Free range? So much poop!

[Crystalcatch]

Hello! We have 5 hens. We've let them free range in our .5 acre yard most of their lives. They really enjoy it! The problem is, they poop everywhere! On the deck, throughout the yard and they dig in the flowers. I had a fence built around my raised beds. My daughter no longer wants to play in the backyard because of the poop. I clean the coop and the yard every day. We also don't feel like we're enjoying our outdoor patio space.

We have an omelet (tractor) coop with an 8 ft. run. I just can't imagine them being happy enclosed in the run all day. I'm not sure how to make the yard enjoyable for everyone. Do most backyard flock keepers keep their chickens in their run all day or let them free range? Do I need to build a larger space for them? I've already spent so much money on the coop and fencing the garden. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Chicken poppy]

Hello! We have 5 hens. We've let them free range in our .5 acre yard most of their lives. They really enjoy it! The problem is, they poop everywhere! On the deck, throughout the yard and they dig in the flowers. I had a fence built around my raised beds. My daughter no longer wants to play in the backyard because of the poop. I clean the coop and the yard every day. We also don't feel like we're enjoying our outdoor patio space.

We have an omelet (tractor) coop with an 8 ft. run. I just can't imagine them being happy enclosed in the run all day. I'm not sure how to make the yard enjoyable for everyone. Do most backyard flock keepers keep their chickens in their run all day or let them free range? Do I need to build a larger space for them? I've already spent so much money on the coop and fencing the garden. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hey! so, we have some free range chickens (about 4, the rest being to young) and they poop all about our area, im not to sure all the advice i can give, but ill try my best. Firstly, the good thing is is the poop is great fertilizer, as gross as it sounds, you might want to take some of the poop and put it in your flower beds. It will help them grow and will be a natural fertilizer! So a 8 feet long run, i would maybe build it a bit bigger, but thats just me. Honestly, we dont have much poop issues here to be quite honest, it just grows our plants. if you really want to get rid of some in the grass, you could try spraying it with water. Ps, theres something called “chicken manure tea” where you collect the manure for your plants, you might want to try that for flowers and such as it will be very effective! Im sorry i couldnt help much.

 

[3KillerBs]

Pretty much the only thing you can do is to either fence them into the area where you want them or fence them out of the area you don't want them in.

I have 100 feet of Premier 1 electric netting that's great for moving the chickens around.

 

[DickMidnight]

we started with a 16x8 fully enclosed, predator-proof run for our 12 birds.

my wife almost immediately wanted to let them free range, but i had no desire to deal with poop all over the yard, managing our dogs and when they can go outside, and dealing with predators.

my compromise was to build a 50x50 enclosure adjacent to their current run, but in an unmanicured area of the yard that we’d never use.

that’s a very long-winded version of @3KillerBs answer: just fence them in where you want them.

 

[Chicken poppy]

we started with a 16x8 fully enclosed, predator-proof run for our 12 birds.

my wife almost immediately wanted to let them free range, but i had no desire to deal with poop all over the yard, managing our dogs and when they can go outside, and dealing with predators.

my compromise was to build a 50x50 enclosure adjacent to their current run, but in an unmanicured area of the yard that we’d never use.

that’s a very long-winded version of @3KillerBs answer: just fence them in where you want them.

Yep. Best you can do is make use of the poop, fence them in, and make compromise where your okay with them going.

 

[KyCoop]

I have a 50 x 100 area off my run and I let them into "my yard" for a few mins a couple times a week supervised. Just for enrichment. Not long enough to poop everywhere and dig up the beds but long enough for them to have some fun and eat "new" grass.

 

[aart]

Do I need to build a larger space for them?

Yes.
I planned from the beginning to make a big enough run to keep them confined.
Second most important reason was poop everywhere.

 

[Sally PB]

I planned from the beginning to make a big enough run to keep them confined.
Second most important reason was poop everywhere.

Ditto. They're safe from predators. Their poop is where it belongs. Since they "don't know what they're missing," ie, free ranging, they're happy where they are.

 

[DickMidnight]

Since they "don't know what they're missing," ie, free ranging, they're happy where they are.

to piggyback your point…free ranging is kind of a misnomer for anyone keeping backyard chickens anyway. they’re bound by your property lines, no matter if it’s 50x100 or 50 acres. they aren’t exactly free.

 

[Chicken poppy]

Yes.
I planned from the beginning to make a big enough run to keep them confined.
Second most important reason was poop everywhere.

we have a pretty large run, though they only get put up at night and get supervising freerange all day.