4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[HennyPenny59]

Hi everyone .. I am new to this forum today, and new to chicken keeping, having acquired 4 Hybrid Hens just 2 weeks ago, who are all adorable and learning fast )

 

Ive got lots of questions to ask, but am going to ask the important ones first, one at a time )

 

At present my hens are free ranging within 50m of electrified netting, but eventually we would like them to have the whole garden for the afternoons when I am home from work, which leads me to ask about chickens and dog poo.

 

When you pick up dog poo and dispose of it, can the grass it was sitting on cause harm to the chickens if they peck or scratch at it? Is there anything I can put on that patch of grass that will sanitise it? Or should I not even contemplate letting the chickens anywhere near it?

 

Thankyou )

[Henergy]

I don't know about whether there would be any harm but in our garden we have made sure the chickens & dog have separate areas. Initially, our worry was the chickens scratching in 'dog soiled' grass, so we fenced off a small area for dog poos & mostly he does 'go' in there. But as it turned out for us, the problem was more that the dog would always eat the chicken poo ! So we now have allocated a larger but fenced off area for the chickens too & kept the dog in the main part of the garden.

[zakjon-98]

My dog is kept separate from them as I don't trust him and also likes to eat chicken poo I don't know if the dog poo would harm your hens but I wouldn't worry about it as long as both chickens and dogs are wormed since they eat all kinds of horrible things from around the garden! Another thing I have found is that dogs are crazy about layers pellets!

[LottyJ1]

Caught my Margo eating a cat poo the other day

 

I removed the poo as soon as I realised what she was eating - chickens are disgusting and will eat poo, dead things etc and seem to be OK.

 

Another thing I have found is that dogs are crazy about layers pellets!

 

Cats also eat chook food!

[Chucky Mama]

My dog and chickens share a garden fully. There is no real risk of chickens catching anything from where the dog has toileted and there is far more chance of your dog enjoying a sloppy stick to the roof of their mouth chicken poo I wouldn't worry too much, just limit access to chicken food to your dog as it is viewed as a tasty treat for some dogs.