Anyone else opting for the poop-fall-through method?

[MissAnnieFrannie]

Hey there! working on my coop and such, and I see ALOT of people have the poop board, but I am wanting to actually make the floor right under the roost be mesh (harware cloth), and have the poop fall through to the ground. The coop itself is elevated about 2'+ off the ground...I figured this way I can scoop it out with the rake/shovel, straight into the compost. And then keep a poop board to put over it in case of cold nights...

ANYWAS, point of the post! Is anyone else doing the drop through method? If so, may I see a few pics to make sure I am doing this right?

Thanks in advance, everyone!

 

[consdrs]

I tried the "fall through" method. note "tried". poop does not fall through. I had 1x1" mesh under the roost. it did not fall through. chicken poo is quite big!! once a few big ones fall and clog up the whole thing and you end up having to scrape the poo off the mesh. therefore making more work instead of less.

 

[LynneP]

Not here- holes big enough for the droppings would admit some predators and it's so cold in winter we can't risk drafts from below...

 

[bywaterdog]

I have 1/2" hardware cloth on the floor of my entire coop, some does fall through but a lot stays on top of the mesh.My coop is 3' off of the ground and the chickens can not get under it at all. So hosing down the floor of the coop every couple of days does not make much of a mess. With water the hardware cloth cleans [drains] down very easy.

 

[NeeleysAVLChicks]

Yeah, tried that method too, doesn't really work, the poop will just get caught/pile up. Plus, in the winter it was too drafty and had to cover it completely with thick layer of bedding. Don't recommend it.

 

[MissAnnieFrannie]

eeek! that doesnt sound good...

about the cold, as stated, I am actually gonna have a optional poop board to put over it in the winter. I just thought for the summer, it owuld be better to have the poop fall through....I have some 2" hardware cloth...wonder if it would be too big?

 

[pacetruckguy]

I use hardware cloth under the roost, has pretty small holes I think 1/2 inch. Most poop falls through, but not all, every now and then I have to give it some help with a scraper. I have a small wheel barrel under it. so I just roll it out. Seems to work ok for me. I think scrapping a board everyday wouldn't be any less fun. There is poop, and it has to be dealt with either way.

 

[SunnyDawn]

I've never tried that method but I have 2 "poop hatches". They are 14x14" holes in the floor under the nests that have wide wire fencing covering them (2"x3") with a hatch cover that is locked down until it's time to clean. I have tall hooks attached to the non-hinged side that hook to the front of the nest boxes when I'm cleaning so that the lid stays out of the way. I use the deep litter method and it is very easy to clean my coop 2-3 times a year with this method. My coop is raised also so I just wheel a wheelbarrow under the coop, shovel the litter with dried poo (falls through just fine) through the holes and put it in the compost heap 'til it breaks down enough to use as mulch/fertilizer in my garden.
For litter I use a 3" base of bark mulch and top that with dry stall which I keep adding to as needed over the next few months. The dry stall does make for a dusty coop since the chickens love to "dust" in it but dust is a mite's worst enemy so I never have any problems with mites either! Just wear a dust mask when sweeping down the surface areas 2-3 times a year as well. I collect my eggs from the outside (hatches also on the outside of my bumped out nest boxes, on rope and pulley system so I don't have to hold the lids open when collecting eggs) so the dust isn't an issue for me unless I'm cleaning.

 

[ryanroth]

I saw a youtube video of someone who put plastic totes underneath the roost and then dumped the totes every week or so. Used them instead of poop boards. I thought that was a great idea.

 

[12GAGirl]

My hubby designed our coop and he did the fall through poop method and I have to say it works for us. Once a week I take my scraper/rake and push the poop through the wire but most of it falls through to the ground. Twice a month I rake from under the coop and put the poop in my compost pile. I am in SE GA so very few days of extremel cold weather but when it does get cold I just put some pine straw in the coop to cut down on the drafts. I feel I can keep the coop cleaner with this method.