Poop board convert *warning-graphic/gross poop pictures*

[kimmerjo]

I actually had another idea for cleaning.... I made a "table poop tray" ( I think there is a pic in my profile) I was going to have my husband who is a metal worker build me a box made out of expanded metal. Attach it to one end so I could just "sweep" the whole tray into it and the clean sand would fall onto the floor

 

[Alaskan]

First, I have no experience, other than all the reading...I really tried to pay attention through this whole thread. It was tough to reach the end without just jumping to my questions though. We're getting chicks soon, and we want to be properly prepared without spending a lot of extra money on experimenting or waste. So:

1) Could saw dust be mixed with PDZ to minimize the cost? I'm aware that dust control is a big issue, but I didn't know if mixing it with PDZ would possibly minimize its ability to release into the air easily. Also, if it's just on the poop board, will they be stirring it up that much? I ask because the saw dust is readily available to me and it would be easier to store up for the winter months than sand as an alternative.

2) Just an idea (backed with zero experience - Would one be able to sift/scrape across the whole board with something like a rectangular piece of hardware cloth (or the clever use of a mesh file tray that I read about somewhere here)? Would this scraping motion be easier than the scooping to quickly and thoroughly clean/sift the whole board?

3) Similar to Kimmerjo (p 103?), I had been thinking about sifting methods. Another (zero experience) question I had was for those with the boot trays and such, or those with the small coops. Would you be able to use a tote, bucket, or the like with a sifting screen and just dump the trays? Would this be easier than scooping?

Thank you all for the ideas, camaraderie, and PATIENCE with rookies like myself. Very helpful and kind people you are.

To the SPOILED CHICKEN (Trish); Great coop, great idea. Congratulations on your ability to advance chicken wrangling.

1. I wouldn't mix the two together, i think the saw dust would clump up too much and mess up the whole PDZ function. However, I see nothing wrong with trying 100% sawdust and seeing how it goes. Are you getting it free from a sawmill? I get either free (bag it yourself) or five bucks for a giant black trash bag full of the wood chips/saw dust from local sawmills and wood workers. The stuff I get actually doesn't have that much dust, and when I bag it myself I try to get more chips than dust. Anyway, that is what I have used in my coop for years. Tossing it all in as bedding is a bit dusty, but then everything settles and it is perfect. Also, in a cold winter, there is no issue with smells, so you do not need the odor killing power of the PDZ.

2. I dunno... Depends. I don't clean every day and if there is too much poop in the winter, it welds together like concrete. Cleaning EVERY morning i think would work even at freezing temps. Since I don't, I then have to wait for a slightly warmer day and then use a trowel. Since I am lazy, I have been wondering if I should use a feed sack to line the poop tray, so I can take the entire sack out, flex the sack so that hopefully the frozen poop pops off, then replace sack. I have seen one poop board where they used a metal tray, and then used a large putty knife to scrape it clean.

3. I used PDZ for the entire floor if my chicken tractor this summer. The floor is 4x3 (i think) and sifting and scooping was fun and pretty fast. I didn't feel like I needed a better or faster method.

 

[Glasshen]

I use a mix of sand and PDZ, and that works fine on the poopboards. The floor is DL. So this winter the flock somehow brought the sawdust/shavings up and mixed it with the sand and PDZ. I still can't figure out how they did that, but I just kept sifting, and it all works fine. Large pieces just get sifted out, wood or poo, it just goes to improve the soil.

 

[dtress]

My experience has been good overall, and I would like to share the results for those considering PDZ/Sand combo and using PDZ for the brooder.

So I am 2 weeks into having a mix of PDZ (75%) with pre-sifted Riversand(25%) in my brooder (2 cardboard boxes taped together). The brooder is in my small laundry room, and so smell and dust could be a big issue.

First of all, there was NO smell. I kept stirring up the poop each night to stick it to the PDZ, and finally after a week I felt I should clean it out. So I took an old wire sieve (used for pasta/not a colander though as the diameter of the holes are about 1/16" ) and a small dustpan and scooped and shook in the box. Results: about 2 cups of poop and some rocks/hay that I had added in for cush/fun) remained, which I could toss directly into the compost. Totally dry, no smell! And no need to replace any of the sand/PDZ. The sifting process stirs up a HUGE amount of dust however. I mean a dust storm of it. I need to start putting on a hat and mask maybe to prevent feeling in need of a shower afterwards. And is it bad for us to breathe the PDZ? It can't be good, right? Anyway, the laundry room needs to be wiped down daily - but this was the case with pine shavings too. The chicks love scratching around in the sand (more dust) and they get their grit this way. I really recommend sifting the sand through the sieve you are going to use prior to adding it to the brooder or else it clogs up the process of cleaning the poop.

So overall, I would highly recommend the PDZ/Riversand combo for the brooder. And rather than cleaning the brooder, you are wiping down surfaces instead, which I think we would all agree is a better job than bending over and scooping poop daily. I really don't need to scoop more than once every three days as long as I stir it up daily.

I also put PDZ only in my small 4'x3' coop with my adult birds. It works great for cleaning - I use a kitty litter scoop - and keeps the smell away. However, it makes so much dust when the birds walk and scratch around - again I wonder if there's a health issue for them (and me with my head in this small space as I clean). I know the answer is YES, all dust is bad for our lungs, and I just need to wear a mask and should be fine. I am thinking of trying a thin layer of the PDZ (vs. the 3" I have in there now), and top it with a thick layer of rice hulls which produces no dust but sadly does not absorb moisture. It would sift through the kitty litter scoop and the PDZ would take care of the moisture issue. I might try this next when I add the pullets - knowing that they will be busy in there scratching around.

Hope this helps those still deciding what to use. I have used pine shavings in the past - nice and fluffy with a great pine scent - but two of my birds died from respiratory issues(?? phenols?) and my compost and vegetable gardens suffered from the shavings. They did not break down in a hot compost after a year! The rice hulls - magic in the compost and the birds love scratching and nesting in them, and NO DUST. However, the moisture seeped into the wood below them. So this is why I think the thin layer of PDZ under rice hulls might be the perfect solution. And best for the compost.

I have one poop board with some PDZ sprinkled on top, and it works great to just scrape the poop off into a bucket. And then I add another handful to the poop board from the main floor area.

 

[TheDownyChick]

PDZ is a brand name. The stuff is zeolite.

Ask them about stall dry for horses. It is the same thing.

 

[TheDownyChick]

And lastly, I was planning on putting the PDZ in my brooder, but chickened out (Funny ha, ha) for fear of my babies eating too much of this stuff. I didn't read enough threads from anyone who tried it with their chicks and then saw them live a long healthy life afterwards. Is the jury still out? I did put it in my rabbit litter box though. Maybe I can sprinkle the stuff in the bottom of my trash cans too! And my 10 yo's backpack!

Last spring I used sand and PDZ in my brooder. It was great. My chickies are approaching their first birthday with no problems. I don't know if that is considered long, but they are healthy.

I just bought chicks yesterday and used pine shavings because the bag of sand we bought wasn't dried out enough yet. Ugh. I am go I back to sand and pdz. The shavings stick to everything, the babies step in the poo, and it smellls. :s Last year I had 19 chicks, and this year I have 4, but I can smell these guys whereas everyone was surprised I had 19 chicks because there was no smell.

It was also easier for them to dust bathe.

 

[dtress]

I had wet sand too - and realized that it dries out very quickly if spread in a thin layer under the heat lamp.
Dust bathe - Ha - we are all taking dust baths when we walk through the brooder room!

 

[mmmooretx]

I am still working on my coop design, slightly modified "The Garden Coop", where the exterior footprint is 10'X5' and the roosting room is 5'X3' (roughly). I am looking at putting PDZ in the in the roosting room and river sand in the exterior floor area. I am worried that our Houston rains, sideways sometimes, will cause the entire floor to turn into one giant clump which would be a major problem.
If you think I am wrong in this thinking please let me know as I plan on starting construction of my coop next weekend.
Thank you in advance for any help offered!

 

[Alaskan]

Yep... That is a potential problem.

Can you make the eaves deep enough so that the rain wouldn't come in?

Also, one of those downpours might make the sand in the run all wash away, or turn it into a sandy pond....depending on how you have it set up.

 

[mmmooretx]

Yep... That is a potential problem.

Can you make the eaves deep enough so that the rain wouldn't come in?

Also, one of those downpours might make the sand in the run all wash away, or turn it into a sandy pond....depending on how you have it set up.

I think the eaves are already around 1.5' overhang and here in Houston we can get torrential downpours with significant winds. I am also going to have to do some tie downs so it does not blow off of the piers. I am planning on using ceder fence boards to retain the sand. I am planning on elevating the floor of the coop 6" above the yard as I have had, twice, 6-8" of water in the back yard because it could not drain out fast enough. But the wind blown rain I can do nothing about. Thanks for the inputs.