Food/Water Santitation Tactics

OK, so another question for Ms. Lazy tonight...

The girls keep pooping their waterer and feeder in their coop. It is pretty small and they've got a good shot at it from up on their roost. Any thoughts?

Did I read somewhere on here about someone putting a shelf type thing under the roost to protect those that stand under?

Another totally unrelated question --- but why start another thread --- I want to feed them oyster shell, but don't have a feeder with multiple compartments. Should I add it to their scratch?

mine always did that so we keep waterers outside in the runs now instead of the coops. they don't do it anymore. mine don't rost so no help on that one.

u shouldn't be feeding scratch alone it is not good for them, they should have a regular diet more with scratch added some or as a treat. it's like giveing them candy and is not really nutritional. oyster can get mixed in some or given free choice in bowl or on a plate, or on the floor of the coop for them to peck at. u don't want them to have to much or they will get calcium deposits on the egg shells, to little they will not lay or have rubber eggs.

hope that helps,
silkie

Oh yes, sorry about that silkie. they have a nice organic layers feed that they have access to at all times. I'm just talking about the scratch I give them as a treat in the morning and evening.

cool. I'll try a bowl or something... they don't hang out in the hen house very much -- that may change with weather -- so I'm not certain they'd pick out of the bedding.

lol, no prob i should have asked that. i have seen people here do that and give pure scratch and nothing else and had probs with their birds that's why i mentioned it.

mine hang more in the coops now that it is colder that might be cause i have above ground coops/runs. i mix it in the feed but my girls kick it out so the other peck through it too. they have pans so they scratch and it kicks feed/oyster grit out. i need to make them a feeder like the showgirls have so they can't do that. theirs is made from new green sewer pipe we had left over after doing the new pipes here. we capped the ends and attached boards so it doesn't roll then cut 2 big holes in the top. they can eat out of it but can't get into it to scratch and they can't sit on it to slippery. definately keeps their coop cleaner and less waste.

You have a picture of that... sounds interesting and promising!

I was thinking the same thing. We need a picture!

it's not the best pic but should show enough of it to get the idea. let me look see if i have any other pics of it. i'm seriously thinking about makeing more but out of pvc pipe since it is cheaper.

this is a pic from last year i think it shows it a little bit more.

cool, interesting idea. I was thinking at first you meant that the sides were still open, which would have totally helped me with my problem. They'd still be able to poop in that. They just hang their little booties over it from the roost. Anyone else use a roof over their food or anything else to protect?

I think I might move the water outside like you suggested though.

i saw a post on byc someone made them different up and down not sideways out of pvc. that might work. let me see if i can find the post to put a link for ya. it had pics.

What a great idea! Looks good too!! Thank you for posting that!

BTW - your guys and gals are SO cute!

awe, thank you and ur welcome. here is a post i hadn't seen before but has some good ideas i'll post it while i keep looking for the one i was thinking of so u can check it out while i look.

http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=92207&p=1

this is a dustpan pvc one-

http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=85972

this is the one i was thinking of for a feeder/oyster that had a roost u could do it along the wall or outside run, the one speckled hen has a pic of on pg 2. it would not have to be under the roost it could go along the outside of where it is instead of in the middle under it.

http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=80602&p=1

another thing that may work is like mine but roll the holes to the side some so they have to stick head inside pipe to eat the pipe would be covered so food wouldn't get poo in it. if that makes sence.

Silkie- Never thought of putting food in those. I make those for waterers.

LL- Is there anyway you can move their water out from under theor roost? Mine don't seem to poop in it when generally walking around. Also my holes are only 2 inches, which means they would have to be precision bombadiers to hit the holes.

Sheila

Sheila,
Unfortunately the way I have their coop set up now, its in the furthest spot possible. The coop is only about 3' deep 4' tall at it's highest point and almost 4' wide. I had read that the roost needed to be at least 18" from any lateral roosts or walls. So that's what I did. This puts the roost smack dab in the middle of the coop and anything is within pooping range.

The whole front opens (see pics in tour de coop for reference) so I can only run the roost lengthwise. I had also read something about having 12" linear roost space per bird, which would essentially be the width of my coop. I've been thinking that maybe I could either fashion some sort of "roof" over the feeder and waterer or put a shelf under the roost. The only problem with the latter is that I fear anything that would protect the feeders would probably also inhibit them from getting on their roost. *lightbulb!* unless it was just at that end of the coop!!! hmmm...gunna have to go think about that one.

LL, I haven't looked at your design yet, but here is a link to one of our roosting boxes, it has the poles on top, then a layer of chicken wire so droppings can fall through into the box, with a door for easy clean-out, but after using it for 6 months, I can say that that box does not need to be anywhere near that size.. you could make sort of a table right under the roost bar, the chicken wire is so they don't walk through their poo.. they hate dirty feet ;-)

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/fp.php?pid=4662958

I spent about an hour or so tonight creating a roof over the feeder and waterer inside the coop. This should keep the girls from hitting it from the roost. I just peeped in there and Anya has decided that its her new favorite place to sleep. ha!