Dropping pit?

[McGoo]

If you want to create a pit you could get a long tub/container ...long enough for the length of the roosting board... and especially wide enough so that when they're on the roost they will poop down into or onto board. Approx 4 - 6 inches high. If you use a pit typically, though not always, you cover it with 1 x 1 or 2x1 inch mesh so that all the poop goes through. (doesn't really work that well, but most goes through) For this you just need to make a frame and place the wire mesh on it. I use shavings in the pit and clean it out weekly.

I think a board is easier, but needs to be cleaned more frequently. Trade offs.

 

[CrazyBirdLady]

I have an idea... Look at Poison Ivy's roost on page one. Imagine a board that covers the entire area under the roost about 4"-6" off the floor and goes through the wall. There is a handle attached to the board on the OUTside of the coop with trough next to the wall on the INside. Every morning you go out to the coop, pull the handle to slide the dropping board almost all the way out of the coop, and the board scraper you've installed on the inside wall of the coop scrapes all the poops off into the trough.

Anyone done anything like this?

 

[greginshasta]

Here are photos of our dropping pit. It pulls out on a roller that we formed from 1" PVC pipe and is covered inside with chicken wire.

 

[CrazyBirdLady]

Quote:
That's what I was kind of talking about on a smaller scale. Great pictures; thanks greginshasta!

 

[adeechickluv]

I'm thinking of just having a board underneath the roost that I can (somehow

) make removable. People say it's easy to scrape the poop off?

 

[Backyard_Chicken_rancher]

I have a poop pit in my coop the roost is about 24" off the ground and 4 long and 4feet wide it is a flat roost under it is the poop pit with pine shavings in it for the clean out I put in a door on hinges this way I can rake it out and scoop it up and put it in my compost heap,Chicken poop makes great compost but yes they poop very often more so when they are asleep for some reason so it would be a good idea to use a poop pit for easy clean up and great compost.

Good luck to you and besure to post pics of the coop and poop pit.

 

[nvmycj]

Quote:
but this wouldn't work for 24 chickens, right?