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

[SarniaTricia]

jackhorn01--for large fowl lay the 2x4 on the 4 side flat, in the winter they can cover the feet entirely to keep warm, and the heavier breeds need the extra inches to help prevent breast sores. One of my black orpingtons came with one that been just terrible to get it healed, 4 months later she still has it--it's getting smaller .

I agree 4 inch side flat for roosting on... less frozen toes, as the feathers cover the whole foot then. I have some that just perfer a platform so we will see if they will roost after I make the changes...

 

[jackhorn01]

Thanks for the input!

 

[SomeChickenGuy]

I am soo out of the know. Why exactly does a coop need poop boards? I thought you just let em poop on the floor and call it good. I am in the middle of building my first chicken coop so this is awesome information. If I need to upgrade then this is the time for me to do so.

 

[chickiemomy]

Quote: okay I know this is way late - but I am new to reading this thread & am working my way back -- I had a similar issue with the roost at the back of the coop & not being able to reach it to clean. & the floor to the coop is raised making it more of an issue to climb into the coop myself. What we did was make the floor under the roost wire so the poop would fall through to the outside ground. The whole poop area under the roost is framed in & secure to the ground (predator proof). Then we made access doors from the outside - so I can rake poop from the outside - convenient to the compost pile!

My problem now is that my little chickens (australorps, buckeyes & gold sex-link - 2 each) prefer to sleep on the floor of the coop - as they did in their brooder - built this whole roost/poop contraption, but it isn't being used. The chicks are about 13 weeks old & the roost is only say 30" off the floor - I know they could get up there if they wanted to. After reading this far - I'm going to try building them a temporary ladder of sorts & maybe tempt them with some mealworms on the roost as a reward. Wondered if the wire floor was off-putting as well, so I may put some straw (shavings would drop through too easy, but I think the straw will matte together find) on top of it for awhile, until they get in the habit of using the roost... I can deal with cleaning the straw area temporarily for 'training' purposes.

any thoughts from anyone???

 

[jackhorn01]

Poop boards aren't a requirement, but will save you lots of work. The design we are talking about here is very nice. Check out the design at the begining of the thread. What you do with a poop board, is build a box that is under your roost bars. That way the poop that is generated while the chickens are roosting is consolidated in them for easier clean up. The pdz that is talked about here, is a compound used in horse stalls to keep the smell down. It also doubles as a scoopable litter. It comes in powder and granule form. From all the research I've done thus far, I am seeing more people preferring the powder form. A sack of this stuff will last a long time if you keep up with it. Just scoop the poop once a day like you would a cat box and your good.

 

[Missa Chickabee]

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

This is quite amazing.. I was just now out in my coop (it's pretty big and I can walk in) thinking that I might need to double up on the roosts (2 roosts over the soon-to-be-built-poop-board-I-sure-hope) to accommodate all the Orpington sisters when they get larger. Was testing out the distance and thinking I will need an extension on the kitty litter scoop. But 6 feet might make that a bit awkward...bit of a stretch I think. I have seen where someone made a box like a very tray/drawer for eggs about 3" high that pulled out from the outside. Just a thought. Something like that could work for a poop board if a person was willing to do the work to make it.

 

[NC ChickenKate]

I also am a fairly recent convert to sweet PDZ (has other names in other parts of the country) about 4 inches deep under my roost. It is more of a granulated product than powdery. I has kept the coop smelling clean even in Southeast NC's 90 degree humid weather after 4 days of not cleaning. Used in horse stalls, dog runs and pens for mid-sized livestock,it doesn't actually clump like cat litter (which incases the moisture in a lot of litter, hence using up the cat litter very fast) but I use a plastic cat litter scoop, and the poo goes into a small bucket, to be added to the compost pile.
I will never go back to the deep litter method or expecting the poo to fall nicely through the floor screen to the ground below...build a tray under the roost with at least one foot for their butts to overhang and make it at least 4 inches deep...you will thank your lucky stars!

 

[NC ChickenKate]

I built a new coop when we moved recently. It is 8 feet long and 2 1/2 feet wide and has 2 stories. The 8 foot long roost is the top floor with a 12 inch wide poo tray under the entire length of the roost. There are two ramps leading down to the bottom floor where the two large nest boxes are found. the pop hole is at one end of the bottom floor with another ramp leading to the ground.
I have 2 access doors on both long sides of the coop which allow me to easily rech any corner of the coop's interior.

Hope that helps

 

[Donna Lynn]

I am having such a hard time finding PDZ granular or powdered. Even the food grade DE is not available. SInce I live in the middle of farming & dairy country in Central California, I would think some of the feed stores would carry both. I have two or three more feed stores so I hope I can find them. PDZ granular is best, right?

 

[Missa Chickabee]

I have had the same problem and I live in Northern Minnesota horse and cow country. Nearest Tractor Supply Co. is two hrs away. I ended up ordering zeolite (granular because they don't make powdered) from BRZ (Bear River Zeolite) Check their website to see where they sell it near you. www.bearriverzeolite.com/

I ended up ordering mine from Azure Standard.

I would also like to find a source for the powdered stuff up here.