Poop board help

[gabz44]

Do you recommend I add one? Is it such a help? Here is a picture of inside of my coop- how do I add one ?

IMG ALT=""]https://www.backyardchickens.com/content/type/61/id/7206116/width/350/height/700[/IMG]

 

[cavemanrich]

A poop board is just an aid in catching and managing the chicken gum drops. Quite simple in your coop . Take a board about 12 inches wide and the length of the roost, and place underneath on a couple of risers like 2 bricks. It can also be placed on the floor below roost, I personally would raise it so there is a gap between floor and board. Take out as often as you need ,, to remove droppings. Adjust position as needed if droppings are missing target. You can also use cardboard instead and just replace as when filled.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

How large is this area? What are you going to use for bedding?
It looks like your roost is fairly low to the floor, so if you added a poop board or "poop catcher" it would need to be shallow. Now I am cheap, so I am thinking along the line of going to the dollar tree and picking up enough rectangular cookie/baking sheets that would fit just under the roost , pick up a kitty litter scoop while you are there. Add a little pdz or sand (or a mix of both), put that in the cookie sheets and there you go. Scoop out everyday, they can also be removed and cleaned when needed.
Hope this helps.

 

[jimbob86]

I'd go with either a purpose made board faced with scrap vinyl flooring or go the disposable cardboard route ......


FWIW, I'd also ditch the heat lamp, and put another 2x4, wide side up atop your roost.

 

[ChickenMammX4]

We have a poopboard under the roost. It does a great job catching the poop and keeping it off the floor. For me it's chest height making cleaning easy. It's lined with PDZ and I sift out the dropping (using a mesh desk/paper tray) everyday or two.

 

[TalkALittle]

There seems to be two ways to deal with poop on poop boards. Some scoop/sift while others slide them out and dump them. I'm a scooper/sifter. Looking at your coop, you won't be able to get in to scoop, so if you use a poop board it will probably need to be the kind you slide out. Whether you then scoop or dump the contents is personal preference. Multiple small trays would be a pain but one long one might work best.

Your roost is low so realize that whatever bedding you use will get kicked onto your board. If you plan on using two different substrates (one for bedding and another for the board) they will end up getting mixed by the birds scratching around.

If you keep bantams you can get away with a narrower board, but standard large fowl need a big board. My board is 24" from front to back with the roost centered over it and my birds still manage to hit the edge every once in a while.

If you use pdz or sand on the board the birds might decide to dust bathe in it. I've found that 1" of pdz is fine.

Given how your coop is configured and how low your roost is, I'd be inclined to use shavings in the whole thing. I'd put a poop tray under the roost that can pull out and be dumped every couple of days, daily if the birds are spending lots of time in the coop or if the coop has less than ideal ventilation. Stray poops will get worked into the shavings and you can do a whole coop clean seasonally or as needed.

Whatever you do, you're going to want to install a lip on the edge by the big clean out door so when you open it up all your bedding doesn't fall out.

 

[Tumbling K]

I think their roost is above a cabinet.

if it is, and the cabinet top doesn't absorb, I think I'd just use the scrape method on or in something.

 

[gabz44]

@TalkALittle
Thank you for all the info! What should I install outside the doors so bedding doesn't fall out? Says lol

 

[TalkALittle]

Whoops! That should be "lip". My phone auto corrected. I went back and edited the post.

Any piece of lumber will do as long as it's tall enough to hold back the bedding.

 

[aart]

Your roost might be a little low....should be higher than nests...and heat lamp probably not needed(I'm making a lot of assumptions).
You could probably reconfigure that roost assembly material into a roost and board.