How to potty train your chickens? (keep 'em from crappin' on the prorch)

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My only frustration with free range chickens is that they always seem to want to hang out around the porch. Of course the end result are little gooey gems to necessitate careful avoidance. This can be more difficult this time of year when your arms are so full of firewood you can't see your feet.

We have tried lots of things, including never feeding them near the house, especially not tossing scraps out the door, chasing them with a broom and trying to train the dog to keep them away, all without success.

I would imagine that many of you have had the same problem and hope someone will have the solution.

-- Tis I (really_tis_i@yahoo.com), March 03, 2002

Answers

kepp them off the porch,, then no gooey mess on the proch to deal with.

-- Stan (sopal@net-port.com), March 03, 2002.

Fence the pourch, is what worked for me.

Or you could fence the chickens, about the only two options that I see. Chickens do not seem to be very trainable.

Cheer up you could be rasing geese. They are easier to fence, and leave a bigger target to step in, not to mention more often too. Good luck.

Now if all else fails chicken can be fried on top of a wood burner, provided it has a flat top.

-- Ed Copp (OH) (edcopp@yahoo.com), March 03, 2002.


Hi Tis I, you might post your question on www.poultryconnection.com and see if any of the people there can come up with some help. Also, there are all the great links that take you to places like "Feathersite" etc. and they will all answer questions re chickens. There is also "THe Coop" forum. Wish I had some good suggestions for you. If your front porch is like ours(raised, with lattice work all around except for the stairs which are 50 " wide)I can tell you I made a set of double gates, framed with 2X4's and covered with lattice also. These hinge(I used piano hinges, had them around) on each side and swing shut to close in the middle. Each has a screen door spring on it. They are easily pushed open with your knee so when bringing in groceries or, in your case, firewood you don't have to undo a latch or anything. I built these for keeping pups on the porch when I wasn't right there to watch and I didn't want to have to deal with latches 'n' stuff when my hands were full. Wish I could help, I know this has to be a pain. My ducks free range too but don't come up on the porch so don't have any experience to add. Good luck, hope will tell us how you solve it. LQ

-- Little Quacker (carouselxing@juno.com), March 03, 2002.

I use a water hose. Removes the chickens and their "calling card". Here in northeast Carolina we rarely have to worry about frozen hoses.

-- Debbie - ne NC (chickEmama@hotmail.com), March 03, 2002.

Build them their own porch?

Sorry - it's been a long day. Big snow storm, the world is still white.

-- Bernie from Northern Ontario (bernadette_kerr@hotmail.com), March 03, 2002.



You can try windchimes and wind mobiles, with with long arching [wire] branches and sparkling parts. If the birds think it is alive and might GET them they will stay away. Change something on it every so often so they don't figure it out, or move it to a different spot and so on.

My Grandmother had whirley-gigs on her fence to the house yard, the birds could get through it because it was for cows, but they didn't come to the front yard very often, and some brids don't like radios.

-- Thumper/inOKC (slrldr@yahoo.com), March 03, 2002.


You could perhaps try setting out one of those imitation owls on your porch entry.

-- --Rich in NE Iowa (elerebel@willinet.net), March 03, 2002.

You might try diapers but it'll keep ypu busy changing them.

-- charlieS (charliesap@pldi.net), March 05, 2002.

Get a border collie and show here that the porch is off-limits to chickens.

-- john hill (john@cnd.co.nz), March 05, 2002.

Keep 'em off the porch?!? I can hardly keep mine out of the house! They are such pets, they try to follow me EVERYWHERE!

-- Gayle Smith (gayleannesmith@yahoo.com), March 05, 2002.


I can't get the kid not to go in her pants !!!! Do you really want my ideas about chickens ?????? Sorry , honest I am .Ok joking aside get a dog on the porch or fence in the chickens , or live with it .

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@hotmail.com), March 05, 2002.

I'm in a Stan mode today... Eat them.

-- Gailann Schrader (gtschrader@aol.com), March 05, 2002.

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