I am trying to wrap up m coop. and somewhere on here I saw someone with a roosting table. basically a table with a roost above it. (can't find it back) The theory is to clean the litter out from on the table I guess where most of the poop is. Is this something worth doing.? I have the "table" to do this. or should I just go with the roosting bars. Also, I have about a twelve foot long coop. How much roosting area do 16 chickens need?
The table and poop boards are a great feature! Do it! One linear foot of roost space per standard bird is best.
I only have 5 new chicks. My first flock succumbed to predators. Very sad. Anyway, my husband built a poop caddy for the coop. It looks like a tool caddy. The "handle" is the roost bar and the "caddy" the tray is what is filled with sand. They do their droppings there while roosting. I use cat litter rake to clean out the caddy. It's portable so we can remove it for more thorough cleaning. It's made of good wood. I would think you could make several and line them up for your flock of 16, or what ever layout would fit for your coop. I use play sand and sweet pdz and diamathious earth to control odor and bugs. Just an idea to consider.