Poop board convert *warning-graphic/gross poop pictures*

[Thespoiledchicken]

I can't believe the difference this has made in my coop !!! I used deep litter this past winter and after Spring cleaning, I wanted it to stay fresh and airy for the warmer months. I built a 4 inch high, 4x2 foot box with a roost board attached and placed it by making a ledge of a 2x4 boards. One on each side of my 4 foot wide coop and placed the box on them. Added some vinyl squares (didn't stick them because I'll remove them and wash them off eventually) Then a bag of PDZ. Everyday I scoop into a can and throw it in the compost bin. Couldn't be easier and I tell people the coop is cleaner than my house. It's true. Thank You..Thank You..Thank You..for this brilliant idea. I think of you every morning as I scoop up the bits !!!!! I'll try to get a pic on here of how I did it.

I am so happy others are getting the same results! Thank you so much for posting your experience and welcome to the Poop Scooper's Club

Ulica, powers, and TeamHolt- So glad your doing it! You will love it

Let us know how it goes.


Trish

 

[damselfish]

We converted our chicken coop this weekend to use your idea, and it's working great. I have the powder form of PDZ.

A few things I didn't realize, just for anyone reading:

- the PDZ soaks up the moisture and creates kind of a "chunk" of stuff that you have to get out of there. So don't just scoop the poop bits, scoop under them.
- you will need a larger cat-litter type scoop or something similar, the old kitchen-reject slotted spoon that was my previous scooper does not cut it for this purpose. The bigger scoop allows you to shake out the extra PDZ so you don't waste the unused part.
- build those trays strong. DH overbuilds everything, so no problem here. We have two 50 lb bags of PDZ in an L-shaped tray (goes around the corner of the coop) with total size of 8 feet on one side and about 4 on the other, so a total of 12 ft by 24".

And lastly:

- Your chickens will write messages in the PDZ. Mine said CHICKENS RULE the other day, can't imagine how they learned to do that.

Thanks for the great idea!

 

[fiddlebanshee]

I am so happy others are getting the same results! Thank you so much for posting your experience and welcome to the Poop
Scooper's Club

I'm going to do a deepcleaning of my coop soon. I used the DLM on the floor with DE and over the winter that has worked fine - no smells. I also have a poopshelf with two washingmachine trays on it. These are about an inch and a half deep, if that. So far i had wood shavings on the trays which I dumped out once a week. There is a slight smell just before I need to clean them. However, with summer coming I can see that this smell might get worse.

So I am thinking of changing the shavings on the poopshelf to PDZ. How deep of a layer does it need to be? I can remake the poopshelf to make the lip higher than the current 1.5 inches that the washing machine pans are but it might be nice to keep the pans to make it easily removable whenever I need to clean the whole thing? What's your sense? Would 1.5 inches be deep enough in order to be able to scoop up the poop? My other idea would be to mount a 1x4 with the wide side vertical sothat i would have a 2.5 to 3 " lip. Which of these two alternatives would you recommend?

 

[Thespoiledchicken]

We converted our chicken coop this weekend to use your idea, and it's working great. I have the powder form of PDZ.

A few things I didn't realize, just for anyone reading:

- the PDZ soaks up the moisture and creates kind of a "chunk" of stuff that you have to get out of there. So don't just scoop the poop bits, scoop under them.
- you will need a larger cat-litter type scoop or something similar, the old kitchen-reject slotted spoon that was my previous scooper does not cut it for this purpose. The bigger scoop allows you to shake out the extra PDZ so you don't waste the unused part.
- build those trays strong. DH overbuilds everything, so no problem here. We have two 50 lb bags of PDZ in an L-shaped tray (goes around the corner of the coop) with total size of 8 feet on one side and about 4 on the other, so a total of 12 ft by 24".

And lastly:

- Your chickens will write messages in the PDZ. Mine said CHICKENS RULE the other day, can't imagine how they learned to do that.

Thanks for the great idea!

Sweet! I have to fight the urge to write messages every time I clean, lol. Sometimes I become Picasso!

As far as the scooper- I use a large cat litter scooper that I covered in Hardware cloth- poops stay in, powder sifts out.


Trish

I'm going to do a deepcleaning of my coop soon. I used the DLM on the floor with DE and over the winter that has worked fine - no smells. I also have a poopshelf with two washingmachine trays on it. These are about an inch and a half deep, if that. So far i had wood shavings on the trays which I dumped out once a week. There is a slight smell just before I need to clean them. However, with summer coming I can see that this smell might get worse.

So I am thinking of changing the shavings on the poopshelf to PDZ. How deep of a layer does it need to be? I can remake the poopshelf to make the lip higher than the current 1.5 inches that the washing machine pans are but it might be nice to keep the pans to make it easily removable whenever I need to clean the whole thing? What's your sense? Would 1.5 inches be deep enough in order to be able to scoop up the poop? My other idea would be to mount a 1x4 with the wide side vertical sothat i would have a 2.5 to 3 " lip. Which of these two alternatives would you recommend?

I would definitely go for the 3" lip. You need a couple inches of PDZ so you can easily scoop it, like a cat litter box concept.

Good luck!

Trish

 

[mcjessen]

Trish -

I have loved reading this thread and, like others, am in the midst of finishing up a larger coop than is currently being used by my three girls (we're raising three more babies this year to go in with the existing girls probably in July). I love the idea of using Sweet PDZ but face somewhat of a challenge maybe you and other readers could help me sort out.

We had our new coop built by a local college student and he did a great job for a reasonable price. This coop is huge compared to the one we're replacing. The new coop is 4ft wide by 6ft long and roughly 6ft tall. Design wise, I didn't think about the fact that I would not be able to reach the back of the 6ft long span of the coop without physically climbing in the coop over pine shavings. It does not have walk in access because it's raised off the ground. The coop is now roughly two feet off the ground but we will be placing it up on cinder blocks which will add another 10 inches or so. Currently it stands at thigh level and up on the cinder blocks will be at hip level.

Here's my challenge, the roosts are at the back of that 6ft span of coop. There are no poop boards at this time but I want to fashion something like you have and do the same set up with the Sweet PDZ. So...how do I reach the boards to clean them? I'm thinking of fashioning some sort of scoop (probably my existing cat little scoop) on a pole in order to reach the poop boards. Do you think that would work? I know I'm totally over thinking this and that's why I'm stuck. The poop boards will be on the back wall and one side wall in an "L" shape.

Because this is our second coop and we are making corrections to things we didn't like in the first coop, I want to get everything perfect, so we don't have to change anything again. LOL!
Thanks for any input.

 

[twinzmom]

Trish- we loved this idea also and used it in our coop right off. My girls are still in the brooder in our house but when they go out there we figure to have some very happy girls. I already bought 2 bags of Sweet PDZ but could only get the granular form at our tractor supply, hope it works as well as the powder.
Our roosts are 3 feet off the floor and also in an L shape- 5 foot on one side and 3 foot on the other. Will we need a ladder for them to get up there???

 

[Thespoiledchicken]

Trish -

I have loved reading this thread and, like others, am in the midst of finishing up a larger coop than is currently being used by my three girls (we're raising three more babies this year to go in with the existing girls probably in July). I love the idea of using Sweet PDZ but face somewhat of a challenge maybe you and other readers could help me sort out.

We had our new coop built by a local college student and he did a great job for a reasonable price. This coop is huge compared to the one we're replacing. The new coop is 4ft wide by 6ft long and roughly 6ft tall. Design wise, I didn't think about the fact that I would not be able to reach the back of the 6ft long span of the coop without physically climbing in the coop over pine shavings. It does not have walk in access because it's raised off the ground. The coop is now roughly two feet off the ground but we will be placing it up on cinder blocks which will add another 10 inches or so. Currently it stands at thigh level and up on the cinder blocks will be at hip level.

Here's my challenge, the roosts are at the back of that 6ft span of coop. There are no poop boards at this time but I want to fashion something like you have and do the same set up with the Sweet PDZ. So...how do I reach the boards to clean them? I'm thinking of fashioning some sort of scoop (probably my existing cat little scoop) on a pole in order to reach the poop boards. Do you think that would work? I know I'm totally over thinking this and that's why I'm stuck. The poop boards will be on the back wall and one side wall in an "L" shape.

Because this is our second coop and we are making corrections to things we didn't like in the first coop, I want to get everything perfect, so we don't have to change anything again. LOL!
Thanks for any input.

This sounds exactly like my first coop. It is raised and it's about 6x6. I can't quite reach in there without hopping up into it (which I hate). This coop unfortunately does not have poop boards because of it. I have sand covering the bottom and I just scoop and sift the sand- it does not work as well, smells, and the sand it really dusty. I am thinking about just covering the whole floor with PDZ and just scooping it from the floor. I have one of those large stall forks that I covered in hardware cloth and that is what I sift the sand with- it has a long handle. This may also work for you too. These raised coops are tuff to work with.

Good Luck!
Trish

Trish- we loved this idea also and used it in our coop right off. My girls are still in the brooder in our house but when they go out there we figure to have some very happy girls. I already bought 2 bags of Sweet PDZ but could only get the granular form at our tractor supply, hope it works as well as the powder.
Our roosts are 3 feet off the floor and also in an L shape- 5 foot on one side and 3 foot on the other. Will we need a ladder for them to get up there???

No ladder necessary- most LF chickens can easily jump that

Mine are high and just about everyone gets up except for 2 of the silkies (2 of them easily get up their)

The granular form of PDZ works well- just a little dustier. I buy it whenever they are out of the powder.

Good luck with the chicks!
Trish

 

[mcjessen]

Ooo, a stall fork. That's a great idea!!!

Hubby and I talked about it a bit and I think he's on board with a shelf type poop board. I like this idea because then the girls would have the room under the boards to move around. I'll use pine shavings on the floor of the coop and Sweet PDZ on the poop boards.

In the current coop, I use the deep litter method which has worked fine. The roost is over the nest boxes so I have a boot tray on top of boxes and a "silver" platter LOL! on the floor. I hate scraping the boot tray. The platter isn't bad because I can just take it out and clean it.

I have sand in the run and don't like it because its soooo compacted and stinks from here to eternity. Doesn't help that's its been raining since the beginning of March.

Thanks for your input. I will try the stall fork.

Melissa

 

[fiddlebanshee]

Trish -

I have loved reading this thread and, like others, am in the midst of finishing up a larger coop than is currently being used by my three girls (we're raising three more babies this year to go in with the existing girls probably in July). I love the idea of using Sweet PDZ but face somewhat of a challenge maybe you and other readers could help me sort out.

We had our new coop built by a local college student and he did a great job for a reasonable price. This coop is huge compared to the one we're replacing. The new coop is 4ft wide by 6ft long and roughly 6ft tall. Design wise, I didn't think about the fact that I would not be able to reach the back of the 6ft long span of the coop without physically climbing in the coop over pine shavings. It does not have walk in access because it's raised off the ground. The coop is now roughly two feet off the ground but we will be placing it up on cinder blocks which will add another 10 inches or so. Currently it stands at thigh level and up on the cinder blocks will be at hip level.

Here's my challenge, the roosts are at the back of that 6ft span of coop. There are no poop boards at this time but I want to fashion something like you have and do the same set up with the Sweet PDZ. So...how do I reach the boards to clean them? I'm thinking of fashioning some sort of scoop (probably my existing cat little scoop) on a pole in order to reach the poop boards. Do you think that would work? I know I'm totally over thinking this and that's why I'm stuck. The poop boards will be on the back wall and one side wall in an "L" shape.

Because this is our second coop and we are making corrections to things we didn't like in the first coop, I want to get everything perfect, so we don't have to change anything again. LOL!
Thanks for any input.

I'm a little late to this, but is it possible to make an access hatch at the side that has the roosts and the poopboard, so you can scoop from the outside in?

Just a thought.

 

[mcjessen]

That's a great thought. I'll have to talk to hubby about it. We measured and discovered we did not have room for poop boards so we need all the ideas we can get. We didn't think about an access hatch. Thank you!