Do you think this is a good idea?

[coffeehead11]

I am just trying to come up with some idea that will reduce the poo cleaning workload or how often it needs to happen. I know I am not going to be willing or able to run out to the coop every day and scrape doodies. We have cattle and it seems (from how often it happens) that I enjoy wearing my better clothes and shoes when I need to tend them and just love stepping a big suprise. I wanted something that could be tended from the outside for the most part, so I wouldn't be headed to town wearing eau de chicken for perfume.

I was reading about different ideas for dropping pits and poo trays in some of the other posts, and someone mentioned they thought the poo pit would be okay if its perimeter was surrounded by plywood, with a door for cleaning. Hmmm... mental note ....extend roof to shied outside shovel area, maybe even a wall extension for wind break...

I also like the idea of the giant litterbox filled with stall dry and the cat scoop. That would be good for rainy weather, which seemed like every day this year. I could put it on hinges so it could fold down against the wall during most of the year.

 

[JestersEye]

We have a large shed-type coop with a dirt floor. For the most part, it barely needs extensive cleaning. Just keep it all stirred and cover poo spots with fresh shaving from time to time. It smells so clean, my mom didn't even realize it was the actual chicken coop when I showed it to her. (She thought we only used it to store feed and supplies.) We grew up with chickens in a small coop that smelled all the time, so she expected all coops to be like that.

 

[patman75]

I like your poo pit idea. I would make a poo pit like you described and then add a poo board coverd with linoleum on hinges that you can close on cold days and leave open on warm days.

At least 9-10 months of the year will be easy cleaning and the other 2-3 months will be mild cleaning.

 

[chickeydee]

I am thinking about that to I am building an 8x8 open coop and putting the roost at the back 2 feet ,but I am going to hinge a plank that will drop down to the back and cover it with linoleum . I can leave it open if I want because I am building a secure box around it to keep the chickens out of it this way I do not have to clean it every month . I am looking into what would work on it that is slick so when they poop it will slide off .Maybe a made roll -out box that is the size of the roost. on little casters that is attached to the under side. not sure yet . What is the size of the coop that you are designing . . look forward to seeing it .

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Actually droppings boards are really GOOD for this. It is incredibly easy and fast to scrape a droppings board in the morning when you go out there to let the chickens out and check on them -- it takes me *literally, exactly, truly* less than 10 seconds for a 6' board (roost holds about 10 chickens) and as I'm using a wide drywall-taping scraper and a bucket in the other hand, there is no personal contact with the poo whatsoever, you just snowplow it off. IMHO it is *way* easier to spend 10 seconds a day every day, than to let things accumulate (causing poor air quality along the way, btw) and have to periodically scrape/shovel out larger accumulations of much ranker nastier more plastered-down stuff

If you wanted to be able to do it from outside the coop, so you didn't have to step on pooey bedding to get *to* the droppings board, that should be fairly easy to achieve with an external access hatch similar to what you might have for collecting eggs without entering the coop. Or an external access hatch could be used to pull out a poo tray that was under the roost. Or anything like that. Or, IF you do not anticipate wanting to minimize ventilation at some point of year, just do a droppings pit and let it pile up til you happen to feel like cleaning it out in your old clothes

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[scogind]

It dosen't have to be open to the outside all the time. Just make the side of it that is against the wall of the coop a door that swings up when you want to clean out the poop. Close the door to keep out the cold breeze.

 

[PandoraTaylor]

I think a metal sheet placed/wrapped on the poop board would work for easier cleaning.
or look at getting the tray for a large Parrot cage, they slide in and out for cleaning.

 

[elmo]

Quote:
Yes! I use a boot tray. It's plastic and has edges that keep the poo from falling off. I pull it out of the coop, bring the whole thing over to the composter, dump/scrape it out into the composter, then hose the whole thing off. It's so easy to do, I do this daily.

The other thing about having a droppings pit under your coop is...how would you get under there to clean it out?

 

[wing it]

you could make part of the floor removable and take it out for the warmer months. I use drop boards made of pvc under the roosts, very easy to clean, water proof so you can scrub them down once in a while

 

[coffeehead11]

I was thinking I would have a piece of covered on the ground under the roost and use a rake to get the poo out and then scoop it up with a shovel. ...Hmm... more ideas...maybe have the roost and wire up high enough maybe three feet or so that way I could easily scoop it with a shovel....hmmm...