Coop question and chicks coming tomorrow

[New2COchicks]

Well thanks for everyone’s input. After going online and making tons of calls on online chicken coops, I decided to hire a handyman and turn my shed into a chicken coop. The chicks come tomorrow. Any advice on poop pans for under my roost? Any super cheap suggestions and super easy cleaning. Also how do you compost the poop? I will not be doing deep litter method but will clean all out and start over every couple weeks... does all the pine shavings go in compost pile? My 5 Brahma pullers come home tomorrow.

 

[New2COchicks]

Well thanks for everyone’s input. After going online and making tons of calls on online chicken coops, I decided to hire a handyman and turn my shed into a chicken coop. The chicks come tomorrow. Any advice on poop pans for under my roost? Any super cheap suggestions and super easy cleaning. Also how do you compost the poop? I will not be doing deep litter method but will clean all out and start over every couple weeks... does all the pine shavings go in compost pile? My 5 Brahma pullers come home tomorrow.

Pulletts

 

[M_Clucker]

Construction grade sand in a pan that you can scoop out with a kitty litter scooper. Sooooo easy and no smell!

 

[New2COchicks]

Construction grade sand in a pan that you can scoop out with a kitty litter scooper. Sooooo easy and no smell!

Where can I get 4 foot pans? For cheap

 

[M_Clucker]

Where can I get 4 foot pans? For cheap

What’s the length and width you’d need? 4x4? I know Tractor Supply has a lot of plastic bin options. But you really only need 4” deep of sand.

 

[New2COchicks]

What’s the length and width you’d need? 4x4? I know Tractor Supply has a lot of plastic bin options. But you really only need 4” deep of sand.

Ok thanks

 

[M_Clucker]

Ok thanks

I have pans from old dog crates under the roosts. They are only about 2” deep and they work great!

 

[David61]

I use plywood covered with vinyl flooring. I covered a 4 foot by 5 foot poop board for less than $15. Close out prices are $.59 a foot.
I use granulated sweet PZD not sand. I rake it clean every fourth day.

 

[David61]

I clean out my 14x6 covered coop/run pine shavings as needed. Sometimes its all , sometimes its just one end. Once a month or so. You will know when and how often as you go. No need to over think this. Now compost is easy with the three pile method. One pile you have your green grass and yard clippings. One pile is dead brown leafs and wood chips. Third pile is where you combine everything. Dump your poop from the poop board. Cover the poop with as much green clipping as poop. Then cover with as much from the brown pile. Easy , and no flies or smell. The clean out pine shavings go in my brown pile or netted outside run.

 

[3KillerBs]

When I cleaned the in-town coop I just made layers with the dirty shavings, watering them in as I went. I didn't bother to try to acquire grass clippings or any such thing because the chicken manure was an adequate "green" to provide the composting action -- I didn't clean out the coop until there was enough manure in them to make this work.

I will say, however, that I do cold compost rather than the intensive management that a hot compost pile requires. One reason for this is that I never seem to have sufficient amounts of green and brown at the same time. You can't store the green stuff, after all.

The solution was to just toss the canning scraps, etc. into the chicken run. They ate what they liked and I covered any leftovers with more pine straw or old leaves.