How do you do it?
My coop is near my barn because it makes feeding, watering and cleaning easy. However, my small flock of chickens poops on everything, and I don’t want them in the barn. Plastic owl? Barn cat?
A cat will most likely not work, my cats are for lack of a better word submissive to my flock. And I would just feel bad about an owl, most likely causing stress for them. They are going to the barn because they feel safe there, perhaps place fencing around the coop.
Fencing.
Good Luck.
My 22 hens are constantly in my barn, too. They do poop on the floor, but I have never ever found poop in the hay stacks, even with them spending time there to lay eggs.
I was able to discreetly fence them out of my landscaping using 4" high electric fencing, but I cannot think of a way to keep them out of a barn, yet still allow people and horses into the barn.
The only thing I can think of is a mesh gate at every entrance, darn near flush with the ground, and high enough to discourage them from flying over it, with small enough mesh that they cannot squeeze through.
My flock is not afraid of dogs or cats, and I’d bet they wouldn’t worry about a plastic owl, either.
I had the same problem - most of my flock is fenced but I had a few particularly talented fliers that just would not stay in. They were making an absolute mess of my barn, particularly my nice concrete aisle.
Barn owls and cats are useless for chickens in my experiences. Fencing in a run area is going to be your best bet. I used metal t-posts and field fencing for mine so that I can move it if I want to - works great although it’s admittedly not the prettiest thing ever. I’ve been thinking about switching to electric poultry netting in the spring - I understand that’s even easier to move if you’re not wanting to put up something permanent. If you have fliers clip one or both wings. I only had to do it once and now they don’t seem to remember they can fly :rolleyes:
When you figure out how to keep free range chickens/guineas/ducks out of the barn I’d like to know. Mine think their carport is home and poop all over it. I tried locking them in their “coop” for a week, just the chickens/not the ducks, and my husband felt sorry for them, let them out.
If you have outside sliding doors, some barn setups allow you to add inside sliding doors, which could be screens. The air flow is still good, but keeps out birds both large and small, along with flies. I have seen these at a couple old barns.
That’s why my coop is not located near my barn :lol:
I have the poultry netting and I quite like it.
I gave up. I have a flock of about 25…My Ethel, my geriatric hen, and Helen, my blind hen, stay in my tack room regularly. Definitely makes for a messy floor.
My dog simply cleans up the poop for me. Not an issue anymore 
After having messy chickens in the barn and something making off our hens (suspect neighbor’s free ranging dogs), we also went with the electic poultry net. Works like a charm. They have plenty of room, we can change the area around as needed, and we don’t have to worry about them or the mess. Did feel sorry for one of the hens the first day we had the net up. She put her head through the net to get a tasty bug and got quite a jolt. She ran back to the coop and sat there fluffed up for a while with a dazed look and occasionally shook her head. After the ECT, she does seem to have a much more agreeable temperament.
When you figure it out let me know. They chase the cats. They’re underfoot. They go where they please including the haymow which really takes some doing.
The only thing that might work is one of those motion sensor sprinklers at the doorway because the only way to successfully heard a flock of chickens is with a water hose.
Free Range means Free Range. Nothing is off limits. NOTHING
What everyone else said - there was no way to keep them out of the barn, and they LOVED the barn. Note the past tense I am using - I just couldn’t take it, it was disgusting. You have to locate the chicken coop far away from the barn.
My chickens even learned to use the cat door!
Count me in the I cant keep them out of the barn and I just except it group. Yes they make a mess, yes its more cleaning, but no one around here has the heart to tell them NO! And I can say they do help de spook the horses. I am lucky because I don’t worry about them free ranging that much, as the stray dog DH dragged home years ago has decided that it is her lot in life to be their guardian. Who would have ever thought? Anyways I just sort of go with it.
I stopped free ranging mine after two died. Right now they only free range for a couple hours at night.
Otherwise they have a coop, a huge chicken tunnel, and a dog kennel. I may expand this in the future with netting (like a pheasant farm has), more chicken tunnels, or the moveable electric as discussed above. I really like my set up now a lot. It’s great. I have more chickens and a lot less poop in my yard.
I have pictures in my blog. The two hours seems to keep them mentally stimulated vs. complete containment.
Also, my new 2014 hens are not inclined to cross the road to my neighbors like my old gals were and seem to enjoy cleaning through the poop in the pasture and dry lot, so that’s nice.
Well at least I’m not alone…
The garden and barn are at opposite ends of the property. I had to choose - did I want them near the garden or the barn? I chose barn. The only real nuisance is the poop in the aisle, but it sure is a nuisance!
[QUOTE=CourtneyANYC;7850438]
Well at least I’m not alone…
The garden and barn are at opposite ends of the property. I had to choose - did I want them near the garden or the barn? I chose barn. The only real nuisance is the poop in the aisle, but it sure is a nuisance![/QUOTE]
OK, I don’t know what I was doing wrong, but my chicken coop was IN the barn and I didn’t have a messy barn. (It was a stall converted to a chicken coop. 48 chickens in that one coop, and 37 in the coop across the driveway, we made good money selling eggs. I did clip wings every six months so they could not fly over the fences or roost in the rafters. Hay bales were covered so no pooping on the horses food. Roosting time is pooping time. Also they had a small outside door to their coop that was closed at night (no exiting of birds, no entering of varmints) and I didn’t open it until about 7:30 or 8:00 every morning. They tore out of that coop like it was on fire! Roamed the pasture looking for goodies. The little door stayed open all day because their nest boxes were in the coop. Coop had a wood door people size that gave me access from the barn aisle for egg collecting, feeding, cleaning, etc. Large window covered with double layer of chicken wire gave good ventilation. Every time I caught a chicken in the wrong part of the barn, I chased it out by making a huge fuss and scaring it pretty good. Everyone was happy. I would still have chickens if not for my hubby’s 2 strokes.
It was a bit of a hassle to clean the coop but I used layered straw bedding which would get hauled out about once a month to the compost pile. If I had it to do over, I would have made the people door wider.
PS: One day I was delivering some flats of our blue & green eggs to the local café and a lady standing by the front door asked me, “Did you grow all those pretty eggs?”
The most entertaining thing about farming is the city-folks.
[QUOTE=CourtneyANYC;7850438]
Well at least I’m not alone…
The garden and barn are at opposite ends of the property. I had to choose - did I want them near the garden or the barn? I chose barn. The only real nuisance is the poop in the aisle, but it sure is a nuisance![/QUOTE]
We have 4 chickens in the barn. The aisle does not appear to be a mess, but it’s a guarantee that when I take my riding boots off and put them on the rack, there will be at least one chicken poop embedded in the tread :mad:
[QUOTE=neversaynever;7849735]
After having messy chickens in the barn and something making off our hens (suspect neighbor’s free ranging dogs), we also went with the electic poultry net. Works like a charm. They have plenty of room, we can change the area around as needed, and we don’t have to worry about them or the mess. Did feel sorry for one of the hens the first day we had the net up. She put her head through the net to get a tasty bug and got quite a jolt. She ran back to the coop and sat there fluffed up for a while with a dazed look and occasionally shook her head. After the ECT, she does seem to have a much more agreeable temperament.[/QUOTE]
:lol::lol::lol:
