Dropping pit?

[weezerexpress]

I'm in the process of building my chicken coop for the chicks that I should be getting this week. My question is about having a dropping pit in the coop. Would like to know how many people have them and if the chickens will use them enough to make it worth it to put one in. This is the first coop I have ever built so any info would be of great help. Another question is about the little door that leds out into the run I need a door on it because of the cold where I am so does this mean it has to be a manual open and close door that I need to open and close daily?

 

[chickenbutt]

My whole brooder is a pit filled 1/2 way with pine shavings and covered with hardware cloth - like a rabbit cage. I don't think they know where to poop unfortunately, like a cat or dog does. This way they don't step in it or peck at it.

 

[Poison Ivy]

I just have a sand pit under my roosts and I have a auto door opener for my chicken coop. Was worth every penny I spent on it. That way if I'm not home at a certain time it closes the pop door for me!

 

[LoneCowboy]

I just have them under my roost too. I made them out of 2X4's and covered them with chicken wire. My coop is 8X8 and I made mine 4X4 so I could move them easy in 2 pieces. They take up maybe 1/3 of my coop. At first they slept on them. (they were 7 weeks old) then when they figured out what the roosts were, they use them. They work WONDERFUL They poop like crazy when they are roosting, but the rest of the coop stay relatively clean. And they can't play in it. So they stay healtier.

Actually, I'm planning on building one today for my chicks. Kind of a training perches and I'll put a dropping pit under them too, but I'll use much smaller welded wire for them.

 

[spottedtail]

I like dropping boards better than dropping pits.

Dropping boards are basically a raised table so that the hens still have living room beneath them.
Make it about 3' high so you can just scrape the manure into a wheelbarrow....that's the main advantage of boards over pits.

I estimate we catch 60 to 70% of the droppings on the boards.

spot

 

[SeaChick]

We made a droppings board, since we didn't want to eliminate floor space (I assume they'll be spending more time inside during the winter.) Just a 1x10 or so old piece of lumber, about 8" or so beneath the roost. We put a piece of linoleum/vinyl flooring on it to make cleaning easier. My DD scrapes the poop off every day (or at least she's SUPPOSED to!) and it goes into the compost. I think about 80% of the indoor poop gets caught there, not tracked around in the sahvings. Very cool.

 

[karmical]

I've been trying to figure out a droppings pit/board set-up for the roost inside my coop too.

Here's my set-up:

Does anybody have any suggestions for me? I'm somewhat challenged when it comes to trying to visualize these things!

I thought about somehow rigging another board just beneath the roost (which is a 2x6), but (and maybe I'm just thinking too hard here) I'm wondering if they'll try to use it as a step or as a second roost? The idea is to keep them OUT of the poop!

(That little roost in the corner is gone now...that was their "baby roost"

)

 

[Cheryl]

To Poison Ivy, where did you get your automatic door opener/closer? I've only seen ads for the one from the UK

 

[Poison Ivy]

I ordered my from the uk and later found out this guy carries them too. Just scroll down to the electric door keep. I love it I like the idea of if i'm not home until after dark they are locked up safe and if I want to sleep in I know it opens at 6:30am to let them out. I have the timer on mine instead of the light sensor.

http://www.foyspigeonsupplies.com/catalog/addendum/index.html#Electronic Doorkeep

 

[greginshasta]

Poison Ivy - looking at the opener, I'm confused about what to buy. Do you need to purchase the door seperately from the door keeper? And I take it you also purchased the timer option?