Poop Boards Questions

[julnjake]

Ok I think I might have this right.... if you use Deep Litter Method then you would not use poop boards, is that right? If I'm right then what is general concensus on preference.... poop boards or just let it fall to the floor? Right now I think we're going with dirt floor and Deep Litter with shavings, although I'm considering sand. But being in PA we have cold winters and I'm afraid sand would be too cold...??
Thanks guys!
Last night we got all our materials and have the babysitter lined up for non stop work today on the coop! I'll try to get some pics although this puppy isn't going to be fancy!
Juli

 

[allpeepedout]

Poop boards will greatly keep your coop cleaner regardless of bedding method.

 

[JackE]

I go with the shavings, Deep litter. I do not use any "PoopBoards". Alot of people do. But I have better things to do, than to be scrapping chicken crap off a crappy board. I clean out and replace the coop's shavings twice a year. The chickens keep the litter well turned. If I notice excessive poop under the roosts, I will either throw some scratch in there and let the chickens turn it over, Or I'll grab a rake and mix it up a bit myself. Alot of people like sand, I use a bit of it by the coop's front window and pop door. The chickens can't drag the sand out the door like shavings. But, I still like the shavings throughout the rest of the coop.
Jack

 

[Knock Kneed Hen]

I use poop boards. Takes two seconds...okay, I jest, three.....to scrape it off into a bucket each day. My coop doesn't smell and I have practically no flies. I haven't used the deep litter method so I can't speak for that.

 

[teach1rusl]

I don't see scraping a droppings board taking any longer than deep litter (not discouraging deep litter or anything). Personally I don't want to stand in chicken crap when I go out to take care of things inside my coop. As KKHen said, it literally takes a minute (I only have 8 birds) to grab my plastic putty knife and scrape the nightly droppings into my droppings bucket (which I keep behind my coop, and empty into compost once a week or so). OP - with about 20 birds, it'd take you about 2-3 minutes a day or less to scrape. You can still keep your litter in there all year (and it'll get a lot more droppings in it come winter time when your birds are inside a lot more).

 

[Honeysucklefeathers]

I use deep litter method with straw on a gravel floor. No poop boards. I clean out a couple of times a year and if poop gets excessive under roost, I move it out of the way and either throw in more straw or take what's there out to the compost pile and replace. Coop doesn't smell like poop but I do have room to move the roost to another location tho I never have. Hubby made the roost, ladder like, slanted to lean against the wall and it works great

I didn't really want to mess with the poop boards everyday, tho I think they work great for some.

 

[fireguy56]

Hi, That's what I love about the site....everyone has their opinions and those oinions help others make decisions as to what might work for them. take it all for what it is worth. My opinion is, like deep litter method on my raised plywood, congoleum coverd floor. Wouldn't go any other way. Also using a variation on the poop board under both my roosts. I use a tray method for ease of removal and scraping once a week which takes about 5 minutes. Waste goes in the compost pile for future use. Just my opinion. If ya wanna see the set up in use, visit my page. good luck.
Erik

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

I don't know whether it is necessary or not with deep litter, but I've been using a poop-slide, where all the poop produced while the chickens are on the roost (which is most of the time they are actually inside the coop) slides down into a big Rubbermaid lid and can simply be dumped in the compost pile every week. No scraping necessary, although I did take a garden hose on "jet" to the Rubbermaid lid after week three to give it a bit more thorough a cleaning.

 

[littlefork]

I put sand on the poop board and use a cat litter scoop, scoop the poop out into a bucket, dump the bucket into the compost bin. It takes only a few minutes a day. It keeps the coop cleaner and no smells.