# Tortoises and chicken poop



## leigti (Feb 14, 2015)

With the weather getting a little nicer I took the tarp off my tortoise and box turtle enclosures. A few minutes later my chickens were walking around on top of the hardware cloth that covers it. if they poop, which chickens have been known to do often  is it harmful to my Russian tortoise or box turtle? I really don't know how to keep the chickens off of it.


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## Yvonne G (Feb 14, 2015)

This is one way that tortoises pick up parasites - from bird poop.


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## leigti (Feb 14, 2015)

I guess I will have to get creative and figure out a way to keep them off of it. They have free roam of the backyard most of the time. I don't really want to "coop them up" if I don't have to. I have some extra chicken wire laying around that I plan to use to keep them out of the garden so I guess I will just make another ring around the tortoise and turtle pens.


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## tortadise (Feb 14, 2015)

Yes I'd keep them away. Zoonosis transmission is very likely from avian to chelonian as Yvonne stated.


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## leigti (Feb 14, 2015)

They were out there a little bit late last fall. The enclosure has been covered all winter. And it will be a while before I have my tortoise and box turtle out there. Is there anything I should do before I put them back in? Will the sun and rain help to dilute it enough if there is any poop in there? I have not seen any on the wire or anything but you know that doesn't mean anything.


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## Robertchrisroph (Feb 14, 2015)

Its the parasites in the poop that leaches into the ground the tort eats the dirt and picks up something. I'm no expert but I have had chickens and will again I just clean up and keep apart. Good luck.


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## dmmj (Feb 14, 2015)

Plus isn't chicken poop high in nitrates? Maybe it is time to turn them from layers to roasters? just a thought.


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## TortsNTurtles (Feb 14, 2015)

I am glad you brought this up. I was going to use it as fertilizer before I planted. Is that the same for horse manure?


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## leigti (Feb 14, 2015)

Thanks for the info everybody. No I am not going to make chicken soup. I will figure out a way to keep The chickens off the enclosures. It will be a couple months before I can put them out there anyway. Thank God for chicken wire.


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## TortsNTurtles (Feb 14, 2015)

leigti said:


> Thanks for the info everybody. No I am not going to make chicken soup. I will figure out a way to keep The chickens off the enclosures. It will be a couple months before I can put them out there anyway. Thank God for chicken wire.



I am with you. I love my chickens.


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## leigti (Feb 14, 2015)

TortsNTurtles said:


> I am with you. I love my chickens.


I am definitely not a farmer, I have no intentions of eating these chickens when they're done laying eggs. I will have to find a chicken retirement home. I don't know how many years chickens lay eggs but I guess I will find out. They just started Lane in the Cember. They did not read the book that says they don't lay eggs in the winter if you do not provide light or heat. but none of my other animals ever read the books either. So I'm used to having strange animals that don't seem to follow any of the rules.


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## dmmj (Feb 14, 2015)

I love chicken as well, wait never mind, besides it was just a suggestion.


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## TortsNTurtles (Feb 14, 2015)

dmmj said:


> I love chicken as well, wait never mind, besides it was just a suggestion.



lol i thought you were going to say I love chickens as well in chicken soup. 

I love to eat chicken but its once you name them and they come running to you every time they see because you have goodies I just can't do it.


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## TortsNTurtles (Feb 14, 2015)

leigti said:


> I am definitely not a farmer, I have no intentions of eating these chickens when they're done laying eggs. I will have to find a chicken retirement home. I don't know how many years chickens lay eggs but I guess I will find out. They just started Lane in the Cember. They did not read the book that says they don't lay eggs in the winter if you do not provide light or heat. but none of my other animals ever read the books either. So I'm used to having strange animals that don't seem to follow any of the rules.



Mine lay in the winter too with no heat and extra lights. I am curious what kind of chickens do you have? I have Barred Rocks.


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## leigti (Feb 14, 2015)

TortsNTurtles said:


> Mine lay in the winter too with no heat and extra lights. I am curious what kind of chickens do you have? I have Barred Rocks.


I don't know how to spell it, it is pronounced wine dot. weindotte? They are my first chickens, I got them on Fourth of July.


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## mike taylor (Feb 14, 2015)

This is why I rehomed all my chickens to a friend
. It works out good . I get free eggs and don't have to feed them . If you build your chickens a run and clip their wings they will stay put .


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## dmmj (Feb 14, 2015)

Yes, it is very very diffucult to eat a pet.


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## leigti (Feb 14, 2015)

mike taylor said:


> This is why I rehomed all my chickens to a friend
> . It works out good . I get free eggs and don't have to feed them . If you build your chickens a run and clip their wings they will stay put .


That could be an option. But the person who helps me build things doesn't know it yet, but is going to help me enlarge my box turtle enclosure this year. Asking for a large chicken coop and run might to be asking a little too much. But if my chicken wire boundary doesn't work then I may have to look into that. The chickens are fun, they make

here's a few of them hanging out in the backyard.a nice little addition to my little zoo.


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## tglazie (Feb 14, 2015)

Parasites are so irritating. To think that two out of every four organisms on the planet are parasites. It's really a parasitic world. 

T.G.


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## leigti (Feb 14, 2015)

tglazie said:


> Parasites are so irritating. To think that two out of every four organisms on the planet are parasites. It's really a parasitic world.
> 
> T.G.


That is sort of depressing. I've known a whole Lotta human parasites also. Makes me like my animals more.


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## bouaboua (Feb 14, 2015)

I have chicken for dinner tonight! ! ! !

Hahahahaha......It not my pet! ! !


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## leigti (Feb 14, 2015)

bouaboua said:


> I have chicken for dinner tonight! ! ! !
> 
> Hahahahaha......It not my pet! ! !


I had chicken tonight for dinner also. But not the ones from my backyard. I just can't eat whet I name. I have no trouble eating their eggs though.


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## bouaboua (Feb 14, 2015)

leigti said:


> I had chicken tonight for dinner also. But not the ones from my backyard. I just can't eat whet I name. I have no trouble eating their eggs though.


I can help you solve that problem......


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## leigti (Feb 14, 2015)

bouaboua said:


> I can help you solve that problem......


A lot of people have offered, how thoughtful of everybody. my friends raise chickens and they have no trouble eating them once they're done laying eggs. But I just can't.


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## bouaboua (Feb 14, 2015)

leigti said:


> A lot of people have offered, how thoughtful of everybody. my friends raise chickens and they have no trouble eating them once they're done laying eggs. But I just can't.


You just too kind. Nice people with kind heart! ! !


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## TortsNTurtles (Feb 15, 2015)

leigti said:


> A lot of people have offered, how thoughtful of everybody. my friends raise chickens and they have no trouble eating them once they're done laying eggs. But I just can't.



lol... Your chickens are beautiful. Are those turtle/tort outdoor pens or raised gardens? They are nice.


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## leigti (Feb 15, 2015)

TortsNTurtles said:


> lol... Your chickens are beautiful. Are those turtle/tort outdoor pens or raised gardens? They are nice.


They were pretty young in that picture. I had already yelled at the cat for looking like he wanted to eat them, and the dog has known "leave it" since they were chicks. I just stepped in my backyard and saw them all sitting there so I ran back in the house and grab my phone to take a picture. The wooden structure on the far left, the one you can just see a corner of, is the box turtle pen. Those other two are just raised gardens. and

here they are now, nearly full grown.


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## TortsNTurtles (Feb 15, 2015)

They are beautiful!


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## leigti (Feb 15, 2015)

Thanks. I guess this type of chicken is known to be very pretty. I didn't know what thing when I got them about what they would look like when they grew up. I had to Google it. I usually research new pets way more than this before I get them. It was kind of an impulse buy.


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