Idea for an outside poop board

[Henrik Petersson]

I was thinking about ventilation, and how to get rid of the dangerous fumes produced by the chicken poo, when this thought struck my mind: could one make a hole underneath the roost, put a net over the hole so that the chicken won't fall out, and put the poop board outside, under the hole? To keep wind from blowing in at the chickens, walls would surround either side of the hole, just leaving an opening above the poop board large enough for the fumes to blow away, and for the poo to be easily collected from the outside.

A bit hard to explain perhaps, but here's a simple drawing of my idea, with a cross section of the coop:

The real question is, I gather, would this be to cold and draughty for the chickens?

 

[ldemmert]

What about predators? Couldn't they come in too?
Maybe instead of a net, put heavy wire between the birds and the poop.

 

[patandchickens]

That works well in climates like Texas.

In Sweden however I fear you would be giving your chickens rapid frostbite on their very personal underneath regions, also feet. A draft on the roost is really bad for them; a draft UNDER the roost -- and I guarantee that if there is outdoor air movement, there *will* be a draft despite sides -- scarcely bears contemplating

I seriously seriously wouldn't do it, certainly not except in the height of summer.

If you put a droppings board under the roost and scrape the poo off every morning when you get up (it takes about 5 seconds), air quality improves greatly. Of course you still need reasonable ventilation i the coop but less than if the poo just sits there for days.

JMHO,

Pat

 

[Henrik Petersson]

Idemmert, sure, heavy wire should do.

Pat, that's kind of what I thought. After all, chickens don't seem to have much feathering on their underside, but mostly down. But I thought I had to ask! (plus, I like drawing in in Paint...

)

But no worries - I swear this idea will stay an idea!

(unless, that is, I move to Texas or something!

)

 

[lalyswishytail]

Maybe I'm just silly, but I think you're depiction of poop is really funny : )

 

[Sissy]

I think it would be too cold for
the ladies bum I heard they
lay better. but I guess in the warmer days u could do that
BUt like so many others I have a poop board under the roost mine is a cardboard box cut in half and I just empty into the garden.
and I have the greenest evergreens u have ever seen LOL

 

[Henrik Petersson]

Quote:
Haha!

Very pedagogical, aren't I?

I think it would be too cold for
the ladies bum I heard they
lay better. but I guess in the warmer days u could do that
BUt like so many others I have a poop board under the roost mine is a cardboard box cut in half and I just empty into the garden.
and I have the greenest evergreens u have ever seen LOL

Actually, I'm not even building a coop anytime soon, so this thread was really hypothetical.

I was sceptical myself about the idea, and when it comes to ventilation issues, Pat has a right of veto in my book, so there's really no question about me throwing this idea out of the window!

 

[jkg]

I think I saw this same concept on this forum where somebody built the roost directly over a compost pile. There is no reason it wouldn't work very well given the right climate and protection from predators.