Does anyone NOT use a poop board and wish they had? or...

[Honeysucklefeathers]

I don't use poop boards. Use deep litter method with straw and the chickens keep it turned over pretty good. No odors and it breaks down really fast and is great on the compost pile

 

[tbridegroom]

I have an 8x8 coop with a wood floor and 16 chickens and a big run I have never used a poop board ive had chickens for 3 yrs now with no problem in the coop I just put down plenty of saw dust I have 3 Windows in the coop so plenty of ventilation in my run i just throw grass clippings in....I might put a poop board over the nesting boxes but I'll have to make it easily removable for when I take everything out of the coop every now and again to spray everything off

 

[Avonlea22]

I'm in the process of building my coop and have been toying with the idea of a poop board. I've been trying to think of an easy way to clean it regularly, and I had the idea of placing plastic food trays (like those you use in a cafateria or buffet restaurant) on top of the poop board. Then, when it's time to clean, you just pull out a tray or two at a time and dump the poo.

Thoughts?

 

[bantyshanty]

I like that idea of cafeteria trays (be sure they're tied down somehow). Have you ever worked in a cafeteria? If you have, & hated it, you'd see how good a joke this is as well.

 

[Avonlea22]

I have not, but I can appreciate the joke.

Why do they need tied down?

 

[CC1892]

I use deep litter method with NO manure board.
Behind the length of the roost is a rectangle shaped window. The girls actually look out it and benefit from the added ventilation.
Since the girls also jump around all over the roost, I imagined they would crash through any manure board I had in place. At this point it all works well for the girls with no
manure board getting into their way. As far as clean up is concerned, The girls crowd, and pile up on each other in the corner (even in the heat) to sleep. Their manure collects nicely in the corner, making it easy for me to clean up the area where manure collect most. I only have 6 chickens (but planning for a few more) but even then, cleaning under the roast is not a big deal. The coop floor is wood, but I tiled it with surplus tile-so odors are no problem, and cleaning is easy. The other thing, I was concerned about was scraping a cumbersome board and breathing in the dust- the entire idea seemed clumsy for my purposes. I hope this helps.

 

[ll]

I don't have a "poop board"

I have this:

it has sand in it for easy scooping, and the birds do not miss - it's placed directly below.
The floor of the coop is pine shavings over linoleum.

 

[Avonlea22]

Quote:
How many birds do you have? I like the space saving design of the ladder.

 

[ll]

I have two ~ could easily fit alot more.
Since that photo, the ladder has been mounted with hardware.
I recommend 18" -24" between rungs so they don't poop on each other if you keep large species; and 18" from the wall so they don't rub their tail feathers. I luv the roost ladder that we made for our birds, and the rectangle bin from Lowe's below it is working out well.

Our ladder perch spacings are 18" and you can see it's close if they are lined up:

Quote:
How many birds do you have? I like the space saving design of the ladder.

 

[Avonlea22]

oooh. I also like your use of Trex-like "wood"

Thanks for the info!