Chicks in the coop-questions

[Ackchickens]

I guess I would say pullets, rather than chicks? Mine are about 9 weeks and have been out in the coop for a couple weeks. I have two questions, the first, is about roosting. They all sleep together in one nest box. What do I do? They are of course completely feathered and it hasn't gotten down below 50 any night they have been out there. Can I just expect they will figure it out on their own?
They put themselves in at dusk and we go out and put the waterer and feeder back in the coop and shut the door. I have two vents at the top of the coop, on the east and west side. I have them both open like an inch at night. Could that be why they are huddling and not roosting? I was just worried about ventilation. Is just having the door open all day enough ventilation (especially in the spring)? I really hope I didn't screw them all up!!!
Next is about cleaning the coop. I have shavings on the floor of the coop and in the nest boxes, (where they sleep). There isn't much poop on ground of the coop, they spend all day outside in the run. And you can tell they prefer to sleep in only one of the nest boxes, because the others are completely clean. How do you clean out the shavings? Is there an easier way than cleaning out the whole thing? I have been putting fresh shavings over the next boxes every day and then emptying out the whole coop and nest boxes like once a week. The coop is small and the shavings are pretty cheap, but it seems like a lot and could get costly. There is no smell at all, everything is dry. It seems like I'm throwing away a lot of perfectly fine shavings, just because I can't sift through it. (This is a for now coop as it is too small and will be building another coop soon, where I plan on having sand/sweet pdz on the floor of the coop, pdz in the poop trays and straw in the nesting boxes.) But until then, I 'd love some help.
Thank you in advance for any help.

 

[Toddrick]

They'll figure out that they prefer roosting on their own. You may want to block off the nest boxes until point of lay.

It sounds like you are cleaning the coop too frequently if it is not smelly. I kinda go by smell...

 

[Berlin]

I put sand in the coop and scoop the poop out with a cat litter scooper.

 

[tracecom]

Block off the nest boxes. They should not be used for sleeping. If the roost pole is very high, nine week old chickens won't be able to get to it. Make a temporary roost pole and put it a foot or so off the coop floor.

Nine week old chicks should be fully feathered and have no problems with cool weather. I would leave the windows fully open day and night unless the temperature is below 60 or so.

Pine shavings naturally dry out poop, and it's not necessary to clean them out. As others have posted, if there's no noticeable odor, no cleaning is required. As to the poop in the nest boxes, see my first suggestion. If you can get them in the habit of sleeping on a roost pole, the poop will accumulate directly under it. Once you have a permanent roost pole, put a poop board underneath it. Put in an inch of PDZ, and you shouldn't have to scoop the poop out more than twice a week. Again, odor is the key.

 

[azygous]

I use pine shavings in my coops with poop boards under the roosting perches where most of the messy night time poop accumulates. I simply remove the boards each morning, scrape off the poop and give them a quick washing with a cheap pine solvent in water and let air dry.

If a wet poop occurs elsewhere, I just pluck out that particular bunch of wet shavings. All other dry poop sifts to the bottom and remains until I change the bedding once a year just before winter.

Block off all the nest boxes over the next few weeks and try placing the chicks on their perches very close to dark when they're most likely to remain. A few nights of placing them on the perch is usually enough to get them to begin getting the habit. Chickens can be taught just about anything that they will otherwise learn on their own, hurrying the process along.

 

[chickchikww]

I use pine shavings in my coops with poop boards under the roosting perches where most of the messy night time poop accumulates. I simply remove the boards each morning, scrape off the poop and give them a quick washing with a cheap pine solvent in water and let air dry.

If a wet poop occurs elsewhere, I just pluck out that particular bunch of wet shavings. All other dry poop sifts to the bottom and remains until I change the bedding once a year just before winter.

Block off all the nest boxes over the next few weeks and try placing the chicks on their perches very close to dark when they're most likely to remain. A few nights of placing them on the perch is usually enough to get them to begin getting the habit. Chickens can be taught just about anything that they will otherwise learn on their own, hurrying the process along.

Where do you get the poop board?

 

[kmartinez]

The poop board u can make easily. Just get a pieces of slick plywood and cut it or have it cut my lowes or home depot ( they allow two free cuts more if they are not sticklers) make sure it is wider than your roost. take a 2x4 and cut it the width of your board as well and screw them on under your roosting pole to the sides of the coop on each end and slide your poop board on top.

I have a sand pit below both my roosts with a lip on it so i can scoop it daily. I have one roost 1 and 1/2 foot off the ground the other is 2 and 1/2 feet off the ground in back of the other. they use the 1 and 1/2 roost as a step to get to the other roost in back. My ladies and the rooster slept in the sand pit for a couple weeks on the ground. as they got older i started seeing one or two roost then it was 3 and so on now all 17 roost but it is like follow the leader, when one starts doing it the rest will follow suit. I wouldn't worry if they are not doing it now it took mine a good couple weeks.

I agree with leaving ventilation open, my two windows are always open..

I use straw in nesting boxes it is cheaper but i also like it better than the shavings in that area. I use pine shavings for the coops floor and when i change nesting box straw normally some straw falls and it gets mixed with the pine shavings. I have yet to clean out the coops pine shavings, i just add more and stir. because in the winter the coop has no heat so i am going after deep litter method. Not only that put it ill make good compost.

 

[chickchikww]

Thank you! I've never thought making it myslef...

 

[Chicks4MamaJo]

I use pine shavings in my coops with poop boards under the roosting perches where most of the messy night time poop accumulates. I simply remove the boards each morning, scrape off the poop and give them a quick washing with a cheap pine solvent in water and let air dry.

If a wet poop occurs elsewhere, I just pluck out that particular bunch of wet shavings. All other dry poop sifts to the bottom and remains until I change the bedding once a year just before winter.

Block off all the nest boxes over the next few weeks and try placing the chicks on their perches very close to dark when they're most likely to remain. A few nights of placing them on the perch is usually enough to get them to begin getting the habit. Chickens can be taught just about anything that they will otherwise learn on their own, hurrying the process along.

Where would you purchase the poop boards from? I'm just setting up the coop now and think I need to got poop boards for my coop.

 

[azygous]

Scrap lumber. People use just about anything as poop boards. Some folks make them as a fixed ledge under the perch and just scrape the poop off, or make sides and fill it with sand and scoop the poop like a kitty litter box.

I went to the lumber yard and asked for wall veneering or paneling. It's thin and light weight, and I cut it myself into the lengths and widths I needed to fit my coops. Generally, you want them 24 inches wide so if the chickens don't all face the same direction, you have the space covered.

I go to carpet and flooring stores and buy remnant linoleum and glue it to my poop boards. It makes them much easier to wash. But you can just seal it with Thompson's Water Seal.

Go to the Coop and Run forum and look at all the different ways people have come up with to make poop boards. You'll get lots of ideas!