How do you make a poop board?

[CackleberriesCrackMeUp!]

Quote:
Your construction is very similar to what I did - but I don't remove it for cleaning. I use a large paint scraper tool (use it to apply mud, scrape wallpaper, etc. tool) and dustpan. I scrape it into my dust pan and empty into the compost bin each morning. Soooo easy and much cleaner! Somewhere on these threads I read someone used a squeegee so I thought I'd give it a try. We actually used some extra laminate/formica stuff from a kitchen countertop glued to a board for ours - and the poop doesn't want to stick at all! Our board is removable - it rests on supports and braces instead of being directly attached to the walls - but it is not an "easy" removal because it's so large and long, and will only be taken down for "deep" cleaning days.

Whoever thought of using poop boards deserves an award!

I've only been using them for about a week and a half, so by no means am I an expert, (my chicks are 7 1/2 weeks - and took them awhile to learn to "roost" and not sleep on the floor) but I've already seen a huge difference in the lack of poop on the floor.

Hope this helps!

 

[kathyinmo]

OK, I think I've got it now! I have it imagined in my head, anyway! I will give it a try. THANKS SO MUCH, to all of you! This is such a great place to learn and be supported ! WONDERFUL ! ! I love this site! It is, however, addicting..... I am losing alot of sleep!

 

[ChooksChick]

Quote:
You don't move it, you sweep it off. It stays affixed to the wall like a roost.

The reason I have a poop board isn't because I intended to make less work for myself, but because I converted my garden shed into a coop (they have me at their mercy!) and I had a potting shelf in there with drawers underneath. I converted the drawer section into nest boxes. I then extended the work-top area all the way over and built more nest boxes (because I was accumulating chickens, of course...).

The work-top is spread with a little hay, which also breaks the fall a bit when they jump off of the roosts, and to clean it I just sweep the whole thing into a wheelbarrow I roll into the coop. It's a brilliant idea, and whoever thought of it originally is to be commended.

I don't have any vinyl on it, because it doesn't seem necessary to my set up- I rarely have any poop actually hit the boards, but rather land on the hay.

The left side is the main roost and under it, the pop door and the nesting boxes. First stall on the bottom is a broody's clutch- she just left to go do her business.

'Pay no attention to that hen behind the curtain!!' Actually, when hanging down, this old towel works well to convince the others to move on and lay elsewhere!.

It's just a light layer of meadow hay on top.

The nests are various sizes, at two heights under the board. Keeps them free of poop, too.

The other side of the coop used to hold lots of very nice architectural salvage from other old homes, from which we slowly are redoing our home. We had to move all the boards and trim because it became a mouse condo. Now the old frames for holding the boards (2x4's, skinny side up) have turned into roosts, and I have their fan hanging from the frame.

I LOVE the poop boards, and while our system is 24" wide, I think you could get away with a 12-16" wide board under. Ours is backed against the wall so I can scoop against the wall if I let it get really bad. I use a flat hand shovel to scrape any that is persistent.

 

[cmjust0]

Anybody ever considered using service tempered hardboard for a pooboard? It's like the stuff pegboards are made out of, but they scorch it so it's slick, glossy, and pretty much impervious to water. People use it for outdoor signs, if that's any indication..

8'x4' sheet costs about $8 at Home Depot. I'm going to cover the tops of my plywood nextboxes with a strip of it placed at an angle.. It's slick as ice and they won't be able to get up there without slipping back off.. I figure if the chicken slips off, the chicken poo probably would too.

Plus, for all those who actually wanna remove the pooboard for cleaning, I can guarantee it would be one heck of a lot easier to remove a 1/8" thick sheet of hardboard than a 7/16" sheet of OSB covered in heavy vinyl..

 

[kathyinmo]

I will have to check that out, at Home Depot, for the Service Tempered Hardboard. On another thread they say Garden timbers are on sale there, so I must go! Another question.... what does the hardware cloth do, when some use it over the droppings area? I don't understand that part.

 

[joebryant]

kathyinmo, maybe I missed it, but I didn't see diatomaceous earth mentioned anywhere in this thread or your op; you don't want to be without it. It sounds like you're going to have a terrific coop when it's finished. Personally, I much prefer the $10 black plastic 2-feet x 3-feet x 9-inches-deep cement mixing boxes to catch my chickens' poo in; you can buy them at Home Depot, Menards, Lowes, etc. See My BYC Page under my picture of my super-handsome self; you might get some ideas from there. If it were I, I'd have at least ten nest boxes raised eighteen inches above the floor so the hens can use the room underneath for walking space. I'd also have a drop down board on the exterior wall that would expose the interior of the nest boxes for egg gathering from outside the coop.
Use ONLY wood shavings (about six inches) on your floor, NEVER straw or hay, and be generous with the diatomaceous earth on it. Once a week scatter some good birdseed on the floor and the hens will scratch the poo that the de has dried/neutralized under. That way, you'll only have to clean your coop out about once (maybe twice?) a year. Also spread de over the poo; that will kill any flies/smell. If you use the black plastic boxes, you should dump the poo about once a month; start a compost pile.
BTW, you should be able to buy de for about $24 for 50#.

EDIT - Here are some sources for diatomaceous earth:

Brookside Barkery & Bath
Kansas City, MO
816-333-2275
[MIX]

Brookside Barkery & Bath
817 NE Woods Chapel Rd.
Lee Summit, MO
816-554-2284
[MIX]

 

[kathyinmo]

Handsome Joe, Thank you, thank you! GREAT idea, I like that. Yes, I did run right out and purchase DE, as soon as I heard about it. My chicks are only a couple weeks old, and my coop is only partially done. I will use your advise with the nests, as well. Thanks again! BTW, loved your photos.

 

[mmtillman]

My hubby has access to big 5x5 sheets of heaqvy cardboard at the warehouse where he works. I use a sheet of it directly under the roost and it works perfectly. ONce a week I just fold it in half and drag the entire thing out of the coop. In one fell swoop , the poop is gone and the floor is clean, no heavy lifting . I then take the cardboard over to the compost pile and slide it in the bin!!... I get black gold for the garden, the old dirty cardboard goes to the burn pile and WAALLAH....coop is clean!!

Forgot to mention..I use deep litter in the coop and it is another plus when added to my compost pile!

 

[Davaroo]

A dropping board is, as the name suggests, a board to collect droppings beneath the roosts. It is not a thin tray or bit of plastic foofery, however... you want something solid.
It mounts beneath the roost about 3-4 inches and is made in such a way that it is eaily removed for cleaning. Most people make them so they slide out, either into the coop proper or to the outside for ease of cleaning.

The bottom of the roosts themselves are covered with wire mesh, so the birds can not slip through and get in the droppings.

Dropping boards are traditionally made from 1" planks. However, anything that is rugged enough to withstand the rigors of chicken house life will work . They were also finished in gloss oil paint back in the day, but vinyl flooring or other sheet plastic goods would do - whatever will allow the droppings to be scraped off easily but not be damaged itself in the process. Once they are scraped clean and the manure collected for the compost pile, they are replaced for re-use.
They are not covered with straw or other litter, as a rule. However, covering them with shavings, dry soil, mulch, sand, etc. would make the removal of the droppings easier.

They have the advantage of being functional and confining the droppings for easy collection. The roost is the main contributor to of manure in the coop, providing the birds are kept outside during the day as they should be. Placing the board immediately beneath them has obvious utility.

The main disadvantage of the boards is the requirement to clean them frequently.

 

[ChooksChick]

Quote:
Joe- you read my mind!!!

Today I was going to try to find a source for DE because I have put off ordering it to find a local source, but no luck. I looked up this company and found they have a third branch 20 minutes from me- I'm going to head over in a minute. The others are less than 45 mnutes away, too, so I was delighted with your info.

Thanks!!