New coop w/poop pit pics, finished!!!

[cmom]

We built a new barn this summer and now are building a new coop. This time I am going to take progress pics as we build it. I didn't on the other two. We finished the floor. I primed it and will paint it after the walls are up. One of my current coops has a poop pit and the other does not. I had considered putting dropping boards in but decided to put in a poop pit. The coop is going to be smaller than originally planned as we decided to move one of our other coops over to where we are building the new coop. The older birds will temporarily go into the new coop while we do some modifications on their coop. After we move the older birds back to their coop than the rest of the birds will be moved into the new coop. Each coop will have an attached covered run, opening (with gates) to a common fenced in yard with electric fencing around for predators proofing. Here is a pic of the floor. We still have to move it to where it will be permantly.

 

[ibpboo]

Nice floor. Great job!!
Hmmm, poop pit, exactly how does that work?

 

[cmom]

The floor will be raised up off the ground about a foot. There will be wire covering the poop pit with access under to rake it out. I did that with one of my other coops and the poop goes into my compost piles. I thought I had a picture of the side of the coop where the access is to rake out the poop but couldn't find it so will take a picture tomarrow. There will be hardware cloth around the bottom of the coop with the piece over the poop pit hinged for access. Here is an old picture of my older coop where you can kind of see the poop pit on the left side of the pic. Sorry it's so blurry.

 

[ibpboo]

Interesting. So, when it comes time to clean out coop, yo can just push it all out through the pit, and at a later time rake out from under coop. Now, if they would just learn to poop over the pit only?!!
My bunny cages are like that, a wire on half, and thats where the poop goes and then you just pull out the bottom to clean. Same idea?

 

[cmom]

The birds really don't poop much on the floor, they mostly poop when they are on the roosts over the poop pit. I Just rake it out every week or two.

 

[newchicksnducks]

As your in Florida, you probably don't get too cold in the winters. But with the addition of a roof or ridge vent, you would have great ventilation too! fresh air from under the coop escaping up through the roof

 

[Catstar68]

That's a really good design. I have something similar in my coop where under the roosts is covered in chicken wire, the chickens roost and 99% of the poop falls through the wire into the giant 'litterbox' filled with sand/dri-stall. Once a week I scoop the poop out of the cleanout door from the outside. I chickens never come in contact with the poop. It works like a charm, never smells and is a big part of my parasite prevention program. The pine shavings in the rest of the coop stay clean and I spot clean any 'accidents' and fluff the shavings once a week.
I like the hole in the floor idea though. I could do with the little extra floor space it would give me...though most of the time if the chickens are not roosting, they're outside in the big covered run.

 

[elmo]

Quote:
Right! Although in a colder climate, I'd be concerned that the opening below the roost would actually create a draft over the chickens, with the cold air sinking down through the floor opening.

 

[cmom]

I do have vents under the eves on the front and back sides of my existing coop 14" x 45" and a screened door on one side and a screened window on the other side so I have plenty of ventillation. I can shut them when it gets cold. Our coldest night here in the winter was 18 degrees. I live in North Central Florida.

 

[cmom]

Here are the front and back wall. The tops will be the vents. They will have hinged doors so they can be closed if we need to. Tomarrow will be a day off for the coop as we will be putting the electric in the barn.