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

[Cluckies]

This is a very old post on this thread that made sense since my coop is only 6' wide. 2' on each only leave 2' walk way. Any current thoughts about doing it this way?

So you have a 6 ft wide coop with 2 roosts, one on each side, which would be 2- 2 ft poop trays, with a 2 ft walkway down the middle? I'm just trying to understand the set up better...

 

[aart]

Quote: Makes sense to put poop board on floor in your case.....or use ramps.

My coop is 6' wide, needed ramps to keep birds from flying into the wall, ramps go to a 18" high platform...
..........some use the ramps, some have figured out how to jump/fly down without crashing.

 

[farmhand]

You are correct. The coop will be 7' long x 6' wide. Open on one end leading into the run. Our winters are mild enough the wind always blows in from the north/west. So the open end is facing east.
Makes sense to put poop board on floor in your case.....or use ramps.

My coop is 6' wide, needed ramps to keep birds from flying into the wall, ramps go to a 18" high platform...
..........some use the ramps, some have figured out how to jump/fly down without crashing.

I will build ramp for the chickens if they need it. But I was more concerned about walking inside a 2' wide space with chicken poop hanging over it.

 

[Canamer]

Does anybody put there roost/poop board over their nesting boxes? Why/why not. Just starting to build our coop. It will be 12X12, and trying to figure how we want the inside layout to be.

 

[Cluckies]

You are correct. The coop will be 7' long x 6' wide. Open on one end leading into the run. Our winters are mild enough the wind always blows in from the north/west. So the open end is facing east.
I will build ramp for the chickens if they need it. But I was more concerned about walking inside a 2' wide space with chicken poop hanging over it.

How high up would the poo trays be? My chickens are heavy and shouldn't jump down more than a foot or 18" at the most and that is if there is room to land. They need to be able to fly down from a higher roost, even jumping down they need to flap their wings, I do not think 2 ft would be enough room. Also, they need to spread their wings to "jump" up to the roosts. I would keep the poo trays low to the ground, no higher than 18 inches and yes, i'd put ramps in. 2 feet would be fine for walking for you, depending on how big you are, but no area to jump down and up to the roost for them. How many chickens are you going to have? would 1 roost be enough? I would keep the roosts close to the poo trays, maybe only 5-6" above them. Then the poo will stay inside the poo trays and you shouldn't have poo hanging over it.

 

[farmhand]

Quote: Thanks for the help. Your making me think.

I'm moving towards more single purpose egg layer chicken breeds that tend to be on the lighter side and fly well. What if I build a poop board along the back 6' wall (over the nesting boxes) and another along one remaining 6' side wall? That would give me 12 linear feet of roosting space and more usable floor space for feed, chicken ladders etc. The poop tray would look like a capital "L" along the back and one side wall. In addition I would build a 2' wall between the run and the side mounted poop tray leaving a 4' door opening. This would encourage hens to roost along the entire length. Now I can raise it higher which the chickens would like and easier for me to clean.

 

[Cluckies]

So yes, that sounds like a better set up and more space for jumping down and up if they want, I think that will work. Probably look similar to aart's, except for the poo tray over the nesting boxes. I would still put in at least one ramp for the ones who like to walk up

Here is mine, I take the upper roost off during the winter. But in the summer, the girls jump to the lower tray, then jump to the upper one. The upper one is cooler in the summer with airflow and across from the windows. the lower one is good for the winter and they snuggle together. I have 6 chickens. They are bigger this year so I will probably add a ramp from the lower to the upper to make it easier on them. I take the 2x4 off of the lower one in the summer so they don't hurt themselves jumping down from the upper roost, they always jump to the lower tray, then the floor. The upper roost is 6 feet, the lower roost is 4 feet long.


Summer set up (before I took out the lower 2x4 roost)


Winter set up.

 

[MrsBachbach]

Does anybody put there roost/poop board over their nesting boxes?  Why/why not.  Just starting to build our coop.  It will be 12X12, and trying to figure how we want the inside layout to be.

Mine are. You don't want your nest boxes higher than your roost or the chickens will roost in the next boxes. My poop boards form the ceiling of the nest boxes and the roost sits several inches above the poop boards. My roosts are not very high, about four foot off the floor.

 

[MrsBachbach]

If you line your poop board with some thick foam backed vinyl sheet flooring, you'll find the poops don't stick as bad
........some are still take a little elbow grease but will pop off the vinyl....
I use a regular garden hoe with the handle cut down to scrape and push the mix into the sifter.

One of those wide metal mudding spatulas works well for popping off frozen droppings too. That and my metal dustpan does the job.

 

[Cluckies]

Due to the sweet pdz, I don't get frozen poo on the bottom of the tray, I just sift it out with the sifter.