[audi]

Is there anyway to treat the soil that would be harmless to the chickens so that I do not need to move the coop,as I cannot do it myself I have to enlist my family and I feel guilty causing them all the work, although they do not complain.  Would loads of stalosen f raked in work?

[8doubles]

The trouble with chemical treatments for the soil is that the good bacteria get killed along with the bad ones . Better to dig it over now and again and get the family to move it every few months.
 A pair of wheels fixed to the coop may help.

[Oakdalebirds1]

Hi Audi
I have the same problem i have a open run around 12 foot long and triangle shaped back to the coop. my garden is not big enough to move the run etc so i turn the ground over every 3 months and use stalosen f .
Although this helps i have also added the following to stop mud and other undesirable things being taken in to the coop....  i got 4 decking lenghts of wood made a box under the coop and filled it with pea gravel now not to blow my own trumpet but the bedding is lasting alot longer , the girls have some where dry to stand on and the eggs are cleaner.
hope this helps

[audi]

Thank you oakdalebirds you sound like you have the same problems I have, although I have a large garden it is difficult to know where to move to next.  With the pea gravel how do you clean it? My coop has a built in run which is only small but does give them shelter it i would be impossible to dig in there  as I could not stand up so pea gravel sounds promising, they have a large open run as well.

[Oakdalebirds1]

Hi in reference to cleaning the gravel i hose it down and sprinke a little Disinfectant after , i only do this once a week and touch wood it works...... its easier if the gravel sits on some weed membrane.

[audi]

Thanks that sounds great and will solve my problems.  Did start to think as to whether I was going to have part with my chicks now feel very relieved that my little darlings can stay, mind you do not think I could have made the decision to part with them although thought abojavascript:replaceText('%20:)',%20document.forms.postmodify.message);ut it.