POOP boards 101. Teach me.

[Tervish]

I love my poop boards with PDZ! A quick scoop every day is so easy and it is amazing how much poop I *don't* have to pick up off the floor. My board slides on tracks on the side of the coop, and the roosts lift out easily so I can reach the whole area without having to struggle with reaching under the roosts. Board is 23" off the ground.

Roosts are about 8" above the board (back roost 1.5" taller) and 11" from back wall and between them. My board is about 33.5" deep because that is what I had on hand without going to buy more plywood! So there is only about 4" from the front roost edge to the edge of the board. If a chicken roosts "backwards" with their butts hanging over the front edge (AND OF COURSE THEY DO) some misses the board and hits the floor. I may try to extend or rebuild at some point to make it deeper. But the board catches the vast majority and I am very happy with it!

I was afraid they might try to dust bath in the PDZ, but with the height of the roosts there is really no room.

 

[WindingRoad]

My birds seem to prefer roosting on the narrow edge of the 2x4 instead of it being flat. I even made them roosts from branches...and they still preferred the slim side of the 2x4 edge. Has anyone else noticed that?

Yes the 4'' side is too wide for them to get a grip their toes are short.

 

[Nancy Asselin]

We are new to chickens but I decided to go with the poop board and I love it. We have vinyl flooring on ours and there is a lip around it. I’m in Canada and I don’t have access to sweet PDZ so I use Fresh Coop. I scoop mine about 3-4x week. Once the chicks stopped sleeping in a pile on coop floor and started roosting it made a world of difference in keeping things clean. And as @Sally PB said, if cecal poop, just dust over it and scoop it up. I will definitely include poop boards in future coops
My one hen likes to sit on the poop board for a few minutes before she roosts with the others but she doesn’t stay there long.
View attachment 2398362

I am in Canada also, and wondering where to get fresh coop? I have been using pine shavings on my boards

We are new to chickens but I decided to go with the poop board and I love it. We have vinyl flooring on ours and there is a lip around it. I’m in Canada and I don’t have access to sweet PDZ so I use Fresh Coop. I scoop mine about 3-4x week. Once the chicks stopped sleeping in a pile on coop floor and started roosting it made a world of difference in keeping things clean. And as @Sally PB said, if cecal poop, just dust over it and scoop it up. I will definitely include poop boards in future coops
My one hen likes to sit on the poop board for a few minutes before she roosts with the others but she doesn’t stay there long.
View attachment 2398362

 

[Ruby Rogue]

I'm in Canada too. Sweet PDZ is made in Canada (I think) so it should be easy to find (you would think), and cheaper here (but it's not). The website says I can get it in Ontario... I found other zeolite products (online) and e-mailed the companies. I need this product. Where can we get it?

 

[RebelEgger]

I am in Canada also, and wondering where to get fresh coop?

I buy mine at Shur Gain and recently I got it at a country store called Scotian Gold ($10 cheaper!) I have also seen it’s available though Home Hardware.

 

[Ruby Rogue]

Thanks for the pdz tips. I found some stall dry at shur gain but that was as close as I can get. The poop boards should be finished tomorrow. Can't wait to see it all completed

 

[igorsMistress]

I don’t think they’re worth it. Too much dust, unless you have a fine sifter the little pieces stay in there and eventually they stink and that takes more time to sift. Did I mention the dust? Be care that you don’t inhale it. I prefer deep litter. Then again my coop has the bare minimum, a roost and nest box and that’s it.

 

[RebelEgger]

Thanks for the pdz tips. I found some stall dry at shur gain but that was as close as I can get. The poop boards should be finished tomorrow. Can't wait to see it all completed

If you figure out where to get PDZ, let me know! I’ve looked with no luck.

 

[Ruby Rogue]

If you figure out where to get PDZ, let me know! I’ve looked with no luck.

I'm gonna try out the stall dry for a season and if I'm not completely satisfied, I'm going to see if one of our feed stores will order the PDZ in for me. No one around here has even heard of it. I was surprised to find the stall dry after searching for 'something, anything' for weeks. I'm stoked.

 

[aart]

see if one of our feed stores will order the PDZ in for me.

Search under the gardening market for granulated zeolite.
Someone in Canada found it that way, sorry can't remember who or where exactly.