What to do with all the poo?

[Badumchhhhh]

I'm a month in to my chicken-keeping career, 4 girls in a wooden coop with an enclosed run. Everyone is happy and laying well, but I totally underestimated the amount of poop!

I clean out the droppings board every day and have just been raking the floor of the run and adding some easychick. The run itself is about 3m x 1m. When I let them out the run its onto the lawn, and I am having to go round every day to try and scrape it all up.

Does this sound usual? How often do you empty the droppings tray? Do you clean up the grass a lot?

[andantecantabile]

That sounds normal to me! We have 4 chickens and had to buy a second compost bin to cope with all the poo. We clean out the droppings tray in the house every morning, and then pick up the poo in the run in the morning and evening if we are at work, but during the holidays we've been doing extra poo-picks (we clean up after them so often we had to give it it's own name. ) throughout the day. We have a big run for them but if we let them out into the garden there's an extra poo-pick to do there too! So yes, totally normal. I still can't get over how much poo there is. Today I had to go for an emergency clean up because I caught one of them trying to eat some we've found a small shovel and scraper very handy!

[Hassled]

I had chickens a few years ago and was just gobsmacked at quite how much a smallish bird can poo. It's a phenomenal amount of poo. It does make damn good compost, though - if you haven't already, start a compost heap.

[Badumchhhhh]

Oh we are composting like crazy.
It's the sloppy cecal ones that are the worst. Hard to remove and stink to high heaven. I just hadn't factored in how much time I would have to spend running around in a crouch with a scraper in my hand...

Am coping at the moment, but how does it work in the winter when you leave for work in the dark and return in the dark? Poo picking by flashlight? Do you empty the droppings tray under an umbrella if it rains?

[andantecantabile]

Yep the cecal ones are grim indeed. If they are really bad hosing them down is easier. In the winter or at night we have an Alpkit head torch and DP one of us goes out to clean up. Often we are out there at 6am doing it, the neighbours must think we are bonkers but it's quite nice to see the girls in the morning before heading off to work (and check that no one has done a cheeky poo in the nest box!)

[Badumchhhhh]

Head torch - genius!!

[Pixel]

I've got a compost bin in the garden and another on the allotment. They just about cope! (must admit anything on the lawn just gets flicked on to the flower beds ). Luckily when I give the run a good clear out I've also got the option of taking all the old dusty Aubiose along to the horse field to add to the muck heap or put around the trough where it gets a bit muddy. It's surprising how creative I have to be though considering I've only got three girls!

[Badumchhhhh]

I hosed a few sloppy ones yesterday, yes that was easier.
Now they are free-ranging more, at least there's a higher proportion going straight into the flower beds.