Poop Trays???

Date sort Score sort
ruralretreatchx

ruralretreatchx

In the Brooder
8 Years
Mar 29, 2011
22
0
22
I'm planning my coop now, and will have 9 hens in a 120 sq ft coop (converted horse stall) with access to the outside, 2 windows. I'm planning my roosts, and have heard a lot of talk about poop trays for underneath. I'm planning on doing the deep litter method with pine shavings. Do I need to use poop trays?
 
i do the deep litter and i do not use poop trays at all. i never heard of them until this forum and i have quiet a few family members and friends who do not use poop trays. so it is not necessary to use them. i think it's more of a person preference.
 
I use a board under my roost. It's very convenient to keep a lot of poop out of the coop. I scrape it off in the morning, and into my compost heap it goes.
 
I am so surprised at how good they work - I went out to clean the coops and the one that had the trays I only had to pick up a few droppings literally... everything else was under the roosts on the trays... quickest coop clean up yet.

With deep litter, I would expect you plan to use everything you remove out at some point for compost, so all of that poop is probably a benefit... They trays are so you can keep the poop to one area and just remove the poop from the trays to your compost without having to worry about shavings, etc.
 
Thanks, everyone! I'm still on the fence about the trays. I'm really wanting to use the litter for my garden every year...Thanks!
 
Here is my limited experience.


I have had chickens since November and they have just started laying. Since the time they have started roosting, about 8 weeks ago, I have not had to add any bedding to my deep litter because the poop trays collect the majority of the poop. To me this translates into fewer litter cleanouts and less expense on bedding. The coop is clean and fresh smelling. Ventilation helps this too.

My poop trays can be pulled out from the outside of the coop and dumped right into the compost pile.
 
Absolutely!. My poop boards are over my nest boxes, and of course under my roost bars. GREAT for keeping the coop clean. 2 minutes a day and you are done. I put stick on vinyl squares,(18" sg.") on the boards and I use a litter scooper to scrap it off into a tray, and dump it in my compost barrels. Very easy, and IMO the way to go..........
Quote:
 
Quote:
I use poop trays and they're still a fair amount of poo that gets deposited elsewhere in the coop: essentially, all of the droppings from the daytime. Only the night time droppings will typically end up in the poop tray under the roost.

Think about it this way: if you don't use a poop tray or board under the roost, by the end of a single week there will be a quite impressive pile of droppings there under the roost, a couple of inches high at least. I guess folks who use the deep litter method without poop trays just rake these piles into the bedding frequently.
 
Here's my knowledge xD

I for my coop use a wooden dropout, just unlatch and let the poop roll out. It's quite easy but still there is an amount of poop in their boxes as-well but since they just pull out, I'm able to dump then and give a quick scrub. Whatever you decide I wouldn't recommend wire bottoms. They're awful! It may sound like a wise idea, "Oh the poop will just fall out onto the ground!" NO. That is incorrect, some of the feces get stuck and it takes a little more time the a tray.
QP
 
my poop boards are under my self constructed roost. i have the roosts sitting on top of a frame which has a shelf built into the frame tat i have large holed mesh sitting on. i put card board on the mesh and when they poop it falls onto the cardboard and the cardboard absords the moisture and dries it out before the next sesh. eventually it piles up and you pull out the bardboard shake it into a bucket and put it back or replace it. the carboard then breaks down easier in the copost heap.
 

Similar threads

AinaWGSD
    • Like
Concrete floor for chicken coop
Replies
9
Views
1K
Mouthpear
Mouthpear
emyancey
    • Like
Deep litter method in shed coop/poop boards?
4 5 6
Replies
59
Views
3K
emyancey
emyancey
crystalsc
    • Like
Litter Tray materials
Replies
9
Views
1K
odchooks
odchooks
Sefirothe
    • Like
Poop Board/Roost Question
2
Replies
12
Views
2K
saysfaa
saysfaa
Rosekitten
    • Like
Coop designs (plan 6 to 8 chickens, lace cochin)
Replies
2
Views
666
rosemarythyme
rosemarythyme

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom