Poop boards....

[MamaFox78]

While I've got some people's attention on the subject of poop boards, we're newbies and are a bit confused. Can some of you straighten me out?

We've got a 6x8ft coop for 6 chickens with a wooden floor covered in vinyl, and have been covering with pine shavings, trying to keep the coop floor in "deep bedding" (did I understand to be deep litter it should be out on the ground?). We're hoping to compost the resulting mix of pine shavings and poop; we also just added some coffee grounds on the mix this week, read that was okay.

So if I put a poop board in under the roost, we'll be cleaning it like a cat litter box, which we don't want to do really, and what'll be the state of the pine shavings on the floor under and in the rest of the coop? How do we blend the two systems? Or do we?

Rather, what would you do with my set up? Inside coop: Vinyl floor and roost, currently. (We're moving their food and water out to an attached covered screened run any day now. There won't be any water slopping over or food mixed in from the feeder. )

Outside, I do plan to put deep mulch in their run, and does that mean I can have a compost area to add sprouts, soaked seeds, and hope they will help me generate compost in that area?

I do want what's best for the girls. But don't know if family will be diligent about scooping if there's an alternative.

So just a quick note about composting pine shavings... I've personally had a really hard time getting pine shavings to break down, like I've seriously had some in there for almost 2 years. Which is partly why I want to try hemp bedding as it composts much easier and can be used for both deep bedding inside & litter in the run.

But then, I'm in a totally different climate than you - Colorado doesn't have the kind of humidity you do, even though it snows from Oct-May and thunderstorms from June-Sept it just freaking evaporates.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

I don't know who the person was that decided to use poop boards with PDZ in them but I hope they won an award of some sort!!

I'm not sure if JT is the original inventor but he is who I first learned this process from years ago. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/what-is-sweet-pdz.1577385/#post-26801922
It's like everyone is finding out, biggest game changer in my 20years. I love my clean coop

 

[R Wind]

Appreciate the answers. Progress report (or not). I am trying to elicit the info of how my family will feel about scooping poop boards. They've had a few weeks of walking thru the deep bedding (aka pine shavings and poop). I showed the video just above with the zen rake on the Zeolite filled poop board. So they have at least one comparison. I'm letting it sink in.

 

[Okydoky]

Ooohh I love hearing that!! I'm getting ready to try poop boards with PDZ... hoping to build them this week or next.

There is smooth concrete flooring on the side of the coop where my roosting bars are... @TelfTheElf or anyone have thoughts on just building a box with the concrete as the base, or should I go with plywood base?? I'm also trying hemp bedding outside of the poop boards.

our coop is to be for 4 but way to sm so they poop where they nest its right next to it, and there is a metal poop board we didnt know what it was, their nest pole is flat on the poop board so they go all over. Im used to free range at a acerage in a shed w roost bars high up and egg/nest low in boxes.

 

[BabesDucks]

I don't know who the person was that decided to use poop boards with PDZ in them but I hope they won an award of some sort!! That is the best thing ever!! Glad I decided to do that in my build....clean up is like 5 minutes and done!

What’s PDZ?

 

[BabesDucks]

Appreciate the answers. Progress report (or not). I am trying to elicit the info of how my family will feel about scooping poop boards. They've had a few weeks of walking thru the deep bedding (aka pine shavings and poop). I showed the video just above with the zen rake on the Zeolite filled poop board. So they have at least one comparison. I'm letting it sink in.

I don’t see you video but would love to watch it!

 

[RojoMarz]

What’s PDZ?

PDZ

and Tractor Supply Stall Refresher

and a recent thread

 

[Danielle farmgirl]

I don't know who the person was that decided to use poop boards with PDZ in them but I hope they won an award of some sort!! That is the best thing ever!! Glad I decided to do that in my build....clean up is like 5 minutes and done!

What is pdz?

 

[WindyRoost]

So that's exactly what I was thinking as for dimensions... but yes, either plywood or concrete it would be on the floor, I was thinking of boxing it in with a 1x6" to create enough of a lip that if they scratch in either the bedding or PDZ it'll stay put. I guess I could make a raised platform a few inches below the lowest bar, but I'd have to get creative with how it wraps around.

It may have been mentioned, but if you put a poop board on the floor and your roosts some distance above it, the poop will not always fall straight down and you may end up with poop outside the collection tray.

 

[ArthurFrane]

We have the Petmate coop, purchased from Tractor Supply. Currently houses our 3 hens but we're expanding our flock to the allowable 6 for our town. We've used construction sand (not the super fine playground grit) throughout the coop and run, and it is super simple to clean. Cat scooper, a rake, takes only a few minutes each morning and it goes right into the compost.

We also spread con-sand around the larger run that we built off the coop. We rake it a few times each week.