Common Poultry Problems for Backyard Growers

For backyard poultry flocks, small spaces and close residences can create a few conflicts over noise, smell, and other hazards of raising birds. Resolving some common issues requires a little effort and patience to keep harmony between neighborhood life and poultry.

Rotating Space

Creating two different pens for your birds can help tamp down the smell problem from birds cramped in a small space. Rotating them between pens gives you time to scrape the old ground and replant vegetation, as well as treat the ground for any bird parasites with diatomaceous earth. Clean their house regularly (once a week or so) to reduce litter buildup and discourage poultry mites from plaguing your birds.

Letting your birds have free range of your yard can also help keep them healthy and their pen less dirty. While free-range can mean a few messes and some pesky holes scratched in your lawn, a good fence and some wire plant cages should keep the chickens in your yard and away from your plants.

Clip Wandering Birds

Escapees from your yard may annoy your neighbors (and risk the life of the wandering hen) so take steps to keep them from making a break. The easiest way to do this is to clip your poultry’s wings. One wing on each bird should be good enough to keep them from flying over the fence.

Check around the fence perimeter for holes where they might slip through. Chickens can squeeze through surprisingly small spaces, so patch any suspect escape routes with wire or hardware cloth.

Deter Noisemakers

The sound of poultry calling in the early morning hours may not charm your neighbors, so take some steps to reduce the noise. Avoid keeping roosters unless you plan to breed chicks; one or more roosters can fill the hours between sunrise and sunset with plenty of crowing, but no other contribution to your poultry’s productivity.

Insulating their house will help muffle cackling; keeping any windows darkened at night with shades will discourage them from stirring with the first morning light.

Preventing poultry problems before they start is the best way to create harmony in the neighborhood. Be willing to negotiate any problems that arise while keeping in mind your own needs and the health of your poultry flock.