Sooo much pooping

[Joany]

I'm new to chicken keeping and have just got 3 gorgeous ladies. I've done lots of reading up but I'm a little confused on the use of poultry shield. Can anyone help me with 1) should you clean poultry shield off after spraying it? It says you should on the bottle but when reading up people don't seem to Do this? Also 2) is poultry shield required for the clean each week? I'm planning on using red mite powder each week . If I use poultry shield too is it overkill? Thanks for any advice

[grahamrhind]

I'm no expert, but personally it sounds to me like overkill. I think it really depends on the setup you have and the susceptibility thereof to red mite.

 

I've been keeping chickens now for two years. They have an outside run, they mix with wild birds (and mice and rabbits and ...), they are under trees and I use straw in their nesting box, but I've never had a mite problem. If you have an Eglu, which are designed so as not to have the cracks and crevices where red mite can hide and multiply, the chances of getting the problem are reduced again. I pressure clean the Eglu every ten days or so, and apart from that just keep an eye out for the mites. Personally I think you need to be ready to fight any occurrence, but I wouldn't over-sanitise their environment.

[Lewis]

I would say we probably empty the poo trays every week and give it a jet wash our Cube every few months. The eglus are washed between residents, be it visiting hens or chicks/growers.

Ideally we'd do it more but I study away from home so don't get the chance.

 

You can clean and scrub it with Poultry Shield, I don't think it needs rinsing down after as they do a spray which is meant to be left on surfaces.

Just to say, I prefer Diatom to the Barrier Red Mite Powder, which smells great but doesn't seem to do much in the coop.

[Joany]

Thanks for the advice so far. I have a wooden coop/ run and the girls will predominantly be in the coop although I plan on letting them out when we are in the garden.

[Lewis]

What chickens did you go for and have you chosen names for them yet?

 

Keeping them in the run most of the time is fine and lots of us do it, generally the rule of thumb is a square metre of run space per hen.

[Joany]

We have 3 Ambers. The kids named them Joan, Daisy and Jo Jo (we had a naming raffle). They have 8sqm, I wanted to give them plenty of room. Joan is laying but the other two are obviously younger as the wattles/combs are less developed

[Chickabee]

They sound lovely.

 

I'm not one for over disinfecting. I like a bit of healthy bacteria. I only use diatom or red mite powder when I need it. Which at the moment is in my omlet cube. It's me versus the red mite and I am going to win!

 

My other coops are mite free, but that doesn't stop me checking.

[chickencam]

I mostly just empty out the Eglu and our wooden house (which is made of exterior plywood with all possible gaps filled and it is painted with gloss paint) then I give it a thorough brush out right into all the corners which is where red mite can live and refill with fresh aubiose. I only clean with a bird safe spray if they are particularly grubby. The Eglu gets dismantled and jet washed a couple of times a year and the wooden house gets a fresh coat of paint in the summer.

 

I don't over clean, in my view their run doesn't get scrubbed just a barrow of dusty bark out and a couple of fresh bags in every few months, it seems to have its own Eco system and is mostly dry because the run is covered. Therefore they are in contact with their droppings etc there so the houses don't get too much scrubbing and my girls have all lived long healthy lives so far. Then again I am not one for scrubbing my house too often either and have brought up three healthy children too. Food hygiene is good but beyond that a bit of dirt is good for the immune system and chemicals aren't.

[Sil-El]

I have a traditional wooden house and just use straw for bedding. I tidy it up and remove droppings most days and change the straw about once a week. Every so often I take the perches and the floor out and give them all a good scrub with hot water and when everything is dry I give a generous dose of Ground Sanitising powder and Diatom earth.

 

Other than that I don't get too anxious about cleaning. They are all healthy ladies and are in the garden most of the time if we are at home. I do check for red mite but so far have had no problems and I prefer to use Diatom rather than chemicals.

 

I do tend to agree that a bit of dirt does no harm at all.

[Joany]

Thanks all for your help and advice. I have another question. I am currently cleaning out poops from the house and run daily. The bedding that is left looks and smells clean. If this is the case do I still need to change the bedding weekly? Wondering if I need to do this to keep the red mite out? Thanks

[Sil-El]

To be honest if the bedding still looks and smells clean and it's still dry then you can probably get away with changing it less often than weekly. Perhaps just add a bit and mix it in with the existing to give it a bit of a refresh.

 

I find that during winter when the ladies are inside for a lot longer, I need to change the bedding at least twice a week, but at this time of year, when they are outside for the majority of the time, then it doesn't need doing as often. My ladies like to throw their straw all over the place so sometimes their bedroom can look rather bare so then I add more.

 

If you are removing the poo every day and as long as everything is clean and dry then your ladies will be very happy.

[Joany]

Brilliant thanks. They seem happy so I'll keep doing what I'm doing