Best of Friends?
Although chickens carry far less risk of disease than cats and dogs, it is still not a good idea for children to be playing where there are fresh droppings so we would recommend clearing up droppings if you have small children around. These can be scooped up really easily and popped onto the compost heap or in the bin and any really loose ones can be rinsed away with a watering can or hosepipe.
Many of the hens you buy from breeders now are vaccinated against the major poultry diseases as well as Salmonella and E-coli but you could still come down with an upset stomach after contact with droppings. If a good hand washing regime is followed after contact with the hens, this shouldn't be a problem. We would also recommend a regular worming regime for your hens with a reliable worming product.
If you’re not keen on the idea of children playing where the Eglu has been, an alternative to moving it around on the lawn would be to build a permanent run on wood chippings. The chippings could be easily raked out and changed to keep the run clean and fresh. So long as the chickens had plenty of fresh green vegetables, they wouldn’t suffer from not being kept on grass.
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