How do I keep my chickens clean?
Posted by Fiona Nevile in Chickens | 200 comments
Chickens are not naturally clean creatures, unlike the story book ones. Do you remember them? Clean living hens, wearing spotted scarves and venturing out to the market with a basket hooked over a wing and a clutch of chicks close by.
Real life chickens will foul their chicken house and quite often foul the nesting box. The only chicken that I have known to actively ‘clean’ her house was Mrs Boss. When the guinea fowl keets hatched she pulled all the hay from her nest out of their house in the ark. The more clean hay and woodchips I added the more she pushed them into their run. After a couple of weeks, I admitted defeat. The keets slept under Mrs Boss’ wings, on bare boards. I could never understand why she did this.
If chickens are not cleaned out regularly their droppings can harbour and spread disease. Droppings in the nesting box can foul the eggs. Remove any droppings immediately from the nesting box when you see them.
There is also the question of chicken mites. In warmer weather, mites can breed like wildfire in a house that is not treated regularly. They lay their eggs in dark nooks and crannies in the house and are at their most active at night. They bite the chickens and these bites can become infected.
An imaginative Estate Agent might describe our hen house as,
“A Canadian style two storey lodge. Lower floor family room with traditional wooden slatted staircase leading to spacious communal bedroom for 8 plus with half mansard ceiling and door to cosy penthouse nesting box.”
It gets a good cleanout once a week. And a top to toe super valet and repair in the Spring and Autumn.
If you are canny, the weekly cleanout for an average sized house (ours is designed to accommodate 6-8 Maran hens) takes about twenty minutes, often it is completed in ten.
The trick to quick and easy cleaning is to store everything that you might need within a few feet of the chicken house. We keep our chicken consumables in two large barrels in the run. One holds the bedding the other contains sprays, powders, oyster shells, grit and everything that a chicken keeper might need. These storage bins are also popular with the flock as they have another vantage point on which to stand and observe the world.
Our chicken feed is stored in the boot of Danny’s car and in a large aluminium grain store in the garden. Along with the wild bird and Min Pin food.
Generally I pull on my chicken cleaning gloves at midday when the flock are out an about in the run. Initially I spray the inside of the house with a decent anti mite spray. I close the door to the house as I am not sure how safe the spray is for the flock (although it is marked suitable for an aviary with residents). While the spray wafts through the house I collect all the stuff that I need from the barrels. woodchips, fresh hay and mite powder.
The old woodchips, hay and droppings are swept into the chicken run dustpan and go into their bucket (this was sold to me as a nappy bucket and has a lid). This lid is handy as the bucket can sit happily inside the run until it is full.
Once all debris has been removed, I spread wood chips on the floor of the house. These are great as they absorb moisture and make the chicken cleaning process much easier. They are available in enormous chunky packs. and a pack lasts for months. I lay a layer of woodchips in the nesting box topped with a thickish layer of hay. My mum recommended hay for the nests as mites can breed easily in the hollow strands of straw. The hens fashion the hay into nests very quickly, even if they are off lay.
Once fresh chips and hay have been spread, I return to the barrels for oyster shells and grit. I used to put these in a nifty container in the run, now I cast them just before I open the gates to get out. The flock dives for these and before they have discovered that they are not deluxe grain mix I am the other side of the wire. Poultry need grit. Ours find this in the back wall of the run. If yours don’t have access to a wall don’t forget to provide them with grit, if you are feeding them seeds and corn as it essential for breaking down the husks in their gullets.
Chickens are fine on woodchips alone and I have seen many happy hen houses that just have newspaper spread on the floor. Once you find an effective way to keep your chickens clean that suits you, use it on a weekly basis. You and your chickens will bloom.
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Hi Jane
At least two centimeters. I use about 8 Homebase sacks to cover our 30’x 6′ run.
Fiona,
We have decided to use pea shingle in the run for the winter months. Can you tell me roughly how deep it should be?
Hi Jane S
We have the same problem and usually I buy pea shingle to spresd in the run.
Hello MuleMarm
Thanks for all the advice.
Great to hear that there are no hens in the infirmary now.
Jane S — Sorry about the mud… You did not say how large a run, or if they have an area or house to get on dry ground when it’s too wet, so I’ll be general about my comments.
Assuredly, you don’t want the entire run muddy for long periods… But they need to scratch in the dirt for grit, and they do need their Vitamin D in the sun as we do!
(Hmmm! Wondering if their run is in a low place to collect so much water… If so, maybe you might build it up with some healthy dirt. Just a thought.) We are on a hill for good drainage, with no mud to speak of, except a low spot in the mule pen.
I often deliberately spill water for my 35 flock to have a puddle or two to play in. Even in rainy weather when they can’t get out in the pen, I often make a puddle or 2 inside the chicken house. They scratch and find little bugs… clucking happily.
Here in Texas, we call their eggs “scratchin’ eggs,” versus “cage eggs.” (You might call it “Battery Eggs.”) “Scratchin’ eggs” are almost orange color yolked and higher in the good oils — cage eggs have less taste, and fewer good qualities IMHO.)
Ideally, mine would have more greenery to scratch than their yard permits… but because of predators, I can’t let them out where the abundant greens and grasshoppers are… and can’t have them roosting in the mesquite trees, and in clumps of prickly pear cactus! So I throw out all veggie scraps, parings, and peelings for them. (Occasional ground meat — cooked, or better: raw — I understand is good protein for them, but NO chicken meat! Don’t want to make them into cannibals!)
I’d hate to cover the ground with much heavy gravel to prevent good dirt-scratching. If you put shallow pea gravel or larger, they’ll likely scratch through, and you’ll likely have dirt or mud spots… but that might work, and you could rake it back smooth again once in a while.
If gravel is too thick — and/or much larger than pea-gravel — I fear they couldn’t scratch through to get to the grit.
As for “too small…” Not to worry! They know what size “grit” they need in their craw to grind the grain. We always have red ant mounds around here, where the ants -(strong little buggers)- somehow break off tiny bits of this rocky hill — for uniform gravel about the size of 12 pt or 14 pt font “O” or smaller –as they dig their “home” more deeply. I throw a small bucketful into their pen occasionally. They eagerly scratch through it.
(Which reminds me, I haven’t seen any Horned Toads this year… Hope the neighbor’s spraying hasn’t killed off the endangered cute little critters. They are especially fond of “Red Ant” -live- for breakfast, dinner, and supper!)
May be more information than you wanted… Just trying to help you brainstorm for a solution that fits your situation.
Happy days…
Blessings, MuleMarm
P.S. Infirmary now empty… All feathers grown in nicely. Can’t even discern which one had the bad wing! Big Bully White Leghorn will soon be Southern Fried Chicken when I have time to (Yuk) butcher! (Yup… I figured out who’s the perp unmercifully defrocking the Girls! There are two roosters anyway… one needs to go!)
MM
After the recent wet weather the chicken run has become really muddy. We have used wood chips in the past but wondered whether to try gravel this time. What is the best size to use? If it is too small is there a chance the hens would inadvertently eat them? Also how deep should it be?
Many thanks,
Jane
UPDATE — on Infirmary Chicks:
(Any further info to avoid this Picked Feathers problem are welcome! When I catch the perp who starts this nefarious deed, he’ll go to the chopping block. Long time since I’ve made Southern Fried chicken and gravy like my Mama!)
Miss Naked Leg, Droopy Wing and Badly Pecked have all regrown their feathers separated from the flock. I can hardly discern the droopy wing. Seems with the TLC and Flax seed, her muscles are making up for whatever happened to that wing… I noticed her flying a bit, rushing to snitch a goodie. Was about to turn them back into the flock, but discovered a new patient whose head was picked clean of feathers!! After only a week, she is growing back the feathers! …and they’re all quite happy — get sun through the Windows, and plenty of room to squabble over treats and to roost. (Besides, any therapist would tell me, abused Girls need time — and a safe haven — to recover from Trauma!)
Louise you are kind… glad your SickChick made it!
Fn, Thank you for taking the time and energy to keep up this most helpful website —
Abiding in the One True Living God
…under the shadow of His Wings,
Bettye
Hello MuleMarm
Thank you for such an interesting comment. And thanks for all your advice. I agree with you that natural remedies are best and your experience is invaluable.
To everyone!
Suzey, On Nov 9 2008 in the other Cottage Small Holder thread (about strange eggs) you said: “… a freshly laid egg, when cracked out onto a plate is very sloppy! White quite runny and yolk flat and fragile. What is wrong?” —- Whoa! I’d call that “rotten,” and flush it. (I NEVER give chickens anything “chicken” except parched shells for the calcium. For that matter, I don’t want my dogs to have a taste for eggs, either — even a rotten one — “Suck-egg Hounds” get a load of buck-shot in these parts!)
(sorry I’m so late — reckon that egg is long gone by now! smile )
First, there are a lot of good suggestions on this thread about your concerns…
As for my comments, please understand, I’m very opinionated… so take my thoughts as you see fit! I’m a Texas Health Nut who has studied nutrition for 35 years, while seeing many medical reports that ALL drugs have bad side effects… Thus it was, I got well from 2 “hopeless” and serious maladies in spite of “modern medicine.” So I moved back to the family farm in 1991, to learn to live as my parents had through the Great Depression and WW2. (They used old-fashioned — natural — remedies for everything!) So I avoid virtually all chemicals.
I eat, sleep, and live (and tend my mules, goats, dogs, barn cats and chickens) as closely as possible to how God designed for mankind (The Garden in Genesis.) … making our environment and feeding as nearly as I can, as our Creator designed. (I keep chicks on mash — has medication in it — only until they are big enough to eat “clean” -not chemicalized- grain, lots of green vegetation, “People food” scraps, etc.
That said–read comments already made in this thread about the topic. Or Google “what is a battery hen?” using the quotes.
Thanks to “Fn” for your kudos… I’ve plowed hard ground — and my parents did before me — for “people” health… Mostly I just apply to the animals “what works” for human critters!
Please check out my website, and read an excerpt from my wellness book… BUT DON’T ORDER ONLINE. I HAVE NO PRINT BOOKS AVAILABLE, AND DON’t know how to update my website! Sorry.
But you might enjoy the site: www.BunkhouseBooks.com
Blessings, MuleMarm
Hi MuleMarm
Thank you so much for all this advice. I’ve taken up your suggesting and put some wood ash in our hen house and the chickens are loving it.
Didn’t know about citrus fruits and garlic. Brilliant.
I love getting your advice as you have so much experience. And thanks also for your link to that interesting article.
Hi Louise
Good news that she’s better. It’s awful when a chicken is sick.
Hi Polly
We scatter oysters shells every now and then. The chickens seem to like them.
Thanks for the advice about Citricidal.
Thanks for the advice. I give the hens lots of egg shells which i put in their feeder. So, if I want to give them calcium I specifically buy oyster shell as opposed to grit (I am new to the whole business and thought the reason for the oyster shell was to break up food in their crop…ie grit). Thanks for taking the time to help.
As for Citricidal – this is grapefruit seed extract and is a brillian anit-parasitic, but not an antibiotic. I recommend it to people travelling to countries where they might get parasitic bugs, or for things like candida as it is also anti fungal. Also, it is really strong. Be careful with your dosage!