Eewww

[kareina]

One of my housemates keeps a couple of hens (or "chooks" as they say here in Australia). Lovely things, sweet, friendly, and I really like the part about having fresh eggs available to cook or bake with. However, he's been letting them out of their pen to wander freely about the back yard recently. This is very good for the chooks--gives them more interesting things to look at, lets them supplement their store bought diet with fresh growing or crawling things that they find in the yard. However, they have not been taught to return to their pens when they need to relieve themselves, and instead leave their messes wherever they happen to be. I don't spend a lot of time in the yard, so ordinarily wouldn't mind. But this weekend baronsnorri is off at an SCA event and asked me to feed the girls while he was gone. Sure. No problem. Easy to do, put half a scoop of food into their dish, twice a day.

This afternoon, as I was about to sit back down at the computer after a short break away, I noticed something brown and squishy looking on the electric blanket on my chair. I looked closer. Ewww! How did that get there?! Ick! Checked the back of my legs, and yup, sure enough, more of the gross chicken-droppings there. Have I mentioned yet that I'm very, very squeemish? I managed to get some hot soapy water and cleaned the blanket, and managed (just!) to not lose my lunch when removing the ick from my jeans with a piece of toilet paper and giving them a preliminary scrub in the sink. They are now in the washing machine, and I'm back at the computer, just a bit uncomfortable with the thought that some of the droppings managed to flick onto the back of my leg when I was in the yard earlier, and not at all convinced that I want to say "yes" the next time they need feeding when he has to go out of town. That yard is dangerous!

Comments

[fjorlief.livejournal.com]

I agree, ICK! Never yet met a housebroken chicken. Can you get self feeders for them? I usually feed my girls(chooks) once a day now, since I don't want to leave food out to draw the rats, but I formerly used hanging self feeders, and still put them up if I need to be away for overnight or a weekend...Just a thought. I've never found their droppings anywhere other than on my shoe-bottoms, so I have a pair of plastic clogs for going out into the backyard, which get swapped out before I go into the part of the yard that they have access to.

[kareina.livejournal.com]

Its the whole rats (and other vermin) thing which has caused him to not leave food out in the past. When he got home and I told him my tale he pointed out that I could have used his "gum" boots, to which I pointed out that the offending bit was stuck to my leg higher than the boots would have reached, to which he countered that gum boots don't bend the same way that other shoes do, so I probably wouldn't have had something flick up and land on me. I *might* try it if it comes up again...

[mamapduck.livejournal.com]

Next time you should require him to clean the yard before he goes. Seems like a reasonable trade off.

Mother wants me to get chickens when we move. I do not WANT to live with chickens.

[kareina.livejournal.com]

lol! I'm not certain that it is possible to clean the yard of chicken droppings, but his suggestion of wearing rubber boots when in the yard is a good one--as he points out, such foot gear bends differently than other shoes, and so are less likely to flick stuff up onto me.

I'm glad I'm not the one responsible for the girls, but I do like seeing them out there wandering around, and I love the fresh eggs!

[mamapduck.livejournal.com]

Rubber boots are also a fair compromise. :)

[sismith42.livejournal.com]

what about coveralls as well, so if stuff does flick around, it will be on trousers that then can go into the wash/be kept for painting and other messy things?

[kareina.livejournal.com]

I am not going to change clothes to do a thirty second task! The jeans I was wearing went into the wash just fine, and with no marks upon them when they came out.

[astemudfoot.livejournal.com]

Soggy chicken poo is pretty gross.

I cleaned out my two chook houses last week. *shudder*

Remember all that smelly chook poo strewn through your yard is probably doing wonders for your garden.

[kareina.livejournal.com]

Oh, you have my admiration if you were able to do that! Ick. I'm certain it is good for the garden, but it was not good for the poor electric blanket!