Patridge bantam chicken poorly foot?

[Hen Time]

... no-one seems to mention it. Is that because you get used to it???

 

Hubby is having second thoughts on our order ...so I am hoping to find some positive advice from those in the know !

[Olly]

Got to say, that I don't have a problem with poo! (Chicken poo, I mean, obviously. I mean, not that I have a problem with any other sort ... ok, let's move on.)

 

The droppings trays are easy to empty, there's more in them in winter when they spend more time roosting, but that's not a problem. All the more lovely compost in spring! It's annoying when they poo in the nest box, but again it cleans out easily if you use aubiose, and goes straight in the composter. I have aubiose in the run, and it just soaks it up - needs raking out every so often, but it isn't too bad. So that just leaves the free-ranging stuff.

 

Admittedly mine don't free-range as much as I'd like due to work etc, but generally if they do a bit on the lawn, in the borders etc, well that's all good for the garden. If they drop one on the patio/path, I hose it off, use a watering-can, flick it off with a trowel if I'm gardening, or just watch where I walk and wait for it to rain!

 

I guess if mine free-ranged all day, there'd be more, and if I had children then I might find it more of a nuisance. I struggle to understand the people who complain about poo though, because it just doesn't seem a problem to me. Don't be put off - it makes fantastic compost!

[Lapinou]

I agree with Olly and I *do* have children! I guess it's all about how squeamish you are about poo. I wouldn't be happy with dog poo or cat poo in the garden, but chicken poo's nothing to worry about IMHO. The children get it on their feet, and they wipe it off! I am better at looking where I'm walking so don't have much trouble at all. The rain washes it all away so it's not as if it all piles up on top of eachother. In the run we have woodchip and the chickens can then deal with their poo when they're in there themselves, by just scratching it in. We empty the poo-tray (lined with newspaper to make it easier) two or three times a week, and the nesting box, if they have pooed in it, gets a change of shredded paper. But I'm not squeamish - far too used to cleaning up baby poo which is way more minging!

[Abbey Road Girl]

I agree with Olly. Have experienced very few recognisable poos since I got my hens on 17 April. I think they do 70% of their poos at night, which seems right to me. I have never had a poo in the nesting box (used in the daytime) which would seem to confirm that.

 

Even with a shortage of aubiose due to searching for a supplier and someone to courier it for me (pedestrian wot I am), have not found chicken poo a problem.

 

(Agree with Lapinou about baby poo! Decades later, it's still memorable! )

[Lapinou]

(Agree with Lapinou about baby poo! Decades later, it's still memorable! )

 

It's not so bad when they're breastfed, but when they're on solids Chicken poo is nothing compared to baby-on-solids-poo

[Abbey Road Girl]

Since you've ordered a Cube, I would encourage you to get not just three hens but four. Four will give you plenty of eggs which you can give away or sell. If you sell them for 24p each, they will be buying their own feed (the Cube will hold a lot of its value if you need to resell for any reason).

 

The hens are the cheapest part of the deal! If you get a flock to begin with, then you can postpone introducing new hens and the havoc that may involve.

 

Two hens will be a couple, not a flock, and may be very unfriendly to introductions.

[Hen Watch]

I don't do cats poo.

I don't do dogs poo.

I don't do tropical fish either..... their water was warm and smelt a lot.

 

But chicken poo is no problem for me. It's really hard to describe when you haven't got yours yet. But chickens are mostly vegetarian (yes.... I know.... there are Omletteers out there shouting frogs, snails etc) and so the smell (if there is any) is more "farmyardy". Mine very rarely smell as I use Auboise and poop pick daily. But occassionally on the odd, very warm, wet day you get a farm yard aroma but it is not too bad IMO.

 

I have Auboise horse bedding 1" deep in the run (which soaks up poo so no smell and easy to change once a month).

 

Mine free range lots and I enjoy (yes....that's what I said) going out with my bucket and trowel to poop pick every evening.

 

I have 3 children and when my chickens had free range of the entire garden, yes the chooks did often camp out by the kitchen door or the patio doors and where they camp they poo. But then after 6 months hubbie decided to fence off part of the garden for chickens sole use and now the area they poo in is restricted.

 

If your other half is really concerned why don't you visit an Eglu owner - there is a section on this form all about it.

[spratly0]

My larger run is not ready yet and our cube only has the 1 metre run so i move it every other day around the garden. I rake up the chicken poo and put it in the composter, anything too 'squished' gets a quick hose down and all is fine.

 

They only free range for a couple of hours a day in the evening and i quickly poo pick with a pair of rubber gloves using the hose treatment if needed.

 

My grass area in the garden is not very big and have had no problems with smells / flies yet.

 

Use aubiose on top of newspaper in trays under roosting bars.

 

Alls well so far - am very very

[Clur]

I have two kiddies, and all I do is go out in the garden before they play, and scoop any poo I find into an empty plant pot, then stick it in the composter. Much easier and far less smelly than dealing with dog poo!

 

With their run, I changed from auboise to wood chip as the auboise was getting too wet. With the woodchip, I hose it down when it needs it and then just replace it every month.

 

I clean the eglu out weekly, and give it a wash with soapy water and just rinse it off. Quick and hassle free in all honesty!

[Donna_0]

Hi there,

 

It made me laugh when I read this discussion about poo's as we've been thinking the same! Our hens Barbara and Margot have just finished their five day confinement. We had to move the eglu and run after three days because the grass got so full of poo the flies were everywhere, and it smelt bad too

Now they have started free ranging on an evening, they're doing it more on the grass, and i've just started picking it up and composting it. They are poo machines though but we are slowly getting accustomed to it!

I read a tip on the forum somewhere that you can put garlic powder in with the layers pellets, and this should help to control the smell..yey! I ordered some from omlet so hopefully it works I also read on here that the garlic may help to fend off wormies..so thats a double whammy.

Hope you are enjoying your hens..ours are little smashers!

 

-Barbara

-Margot

& Georgie the Cat xx

[Looney]

You'll be so used to the poo you won't notice it anymore....although you will find yourself having in depth conversations with people about chicken poo (whether they're interested or not) !

[Looney]

Just reread my post above, and it doesn't read quite how I meant it.....I didn't mean we (i.e. Omleteers) aren't interested in talking about poo I love discussing chicken poo

 

People at my work aren't quite so keen on the topic though!

[Yolky]

I have had my girls three weeks now and they do poo alot. Be aware of that and you can make it ok. Add bokashi and garlic powder to the food to help it smell less and make them firm for picking. I had the girls just on grass for the first week and I found it hard to pick all the poo as it got stuck to the grass and I did find that although I moved it about it was a bit smelly. So we have got some slabs and they are on them at the moment with hemcore and that has really helped with the smells (can't really smell them any more except for the curry poos) and one thing is to pick the poo regularly.

 

My husband is now going to build me a walk in run which should really help with keeping clean.

 

I love my girls lots but I have to say even though I had read the forum etc I was a little overwhelmed with the poo to start with but with thought and time you can make it work for you. I let them free range about the garden lots now, the kids will show me any poos so I can clean and I keep the hose handy to swosh away any curry ones. The other ones tend to be nice and stiff and easy to pick because of the bokashi. Now I have my poo management in order it doesn't bother me as I know it is easy to deal with.

[wombatally]

Yolky - how do you 'pick the poo'? Without sounding disgusting mine (well the chickens) are not so solid! I am trying to firm them up with bokashi, which is working for some but not others. Can you get a poo picker (idea for omlet!) or do you shovel it up?

 

On any other forum we'd be banned for being sick and degraded

[Yolky]

lol

 

I use a cat litter scoop and a bucket. Curry ones get a blast with the hose.

[Egluntyne]

Problem: Chicken poo on the lawn.

 

Solutions: Shower of rain or blast from hose pipe.

 

I agree with ARG about getting more than 2 hens, and for the reasons she states.

[Yolky]

I am also agreeing with getting more than 2 hens. I was going to only get 2 as I was getting an eglu but from reading on here I thought I should get three and I am so glad that I have, they are a mini flock rather than a pair.

[HENthusiastic]

Rubber gloves and a bucket. I actually quite enjoy it. Its my morning routein. Out in the garden first thing as soon as I wake up (sitll in my P.J.s ). Let the chooks out for a couple of hourse freeranging before work. Pick up poohs with gloved hand (be careful not to forget and use the other hand). When bucket is full, I text a bloke I met on freecycle and he comes to collect the it for his allotment.

Easy peasy.

Sloopy poos, either blast with water or s"Ooops, word censored!"e with spatular (not used in the kitchen too).

[Busybird]

I keep an old basin and a pair of gardening gloves for dealing with chicken poo. Each day I put the shredded paper from the nesting box in the basin, cover it with the poo from the Eglu droppings tray then walk round the garden lifting any solid poo's and pouring water from a watering can over the runny ones. Once I have removed what I can find I tip the lot into the compost bin. Job done in a few minutes.

 

So far only one of my three children has stood in any - although DH was a bit miffed when he put a bare foot on some i had missed under the patio table when he sat down for tea .

 

I use garlic and bokashi but my run is on mud and it does sometimes smell. Then i know it is time to do a more thorough clean up and disinfect the Eglu - I do this about once a month. My weekly Eglu clean takes about an hour - the monthly job about twice this but I choose dry days and don't rush as i actually quite enjoy it. Shame I can't say that about cleaning the house

[shiraz]

just use rubber gloves and blue trug, strange i always get a itchy nose mid poo pick

[Hen Time]

If your other half is really concerned why don't you visit an Eglu owner - there is a section on this form all about it.

 

We did .. and he was ok until this visit ... and now ihe is having second thoughts !!! Hence asking for some realistic thoughts from you guys about chicken poo!!!

[Hen Time]

Since you've ordered a Cube, I would encourage you to get not just three hens but four. Four will give you plenty of eggs which you can give away or sell. If you sell them for 24p each, they will be buying their own feed (the Cube will hold a lot of its value if you need to resell for any reason).

 

The hens are the cheapest part of the deal! If you get a flock to begin with, then you can postpone introducing new hens and the havoc that may involve.

 

Two hens will be a couple, not a flock, and may be very unfriendly to introductions.

Thanks, if I can persuade my other half that chicken poo is ok!! then we will be changing our order to an Eglu ... at the moment he thinks I have cancelled the order! Time is running out!

[Hen Time]

My larger run is not ready yet and our cube only has the 1 metre run so i move it every other day around the garden. I rake up the chicken poo and put it in the composter, anything too 'squished' gets a quick hose down and all is fine.

 

They only free range for a couple of hours a day in the evening and i quickly poo pick with a pair of rubber gloves using the hose treatment if needed.

 

My grass area in the garden is not very big and have had no problems with smells / flies yet.

 

Use aubiose on top of newspaper in trays under roosting bars.

 

Alls well so far - am very very

 

Thanks Spratly

[Hen Time]

Just reread my post above, and it doesn't read quite how I meant it.....I didn't mean we (i.e. Omleteers) aren't interested in talking about poo I love discussing chicken poo

 

People at my work aren't quite so keen on the topic though!

 

It okay Lorna - didn't take it that way ... !!

[MedusA]

I have less of a problem since I banned the girls from the patio!