Poop boards with coffee grounds

[TaylorGlade]

We are redesigning our roosts and want to add poop boards.

I see some people that use coffee grounds in their boards - but they are buying coffee bedding. Can you just re-use your morning brew? What is the advantage of coffee? Also, is mixing sand, pdz pellets and coffee acceptable?

 

[RojoMarz]

I use PDZ on my poop board. I do dry our morning spent coffee. After it's dried, I put it into a container. Every so often, I dump the dried coffee grounds in with the PDZ. I've not been able to dry enough coffee grounds to replace the PDZ though.

 

[Lillith37]

Coffee grounds are toxic to chickens so if you use them you have to make sure you don’t have any curious eaters in your flock, or that they just sample it and don’t go to town on it.

I have been working at a cafe/coffee roaster for the past year and I take home the coffee chaff (the skins/husks that are removed during the roasting process). It’s highly absorbent and excellent for any sort of deep litter but not for nesting boxes because it will stick to the eggs when they are laid.

 

[TaylorGlade]

Coffee grounds are toxic to chickens so if you use them you have to make sure you don’t have any curious eaters in your flock, or that they just sample it and don’t go to town on it.

I have been working at a cafe/coffee roaster for the past year and I take home the coffee chaff (the skins/husks that are removed during the roasting process). It’s highly absorbent and excellent for any sort of deep litter but not for nesting boxes because it will stick to the eggs when they are laid.

Thank you. Was it not the grounds people use then?

 

[Lillith37]

Thank you. Was it not the grounds people use then?

No no I’m pretty sure people use coffee grounds. It’s an excellent choice except for the fact that the chickens shouldn’t eat it. I don’t trust mine (or rather, I don’t trust one particular hen) otherwise I would use it myself.

 

[TaylorGlade]

No no I’m pretty sure people use coffee grounds. It’s an excellent choice except for the fact that the chickens shouldn’t eat it. I don’t trust mine (or rather, I don’t trust one particular hen) otherwise I would use it myself.

Mine aren't 6 months old yet. I'm not sure how they would act. How toxic are they?

 

[~KH~]

I use sweet PDZ and coffee grounds and haven’t had any issues.

 

[Lillith37]

It’s the caffeine that is toxic and it can cause pretty serious complications. I’m not sure exactly how toxic or in what quantities but there is still caffeine in used coffee grounds. It affects calcium absorption and organ systems in chickens. I’m not sure if it will definitively kill them but it will definitely affect them if they eat it. If they don’t eat it it’s not going to be a problem.

 

[Sammster]

I use sweet PDZ, and used to add used, dried coffee grounds. But after adding the newer batch of pullets last year, I had to stop. A couple of them picked at the trays. Now I just add them to my compost

 

[TaylorGlade]

I use sweet PDZ, and used to add used, dried coffee grounds. But after adding the newer batch of pullets last year, I had to stop. A couple of them picked at the trays. Now I just add them to my compost

Do you mix the pdz with sand?