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

[Cebarmlds]

PDZ is a brand name look or ask for 'zeolite' that is what the product is. You should be able to get it for about 15.00 for 50 #.

 

[Missa Chickabee]

I like the granular for the poop box but I want powder to mix with DE for the floor (which will also be mixed with pine shavings) Just need to track down that powder! The PDZ company does not have their address on their website. I have a thought that the main place might be in Canada as they supply eastern Canada as well with PDZ.

 

[Missa Chickabee]

PDZ is a brand name look or ask for 'zeolite' that is what the product is. You should be able to get it for about 15.00 for 50 #.

erlibird! There you are again.

Still wondering if you know of a source for the powdered variety of zeolite in the Brainerd area??

 

[amenfarm]

I contacted the sweet PDZ company to offer a Thank-you. I found out they do have a place to contact them on the web on where to get the product. I bet you could get the feed stores or farm supply stores to order it for you. My Co-Op ordered the antibiotic I needed and got it in $5.00 cheaper without shipping costs. saved me $17.00. I have a very open coop, I prefer the granulated sweetPDZ because I don't have to deal with dust. I add DE and Sweet PDZ together on the floor, can't tell the difference.

 

[Missa Chickabee]

I contacted the sweet PDZ company to offer a Thank-you. I found out they do have a place to contact them on the web on where to get the product. I bet you could get the feed stores or farm supply stores to order it for you. My Co-Op ordered the antibiotic I needed and got it in $5.00 cheaper without shipping costs. saved me $17.00. I have a very open coop, I prefer the granulated sweetPDZ because I don't have to deal with dust. I add DE and Sweet PDZ together on the floor, can't tell the difference.

Ok. So you don't use the pine shavings? I need to put a very thick layer of the shavings on the concrete floor because of our extremely cold winters up here. ( about 8 or 9 inches of it) CAS told me the granular will just fall through the shavings to the bottom, where the zeolite won't do any good (poop's up top) but apparently the powder works good on the floor with that, also mixed with DE.

Sigh. So I'm still searching. I have spoken willl our local Fleet store and will also talk to the Feed Store about possibly ordering me some.

Thanks!
~Cheryl

 

[jackhorn01]

Would it be feasible based on how your set up is build to eliminate the thick layer of shavings and put a heat lamp in there. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, you should be able to just buy a cheap drop light from lowe's and put a high wattage bulb in it.

 

[Missa Chickabee]

My coop is 12 X 12. That would be a heap big expense if if just used zeoloite and DE. Most people up here throw straw in there because it generates more heat. I hate working with straw. I have electric in the coop and am set up to have heat lamps but I do want them to acclimate somewhat. They are cold-hardy birds, most of them. I'm going to compromise. I do think the shavings insulate and when it get to -30 F (and it sometimes does) I think the zeolite will conduct the cold whereas I think the shaving will insulate somewhat against it.

If it gets really really cold we will use some heat but I don't want spoiled birds that wouldn't make it through a power outage. So that's why I want to acclimate them.

We have a woodstove in our home for when the electric fails...and it has. But can't do that for the birds. That's why I have mostly Buff Orps.....self-insulated. And then...there is CORN!

 

[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.

Hi Chickymomi,

I just happened upon that pic of the externally-accessable poop tray: Here is the link and I think it is post #24

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/448650/poop-board-experts/20

 

[MissusC]

Just wanted to share a picture of our roost/poop board as we just got it all finished yesterday.


Thanks to everyone here for the help and ideas.

 

[kellanv]

While the coop is not done, this is what I came up with for our "poop board" solution. We wanted it to be accessible from the outside for easier cleaning, filling etc.


View of the drawer slid out of the coop



The rail system