Chicken Coop Company Litter Tray Questions.. concerns...

[Kalthia]

So, if you're thinking about buying a pre-fab from www.chickencoopcompany.com consider your littler choices before hand. This coops (https://www.chickencoopcompany.com/...p-designs/products/the-rhode-island-homestead) -removable tray for cleaning is not deep enough to do deep litter. The tray is only a few inches deep and the roosting bars are directly above it (with a few higher in the rafters but still over the tray). The nesting boxes on either side are at very near the same level with the tray.

I have not used it yet, and if anyone can confirm, it looks like litter and waste could easily get into the nesting boxes. Mine is still being built in the garage where my birds are currently living in the run part.
I am concerned but wanted to see if any of you have had this coop and what you think about the litter tray?
I am considering figuring out a way to lower it, but then it would not slide in and out causing other issues...

We were thinking deep litter for the composting/heat portion, but maybe sand is a better way to go for this coop?

Thanks for reading and advice.

 

[AnnPann]

I had an Omlet Cube, which has a shallow slide out litter tray, and used Sweet PDZ in it and it worked great. Easy to scoop out the mess. I prefer PDZ over sand (which I found stinky and not great for composting). PDZ can be composted. A little goes a long way - $12 bag lasts months.

 

[3KillerBs]

I have never owned a prefab, but it's commonly reported here that the trays do not work well -- becoming warped and jammed or simply scraping the poop off the tray onto the wall as it's pulled out.

 

[Kalthia]

I had an Omlet Cube, which has a shallow slide out litter tray, and used Sweet PDZ in it and it worked great. Easy to scoop out the mess. I prefer PDZ over sand (which I found stinky and not great for composting). PDZ can be composted. A little goes a long way - $12 bag lasts months.

Thanks - I will be using up my pine bedding first.. see how that goes and then might move to PDZ later...

 

[rosemarythyme]

Deep litter/deep bedding is unrealistic in a small coop like that anyhow, you can't build the litter volume needed to absorb all that moisture without frequent maintenance, which is the point of using those sorts of systems.

 

[rosemarythyme]

dbl post

 

[Ridgerunner]

it looks like litter and waste could easily get into the nesting boxes.

If it does, raise the lip on the front of the nests.

 

[SueT]

I second the PDZ idea. I have a shallow poop board under one of my roosts, and I have about 3/4” of PDZ on it. I clean it daily w a kitty litter scoop. I think it should work well in that coop, which isn’t designed for deep litter.
note —it’s cheapest in the horse aisle.

 

[The Tiny Homestead]

My poop boards are pretty wide, just flat plywood, no lip. I sprinkle a little layer of pine bedding on the boards. I keep a 5" wide spackling knife hanging inside the coop, and clean the poop into a small bucket every morning after I let the chickens into the run. Coop is always clean, no odors, and dry. I don't put food or water in the coop. My run is enclosed.

 

[Colberon]

Best thing I ever did, 8 ft 2x4 for the roosting bar with an 8 ft x 15 in. tray with about 2 inches of sand. I use a cat litter s pop to clean every other day, works like a charm!