Coop bedding & DE usage

[Baumshell28]

BTW...I just wanna make sure y’all know how awesome this site & all the members are! I have not had an issue yet that y’all haven’t very promptly helped me fix!!! Virtual Hugs!

 

[Farmgirl1878]

I just saw that you’re a wheelchair user. Now I’d really recommend the sand, but keep it shallow, unless you’re using a power chair or have a lot of upper body strength.

Here’s the link to the wok skimmer: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000DZXGLW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

If you keep the floor level and don’t add the poop deck, it would be a piece of cake to keep everything clean.

I don’t mean to be presumptuous (or toot my own horn), but if you need any ideas, I used to be the reasonable accommodations coordinator for the FBI. I love puzzles and can usually come up with some ideas for how to make things easier, faster, more effective, for cheap.

 

[spartacus_63]

With this being an unoccupied coop, DE would not do much for you unless there is an insect infestation. DE is not a cleaner/disinfectant. It does work to control insects. It is also safe for contact and consumption for the chickens.

I use DE about twice a year and I liberally apply it to the roosts and the nest boxes. I also add DE to any dust bath material

 

[Farmgirl1878]

@Baumshell28, what @DobieLover said! You can usually get 20 or 40 pound bags of the granular PDZ at your local feed store. It’s also called “stall refresher” because a lot of people use it for large animal stalls as it does a great job of neutralizing ammonia in urine.

 

[DobieLover]

BTW...I just wanna make sure y’all know how awesome this site & all the members are! I have not had an issue yet that y’all haven’t very promptly helped me fix!!! Virtual Hugs!

Properly socially distanced virtual hugs!!

 

[DobieLover]

Ok, everyone was out of the 1/2” hardware mesh. We got a roll of 1/4” hardware mesh for the door. I thought that was a safe bet, but also have a roll of 1” chicken wire if needed. I’d like to keep the door all mesh for ventilation. I’m not savvy enough to confidently add windows, but think I could take a few inches off below the roof and frame in some more hardware mesh up there.
I have some of the plastic nesting boxes ordered & they each have a perch (hopefully the perches will hold up for a while)! Since I am in a wheelchair and they are easily removable for cleaning, I figured that might be a better option for me.
Roosting area: I was thinking about making some type of ladder roost on that wall opposite the door. They have their walkway up to the level of the current box & roost bar. I was thinking of a ladder type build secured at the top to the horizontal 2x4 and then securing the bottom to the current roosting bar that is roughly 18”-20” out from the wall...? I’m trying to make them comfortable, but I also need to leave enough ground space to get the wheelchair in and be able to turn it left towards the nesting boxes.View attachment 2103811View attachment 2103811

I'd do this. Just my thoughts. Nothing is to scale as I just drew it out in Paint.

Door opening is out swing as you have it. I assumed it is a 36" based on your measurements of the coop.
Light blue circle is a waterer. My recommendation is below. The nipples should be chest height... no pun intended!
The dashed brown line is a feed trough suspended under the poop board. Or what ever feeder you want to use. Keeping it under the board will keep it out of the landing zone.
The orange lines are the poop board perimeter. I would install those at a height you can easily reach from your chair. Maybe 24" from the ground. The boards are 2' wide. I use a thin layer of PDZ in my boards and metal cat litter scoop to clean them each morning.
The red lines are the roosts that will be centered over the boards. I have found a good height over the boards to be 13" from board surface to roost surface to minimize pecking.
The purple squares represent the nest boxes. I am estimating 12"x12".
The green line between them and the poop boards is a slanted shield to keep "stuff" from getting flung into the nest boxes at roost time.
Using poop boards will dramatically reduce the amount of coop bedding clean out that you will require. If you go DLM it will be a long time indeed before material would have to be removed but I fear it will be too much to try to get your chair through.
If you use a bag or two of pine shavings to make about a 3-4" thick bedding layer, you probably wouldn't have to clean that out but every 3 to 4 months with daily scooping of the boards.

 

[Baumshell28]

Properly socially distanced virtual hugs!!

PAHAHAHAHA!!!

 

[Baumshell28]

I'd do this. Just my thoughts. Nothing is to scale as I just drew it out in Paint.
View attachment 2103875
Door opening is out swing as you have it. I assumed it is a 36" based on your measurements of the coop.
Light blue circle is a waterer. My recommendation is below. The nipples should be chest height... no pun intended!
The dashed brown line is a feed trough suspended under the poop board. Or what ever feeder you want to use. Keeping it under the board will keep it out of the landing zone.
The orange lines are the poop board perimeter. I would install those at a height you can easily reach from your chair. Maybe 24" from the ground. The boards are 2' wide. I use a thin layer of PDZ in my boards and metal cat litter scoop to clean them each morning.
The red lines are the roosts that will be centered over the boards. I have found a good height over the boards to be 13" from board surface to roost surface to minimize pecking.
The purple squares represent the nest boxes. I am estimating 12"x12".
The green line between them and the poop boards is a slanted shield to keep "stuff" from getting flung into the nest boxes at roost time.
Using poop boards will dramatically reduce the amount of coop bedding clean out that you will require. If you go DLM it will be a long time indeed before material would have to be removed but I fear it will be too much to try to get your chair through.
If you use a bag or two of pine shavings to make about a 3-4" thick bedding layer, you probably wouldn't have to clean that out but every 3 to 4 months with daily scooping of the boards.

I don’t use the nipples, never did with my son either (he was a preemie), ROFL! And...I WISH my nipples were chest height, ROFLMAO!!!
Y’all are chicken geniuses! Next time y’all are in Louisiana & want a place close to New Orleans and Baton Rouge, lemme know...I’ll AirB&B y’all my house in exchange for coop improvements. Don’t worry, I’m MUCH better at human renovation, DIY & design, haha!
Seriously tho, I truly appreciate y’all!!!

 

[Baumshell28]

I'd do this. Just my thoughts. Nothing is to scale as I just drew it out in Paint.
View attachment 2103875
Door opening is out swing as you have it. I assumed it is a 36" based on your measurements of the coop.
Light blue circle is a waterer. My recommendation is below. The nipples should be chest height... no pun intended!
The dashed brown line is a feed trough suspended under the poop board. Or what ever feeder you want to use. Keeping it under the board will keep it out of the landing zone.
The orange lines are the poop board perimeter. I would install those at a height you can easily reach from your chair. Maybe 24" from the ground. The boards are 2' wide. I use a thin layer of PDZ in my boards and metal cat litter scoop to clean them each morning.
The red lines are the roosts that will be centered over the boards. I have found a good height over the boards to be 13" from board surface to roost surface to minimize pecking.
The purple squares represent the nest boxes. I am estimating 12"x12".
The green line between them and the poop boards is a slanted shield to keep "stuff" from getting flung into the nest boxes at roost time.
Using poop boards will dramatically reduce the amount of coop bedding clean out that you will require. If you go DLM it will be a long time indeed before material would have to be removed but I fear it will be too much to try to get your chair through.
If you use a bag or two of pine shavings to make about a 3-4" thick bedding layer, you probably wouldn't have to clean that out but every 3 to 4 months with daily scooping of the boards.

OMG, for the life of me, I could not picture poop boards...those are insane! Amazing! If I can get something like that put up, it’ll change everything!!!

 

[Farmgirl1878]

The poop decks!