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

[yyz0yyz0]

I'm slowly re-modeling my hen house which will include poop boards. Would using a 4x8 sheet of Melanie cut in half be worth the extra cost vs just particleboard and painting it?

Depends on the goal of using the Melanie vs the particleboard.

I made mine out of plywood and had some leftover paint. So I painted the SH@#$% out of them, my goal was to make cleanup easier. But now I'm finding that if I keep the sweet PDZ deep enough then it doesn't really matter almost none of the poop reaches the boards.

If you are planning on bare boards that will need to be scraped clean then I would spend the extra on the Melanie, or try and find scraps of vinyl flooring that you can glue down over the particle boards.

 

[farmhand]

...But now I'm finding that if I keep the sweet PDZ deep enough then it doesn't really matter almost none of the poop reaches the boards.

If you are planning on bare boards that will need to be scraped clean then I would spend the extra on the Melanie, or try and find scraps of vinyl flooring that you can glue down over the particle boards.

Earlier on this thread some posters suggested using only a thin layer of PDZ to keep the hens from dust bathing in it. I'm currently designing as I build.

 

[Tropical Chick]

I used a sheet of corrugated coro plastic (like those cheap signs you see along the roads) to line the bottom of my poop board. Bought it at Home Depot for couple of dollars and cut it to size. Works great!

 

[aart]

I used a sheet of corrugated coro plastic (like those cheap signs you see along the roads) to line the bottom of my poop board. Bought it at Home Depot for couple of dollars and cut it to size. Works great!

That's a great idea!!
Are the ends sealed?....thinking good place for pests to live in those 'tunnels'.

 

[Tropical Chick]

My poop board is encased with 1x4 boards on all four sides to keep the PDZ in so none of the ends of the coro plastic are accessible to bugs. I did use some of the left over pieces under my nesting boxes and small ants decided to build in the little tunnels so I had to take them out but they were not encased on all four sides with boards like the poop board. You could always caulk the ends if it became a problem.

 

[saraiquimby1]

Working on building my poop boards too, but wondering...How much roost space do i need? I have 12 chicks now, who knows how many are pullets but planning on having 10-20 hens. How much roost space would I need?

 

[aart]

Working on building my poop boards too, but wondering...How much roost space do i need? I have 12 chicks now, who knows how many are pullets but planning on having 10-20 hens. How much roost space would I need?

12" per bird......they can roost on less than that, but often need the 'extra' space to get settled. Roosting time can be quite the square dance.
My roost is only 8" above the board and several birds perch on the 2x2 edge of the board and the board helps them do the roost time shuffle.

 

[silkwormlady]

I can't tell from the pics of the poop board with PDZ in it, how deep/wide the board is front to back. In one pic it looks really deep, but then I see the kitty litter scoop and am certain it's narrow. Also is the poop board directly under the roosts? I'm guessing so. But I want to get our first henhouse without too many glitches! Hahaha

 

[iwiw60]

I can't tell from the pics of the poop board with PDZ in it, how deep/wide the board is front to back. In one pic it looks really deep, but then I see the kitty litter scoop and am certain it's narrow. Also is the poop board directly under the roosts? I'm guessing so. But I want to get our first henhouse without too many glitches! Hahaha

Here is how I built my roost bar/poop tray setup:

What it is, is 2 x 4's "double-stacked" so-to-speak, with a section of 1/2" plywood sandwiched in between....make sense? The 'tray' that is formed from the top set of 2 x 4's (I used "true" 2 x 4's) I filled with 1 bag of play sand on the bottom, then topped it off with a full bag of Sweet PDZ Granular (make sure it's the granular). I have to say that at 70 years of age, single woman, I built this all by myself...took me 2 days of hard thinking and measuring, but I did it....proud of myself!

 

[farmhand]

I'm working on remolding my hen house a bit at a time. One of the things that attracted me to poop boards was the additional living space it gives the chickens inside the hen under the boards.