Moldy ground in chicken run!

[hayley-gail]

I'm new to chickens! I've only had these 2 pullets for 4 weeks (I have four chicks in a brooder as well). Their run is just dirt/leaves/grass. We feed them pellet layer feed straight on the ground (what I was advised). Well I'm in flash flood alley here in San Marcos, TX, and our backyard recently flooded. There was leftover feed that had crumbled on the ground and now this morning I came out and there is mold in multiple places where the crumbled leftover feed was. How on earth do I get rid of it? I don't want my girls getting sick! I add 2 tablespoons of raw apple cider vinegar to their waterer once or twice a week to help digestion and give them probiotics. I'm worried they've already eaten some of it. They peck all over the ground all day of course. Their bag of food is clean and dry. I have diotemacious earth (not food grade), but no lime. Should I just shovel it all out and throw some fresh soil on top? This feeding thing is confusing to me. Every time I feed them there are leftover crumbles.

 

[Hillaire]

shovel it out, spread a little food grade diatomaceous earth over the area and that should do it fine

 

[lazy gardener]

DE should not have any effect on mold. In a damp climate, I'd not spread any more feed on the ground than they can clean up in a few minutes. Unless there's a reason to be putting it on the ground, why not put it in a feed container?

 

[hayley-gail]

I'm not opposed to a container at all, I just never bothered getting one. When I bought my chickens I was told to just throw the feed on the ground. But I guess that's going to be my safest bet to prevent it from happening again. I wasn't sure how much they ate at a time when I first got them (and I'm still not), plus my 4 year old enjoys feeding them, so we've definitely thrown a bit too much out.

 

[ChickenFox]

I would definitely recommend putting their food in a feeding container. Anytime that food touches the ground in the summer here if it doesn't get eaten it's moldy the next day. As for your child you could let them throw a bit of scratch grains out for the girls. They'll gobble them up and with his/her small hands a few hand fulls shouldn't be too much for them. If they don't eat it all its much more likely to sprout than mold.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Definitely get a feeder of some sort, whether it's a bowl or an actual chicken feed dispenser, as feed does tend to mold when wet and it also will attract pests if it's left lying around. Just scrape up the obvious patches of mold and turn over the soil where it was, and those areas should clear up on their own.

Treat foods like scratch, BOSS (black oil sunflower seeds), and vegetable scraps are safe to toss directly onto the ground for the birds to find and pick up. Your little one can help with tearing up kale or parsley for the chickens to enjoy. Just feed treats in moderation.