Poop board design help

[ldirk7]

@Sally PB makes sense! I’ll learn in time I’m sure!

alright I’m currently sitting in my coop trying to plan. I have only 2 ft of space up in the front before I hit the window or the nesting box, but much more vertical space. Assuming the lower one will be 12 inches out from the wall… does 18 inches between the roost bars count if it’s offset on a diagonal? I would
Worry about them pooping on each other. It’s the only way the front space could work with 2 roost bars I think.

nest box side: I can go above the nesting box to get more than 2 ft from the door

but limited by the 2 ft between the window and door on the opposite side.

Perhaps the original proposed solution by @Chad Oftedal of covering the roost box is what has to be done, but on the front instead..

 

[ldirk7]

Alternatively I could just lower the current roost locations to a more appropriate height, and have trays in front and back and find a way to pull the other poop tray toward me at the door, maybe via rope system? Or just get in the coop

 

[Chad Oftedal]

I think what I’d probably do now since you’re willing to move it to the front - which was a good suggestion by @aart to do - is close off the first nest box and bring the tray setup to the front. You’ll loose mounting it to the extra back wall because now you’ll just have the two sides, but I’m sure you can make it plenty secure. Maybe an easy locking system to keep it in place, but yet removable when you want to get up in the coop. With easy access to the poop board now being at the front, daily cleaning will be easier and quicker.

For the roost bars, the more I think about it, I wouldn’t over complicate it with multiple levels and trying to squeeze 2 in right now. You have 5 birds, and a single bar gets you at 4 out of the 5 feet needed if you’re following the 1 foot rule to the ‘T’. I think they’ll manage that without much trouble at all. You’ve said maybe in 3-4 years, expand the flock. My guess is you’ll have many ideas of possible changes you could make by then. Sometimes you just have to run with ‘this works for now’ and cross the bridge of expansion after you have some experience under your belt. You’ve built a really nice coop and done great research - you’re giving them a very workable space for the 5 birds right now. I’d feel very different if you were starting out with 10 birds in there and saying you’ll address expansion some other time. That’s not where you’re at - you’re doing quite the opposite. But, I don’t think you have to solve the 3-4 year problem today. My bet is in 3-4 years, you’ll say’Now I know why all those people build walk-in coops!’

It’s a great coop and getting to use it will be a lot of fun for you. We’ve all figured out tweaks to make our coops better, but it almost always came after actually using them for real and moving from the hypothetical to the in practice phase.

 

[catballou]

New chicken owner over here! My new coop is about chicken ready, and I have poop board questions. My coop is Wichita style, and has 2 roosts going horizontal in the coop that are at the same height. I think I am out of space to do suspended poop boards like a lot of people do due to the nesting boxes. I was thinking of doing dog crate trays (like these, or perhaps something else with higher sides https://www.amazon.com/Replacement-MidWest-Crates-Durable-Crate/dp/B0002NNWDW?th=1&psc=1) and having them on the ground.

Is this idea even worth it, will they chickens just walk in it and spread the poop everywhere? I think I would need to put sand or something in it to make it something the chickens will be able to walk in, and scoop it like a litter box maybe? Does having a tray with sand in it reduce my indoor space for the chickens? I live in a cold climate and there will be days when the chickens are in the coop I think.

I’m thinking I might be out of luck, poop board-wise but I’d love if there are any ideas out there.
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You could actually run one roost on an angle and make it the height of the window across from the nest boxes. You'll find out soon where they prefer to roost and then put your poop board under that area. It may give you more room for them and be easier to clean.
In not certain, but it depends upon your ability to reach in this. I'm older than dirt so I want everything super easy.