contact with the sunshade.It wont do it any harm,but no doubt would stain.

[toffeeandcoffe]

Thank you everyone for taking the time to answer this question, some helpful and interesting replies. Best wishes to everyone.

[Richard]

Sorry to be contraversial, controvershall, contra ..

 

Sorry to be difficult, but chickens plus food = poop. Its part of life with animals and since I've not yet been able to shove a cork ......., I've learnt to live with the poo. I let it dry (which it does pretty quickly) then brush it

up and put it in the compost.

 

Its brilliant in the compost - mix it in with the lawn clippings and shredded paper. Fantastic.

[alexgirl73]

this question interested me as I have the same problem, except my girls are in a run which is on hard soil. I cant hose it down as it is too far from the house and I dont have a compost bin. would using bark or woodchips be better?

[Richard]

this question interested me as I have the same problem, except my girls are in a run which is on hard soil. I cant hose it down as it is too far from the house and I dont have a compost bin. would using bark or woodchips be better?

 

so how would that help? The poo will still be there, albeit mixed with the other stuff.

 

I wouldn't worry. My girls are in a hard soil based run and I just ignore the poo in the run. I only brush it up when its outside in the garden. Its part of life and I honestly don't think you need to get worried about it.

 

Sh*t happens. I'm waiting for the day when I move the run or give up keeping chickens. The soil in that run will be just the best ever for growing veg.

[alexgirl73]

lol, was just wondering if with bark etc turning it every so often would help get rid of it quicker

 

it doesn't bother me so much, I'm just concerned in case my neighbours complain.