I’ve had chickens for around 4 months now and they have always had the mk2 cube, it’s easy to clean but I am having to clean it everyday because the girls rarely get their poop to drop through the roosting bars into the tray! They have an auto door so are out early and I try to get in there early enough before they want to start laying to clean the roosting bars otherwise they are treading through it into the clean nesting area. I was trying to think of a way to modify and came across these bars on Etsy. I have seen people say wood is better grip for them and they do slip around a bit on the current roosting bars so I’m thinking of doing a diy model of something similar. Has anyone else done this or even bought these for their coop? Do the girls prefer it? Mine love the little ladder I made them during the day in their run and they also perch on the edge of the tyre they have for their dust bath so I feel like putting something a bit perchier in the coop might make them more comfortable especially with winter and longer nights coming in fast! Would love to see ideas, thanks
I have the exact same coop as you. While most of our poop was falling through to the tray, there is some that sticks to the roost, which I hate because they walk / step / lay in it. It only takes a few minutes to clean, literally, just hose off, scrub with a brush using your favorite cleaner, hose again, dry off and you're done. Easy Peasy is one of the main attractants of this design, however, it is slippery and training new pullets to walk on it has always been a challenge.
I've now gone to laying nesting pads on top of the roosting bars and putting pine shavings (triple heated) on top of that to make it extra cushy. There is still open rungs in a section should anyone want to use them. Clean up is just as easy with the pads and shavings as I just remove the soiled shavings. I still wash out and wipe down the inside of the coop though just because that's what I do. All in all, I'm done in 10 minutes. Yes, it must be cleaned every day. I go out at first light to check on the girls anyway so that's when I do it. Just a habit now. By the time I'm done, so is the coffee brewing.
If you have a perch outside the coop in the run, you could let them perch on it and sleep there (outside the coop) since the run enclosure is predator proof. We bought our perches from Omlet at the time we bought the tractor, ensuring they would fit the design. Since you're in a cold climate, that may not be an option for long.
I like your perch idea inside. I hadn't thought of that. You didn't mention how old or how many hens you have. Keep in mind, the cube space is much too small for more than 4 adult hens and I think even that is crowded. In cold weather, they might appreciate being able to huddle together and lay on something more supportive. Ours have taken to sleeping in the layer!! I finally removed the divider so they have more space. They're not laying yet so I don't know if I created a problem or not.
I would refrain from drilling into the plastic as it might void something in the warranty / guarantee not to mention you may compromise the construction value of heat/cold protection. Don't know, I'm not an engineer. I agree with Debbie - just cut wood pieces to fit the space, wrap it in soft agricultural roping if you're worried about mites and lice. I've never had a problem with those. I don't think they like the plastic much.
I would love to see what you've done to the ladder if you're willing to share - we added non skid tape to a piece of wood to place at a friendlier angle since the Omlet ladder is a challenge for birds in this design.
