Poop Board Wire Mesh Sifter "basket" UNDER Sweet PDZ or Stall Dry that can be lifted out...hmmmmmmm?

[mamabear72]

Hello there,
I'm BRAND new to chickens, just got our first four little fuzzy butts yesterday

I've been reading posts non stop and absolutely LOVE all the ideas here!

I like the idea of using a poo board with a layer of Sweet PDZ that can be sifted every morning.
I have an idea but thought I'd ask for advice here first because well...basically I don't know what the heck I'm doing.

What if I made a wire mesh "basket" (the size of the poop board) with one inch sides that slips down into the poop box then the Sweet PDZ (or Stall Dry, whatever I can find in my area) can be poured OVER it. Instead of sifting every morning with a kitty litter type thingy, I simply pull up the mesh wire sifter, using the handles that I've yet to figure out...then dumping the poo into a compost bin.
Do you think I could push/wiggle my sifter basket back down into the Sweet PDZ to catch the next days poopies?

Am I nutty and completely overthinking this whole thing? Be honest with me, I can handle it.
I'm also one of those crazy chicks that plans on painting their coop a pretty little color and adding cute little decorations on the outside, ha ha.

Thank you in advance,
Kristen & Family

 

[foreverlearning]

Yes, it is possible though I haven't seen anyone do it yet. For the handles I would suggest wire cage handles so they can move if you need them to. I would suggest 1/2" or1" hardware cloth for your mesh as it is stronger and still small enough to get most of the poop up. The hardest thing about this entire idea is the location of the poop board. You want it to extend 1' on either side of the roost to collect either way they choose to roost that night. You will need easy access to get these baskets and be able to lift them as chickens do poop a lot at night. If you have a large roost you may want to consider making a few baskets next to each other for ease. If poop lands on the edge of the basket all you would have to do is hose it off. Good luck and please pose pictures if you choose to do this so others can learn from your idea.

 

[aart]

I understand the logic but I think that would be harder than just using a sifter basket to pick up the poops.

It would be heavy(my roost board is 2' x 8'), poops may well stick to screen and be hard to clean off, clearance to lift and manipulate might be a problem.....just some thoughts.

I use a short handled hoe and a fine metal mesh organizer basket to clean the roost boards, put it in a lidded bucket and hand off to my composter.

 

[escape]

My poop board slides out from outside the coop. I love it! After I pull it out and dump the poop, I sprinkle a little PDZ on it and slide it back in.

I bought a coop from Horizon Structures. Here is a page that shows how it works. I'm sure you could build something like this into your coop.

One thing about the picture on the page that you should know.... my poop board sits a lot higher than the one shown so I don't have to bend down like that. The poop board is about 24 inches off the ground.

http://www.horizonstructures.com/cleaner-coop.asp

 

[foreverlearning]

My poop board slides out from outside the coop. I love it! After I pull it out and dump the poop, I sprinkle a little PDZ on it and slide it back in.

I bought a coop from Horizon Structures. Here is a page that shows how it works. I'm sure you could build something like this into your coop.

One thing about the picture on the page that you should know.... my poop board sits a lot higher than the one shown so I don't have to bend down like that. The poop board is about 24 inches off the ground.

http://www.horizonstructures.com/cleaner-coop.asp

That is a super neat idea!