Poop Happens

I used to joke that the official beginning of spring was the day I cleared the backyard of the dog turds accumulated all winter long. While this is still an annual rite of passage, I have a new definition for winter.

Before I share that definition, please know that this post might not be for the faint of heart. There is some bathroom humor.

One of the regular routines for keeping chickens is maintaining a clean coop. In other words, cleaning up the chicken poop. This makes things look and smell much nicer. I am lucky to get a regular supply of fresh wood shavings from our high school woodworking classroom. Durinfg the summer, I regularly scrape and scoop up the poop piles and add them to the compost pile. This creates “garden gold” that is a welcome addition to our vegetable garden. Plus, since the chickens spend a lot of time outside, the cleanup is relatively easy since the vast majority of poop accumulates right under their roosting spots.

Winter is a different story.

When the weather is reasonable, the cleanup remains basically unchanged although the piles are bigger since there is less outdoor time. However, when the temperatures dip below zero, cleanup is much more difficult, You no longer have easy to scrape poop. You have poop pellets that freeze to the surfaces. If you have a sustained period of freezing temperatures, the power of the frozen feces only strengthens.

The piles grow. The pellets harden. And the energy needed to attempt removal increases. Fortunately, the cold temperatures mask the stench. Frozen poop doesn’t stink. Please take my word for it.

Hopefully, a warm day allows for a quality cleanup and a much needed improvement. to the living conditions of the flock.

Poop happens.