Chickens On The Porch And Morgan Has A Problem Or How To Keep Chickens Off The Porch, Deck, Patio

The chickens are catching the last rays of sun in a warm protected spot on the porch. The porch is radiating some warmth and I know the house is blocking the breeze.

Having chickens on the porch is not something everyone wants because of the chicken poo problem. Our chickens do not spend very much of their time on the porch so their droppings are not  a problem. I find that hosing off the deck takes care of any poo.
(wear eye protection when hosing off the deck)

If chickens are spending time on the porch it is because there is something about the porch that is more attractive to them than other places. In the winter our chickens come up on the porch to stand near the slider next to the wood stove. Chickens aren't dumb. They know where to go to warm up.

How to keep chickens off the porch or deck? Well, I don't mind having them on the porch, but I have a few ideas.

Don't give the chickens anything to eat or drink on the porch. They are going to show up again at a place where there was food. I feed my chickens treats on the porch so they show up every day on the porch tapping at the slider.

Make sure the chickens have places where they would rather spend time than on the porch. If they like the porch because it is warm and protected from wind then they need a warm protected spot of their own. They like dusting areas, if it's hot they like cool shady places that have been watered where they can scratch out a hollow in the damp ground and stay cool. If it is cold they like warm sunny places where they can sun bathe out of drafts and wind.

They like to spend time where there are food sources, water, and treats. Toss out a little scratch on the dirt so they have to spend time scratching for it, have an additional water source, when it is hot a little mud puddle is fun for them, and treats (cabbage, melon, pumpkin, etc.) can be put out for the chickens to lure them to a new spot you would like them to frequent.

The only way to keep the chickens off the porch that I know of that is sure to work is to keep the chickens locked up, keep a dog on the porch that the chickens are afraid of, or screen the porch.

I spent some time playing with my house plants and repotting them. I stuck two of the spider plants in the large planter box until I get a bigger pot for them.

I wanted to transplant some of the small ivy that's in the green garden into the chicken planter, but I couldn't find a start with roots. I'm going to have to use a shovel tomorrow and dig deeper than I can with the hand trowel.

And... then... Kristine came back here while I'm typing up this post and told me that Morgan has blood under her tail.

Oh dear... well after cutting off a lot of Morgan's feathers around her bum and tail we found a few cuts that were bleeding. The cuts may have been from when the groomer trimmed Morgan's coat? The cuts were not forming a scab because (we think) Morgan was licking them and keeping them open.

So, we came up with this t-shirt outfit for Morgan to wear to keep her from licking. We cleaned up her bum, washed with soap and water, rinsed, put on a little neosporin, and rigged up this t-shirt outfit. Hope she leaves it alone tonight. Kristine thinks she will take it off by morning.

Peek at the Past

click here

[6 eggs today]

I've been watching Jeeves and Wooster here on YouTube. This doesn't have anything to do with eggs except Jeeves did put an egg in the fixer up concoction he made for Wooster. I love the opening music and the show makes me laugh. 

~:>

Smiles