I feel like I am being really mean...

[Annie]

Hi all,

I've posted a few threads asking stuff like when will my hens start laying and a few starter problems but now it's getting to the stage where I am starting to wonder whether keeping hens is a good idea. Help!

The hens are about 28 weeks old and really should be laying, they've produced nothing! They are let out of the run and coop every day for a forage around the garden but they just seem to sit on my patio and poo all over it (I have a baby girl who is now crawling over the patio and garden). The birds don't want to venture to the rest of the garden even if the food is there.

Also, this morning when I went to let them out of the coop the place was absolutely black with flies - they were covering the floor and the wooden coop which had been recently cleaned.

I'm seriosly thinking about ending the hen project and really think I would regret it if I did as Betsy and Bo are gorgeous. BUT, they produce no eggs, poo all over the place and I am now worried about maggots from all the flies...

Any ideas on how I can get round these problems??

Cheers guys - you've all been so fab in the past and I don't want to get rid of the girls but worried that they are just turning in to pets who poo all over the place where my daughter plays...

xxx

[RedThorn]

The best I can suggest would be to make a permanent run for them.... that way your lil 'un won't crawl in the poo. As to the fly's it's a case of keeping up with the poo picking to keep the fly numbers down.... Hopefully someone else can come up with more ideas

I'm no expert, but the girls will lay in their own time (the waiting is painful I know). I'm still waiting for 2 of my pullets to start laying , one started this week. The Heritage skyline I apparently have to wait quite a bit more for eggs as they start later...

[vicky]

Hi Annie, sorry you sound so down! I can certainly sympathsize with the poo problems....one of the things "no one told me" about keeping hens! Mine too don't free range but stand in a row outside the french doors on the patio looking in and pooping in a line! I now have a chicken wire gate to stop them getting onto the patio - can you fence off an area for them?
My 2 yr old thinks the chickens are his best friends (chickens beg to differ!), great pets for children.
The flies....collect the poo from inside the coop every day is my only suggestion, at least the maggots will be in the compost then!. There are a lot of flies around at the moment which settle on certain colours - they seem to like light coloured things, so unless they are the ones buzzing round the poos they may not be attracted to the poo itself. You can buy that sticky fly tape in garden centres which you could try hanging inside the coop?
As for the no eggs, I can't help there! Some just seem to take longer to come into lay than others. Are their combs bright red? If so it shouldn't be long - something to look forward to?

[frias]

Golly Annie, you are fed up aren't you. I now fence of part of the lawn for my girls as they have destroyed most of the garden. They also have a fox proof run for when I'm not around. I use Hemcore in the run and it keeps the flies and smell at bay. I poo pick the lawn every day. I also use deep shavings in the coop and have never seen a fly in there. I just pick up the poo in the morning when I let the girls out. I also have 4 fly poison traps in the garden. They do get very smelly as they fill up with flies but do the job.
The egg problem I can't help with as I have ex-batts but I know some peeps on here have waited until girls are 32/34 weeks old. Do your girls crouch down if you touch them? If so then hopefully eggs will be along soon.

[Maddie106]

Hi all,

I've posted a few threads asking stuff like when will my hens start laying and a few starter problems but now it's getting to the stage where I am starting to wonder whether keeping hens is a good idea. Help!

The hens are about 28 weeks old and really should be laying, they've produced nothing! They are let out of the run and coop every day for a forage around the garden but they just seem to sit on my patio and poo all over it (I have a baby girl who is now crawling over the patio and garden). The birds don't want to venture to the rest of the garden even if the food is there.

Also, this morning when I went to let them out of the coop the place was absolutely black with flies - they were covering the floor and the wooden coop which had been recently cleaned.

I'm seriosly thinking about ending the hen project and really think I would regret it if I did as Betsy and Bo are gorgeous. BUT, they produce no eggs, poo all over the place and I am now worried about maggots from all the flies...

Any ideas on how I can get round these problems??

Cheers guys - you've all been so fab in the past and I don't want to get rid of the girls but worried that they are just turning in to pets who poo all over the place where my daughter plays...

xxx

Keep going Annie!
I'm a bit concerned that your chooks don't attack the garden with glee....what are you feeding them? Mine totally trashed the garden in the autumn, eating leeks, sprouts, fennell, onions!

The only answer to the poo problem is to enclose them, (or the patio )and "poo-pick" in the coop daily. It works very well as an activator on the compost heap.

I'm puzzled that the chooks aren't eating the flies....mine chase flies in their run and went manic when I let them "help" when I turned the compost heap..ate flies, woodlice and worms.

Try keeping them in their run for a week, with just layers pellets and fresh water, plus some dandelion leaves and grass as a treat each day. I've also used poultry spice in the past.
Could it be that you are feeding them too well on corn/pasta/bread etc? My trio are really greedy, so I don't treat them too much with extras, but I'm getting an egg a day from them.

BTW, what sort are they?

Do keep going, because your little girl will love helping you feed/clean them/ collect eggs as she gets older.

[lizzylemon]

I had similar situation earlier this year but it will get better, I promise. I got totally stressed out with the poo thing too - it was forever being tracked into the house as they were originally free rangers, so I made a new 'law' about shoes being outside. Then that wasn't good enough as I started to think about transferal from door step to floor - I got totally fixated and a bit annal (sorry) and really didn't enjoy it at all from constantly worrying about germs & worms & gorgeous crawling daughters. ARGH! And then they trashed my garden. :mad and they weren't laying any bl**dy eggs

Just before my head exploded, enough was enough!

The chooks are now in an enclosure, the garden is back to normal, it feels wonderful to give my family fresh eggs, eggs that taste amazing by the way and I poo pick the coop / sweep the run floor as often as possible. They don't get any treats other than green stuff and now eat their layers pellets, (which I'm not sure they did before with so many treats being chucked in) and the stinky poo seems to be better since their diet improved. They are about 6 foot from the kitchen door and it seems I have less flies in the house this year - they prefer the poo I think.

Keep going. XX

[raine]

Don't know if this might help but i add garlic to their layers pellets and this is meant to help stop their poo from being too smelly (as well as deterring mites) don't know if it's true or not but at the moment, their poo seems quite fine. I have to thank another grape for the tip though, it's not mine!