Chickens in the yard

[simple life]

We have started letting out chickens wander, they are much happier!  But, we have chicken poop everywhere!  Just wondering how other deal with that, as I know a lot of people let their chickens out in the yard, do you just take your shoes off when you come in?  Or is it really not as big a deal as some make it out to be?

[diana_of_the_dunes]

We don't worry about the poop in the yard.  After a good rain, most of it magically disappears anyways   The annoying part is the chicken poop on the porch and driveway.  We haven't figured out a solution to that yet, except to hose it off occasionally.  They spend most of their time in the yard and woods anyways, so it's not a big mess.  it does bother DH, though.

[philomom]

We just park our outside shoes by the back door. Also, I block the chickens off the deck so there's no poop near the hot tub.

[MUSEDAVIS]

we let ours roam. But it is disgusting when they get on porch. It helps when we throw seed in a different direction then the porch

[simple life]

It bothers my dh too!  I think he's worried about the kids since they play out there, we also just went to the 'shoes stay outside' rule.  It doesn't bother me, but he's worried about the kids getting sick. 

[SubliminalDarkness]

I think it's totally gross, but don't have a good solution. Shoes definitely come off at the door. I spray the patio off multiple times a day. And that's about it at this point. 

[mattemma04]

I limit where my hens go with plastic fencing and bamboo stakes.Easy to move around.If they are roaming the yard I will walk with them (hawks around)and keep them in the flower beds. It is no worse than the dogs squatting all over the yard. I am going to fence THEM in too. I have outdoor shoes,and darn if I did not come into the house with them last night.Gotta wash the mat and floor by the door!

[sidandspencersmom]

If you let chicken poo dry,you can easily sweep it off. It seems to dry pretty quickly here, although we are already in the 80's.  Just wondering, why are people so concerned about stepping in it?  Our family takes their shoes off at the door, just so we don't track dirt in, but I have occasionally stepping in chick poo barefoot, and just rinsed off my feet. Is there something really BAD in chicken poo?

[Meksmama]

We just take our shoes off at the door and put a baby gate across the steps to the deck so they can't get up there... but honestly it doesn't bother the kids and I as much as dh.   We have dogs too I much rather deal with a tiny chicken poop than a big pile of dog poop.

[Chicky2]

The other day I ran out the side door in a hurry down the ramp to our other little house where I have my 2nd refrigerator and freezer.  I had my hands full of trays of meat to go in the freezer (just finished butchering wild pigs), and I was barefoot.  I stepped in a HUGE pile of turkey poo.  Argh.

We just let it dry and sweep the porch.  If it's a big pile right in our way and it's still wet, we'll wash it off.

We figure it's just part of country life!

[hildare]

oh i am right there with you.. i hate the chickens being in the yard.  it drives me CRAZY.   we do take our shoes off, and we'd do that even without chickens, there have been lots of studies about tracking in toxins etc plus it cuts down the cleaning..  i love our chickens, but i would love them so much more if they would stay in the pasture!  they don't NEED to be in the yard, it's not that much different. 

[Mondorfment]

I HATE chicken poop.  I slid in some as a kid and knocked the breath out of myself.  So...We're fencing off our yard so they'll stay out of the barefoot/porch area.  Way I see it...I never poo in their yard so they shouldn't poo in mine but then again they never come and take my eggs so I won't complain too much when I step in it. ;) 

Honey

[Arduinna]

I hate stepping in chicken poop, we kept ours penned in a huge area as a result. Plus we had a dog at the time that would kill any of my birds he could catch. Considering that my "driveway" consisted of packed dirt with a little gravel and we had no paved area other than the floor of the barn hosing off poop would have just resulted in mud. Not with my dogs.

[by-the-lake]

Look up chicken tractors. They have the benefit of containing your birds while the birds have the benefit of free range and sunshine, as the tractor is moved daily. Basically, its a portable pen with a little coop attached, and is meant to be moved daily so the birds get fresh pasture. And its easier to find the eggs too!