Poop Boards

[adeechickluv]

I need a roost (duh) for my chickens and I know "a lot of poop will be accumulated underneath". How do poop boards work? I've heard that they're just a pan underneath the roosts. How often would you clean it? More info??
Thanks a TON,
Adrienne

 

[danielle82]

on my first coop i don't have a poop board, but really wish i did! so much poop accumulates when they roost. the next one def. does. We took some big cinder blocks and set them on the ground and put some linoluem covered OSB on top of that, and above that is the roost (a 2x4). That way all the poop from roosting goes on the linoluem, and thats pretty easy

another cool one Ive seen people do is use a pan under the roost filled with a sandy substance and then they can go in with a kitty litter scooper/shaker tool and clean it out that way

 

[adeechickluv]

I saw this absolutely amazing picture of a roost that had a chain leading to the poop board. So the board would swing underneath it. Sooo clever, I'm giong to use that idea!

Should the poop board be ... just painted high gloss? Or covered with linoleum? Or with pine shavings? What do you have, and why?

 

[newchicksnducks]

There are as many styles of poop or dropping boards as there are coops! The board is designed to catch most of the poo that the birds drop while on the roost, which is a majority of the poo that needs cleaned from the coop. Some people use pans or trays that they remove and clean. Others (like me) have a board under the roost that they just scrape and empty into a bucket, then empty the bucket into a compost pile (chicken poop, when aged, is a great fertilizer!) I currently have an OSB board painted w/high gloss paint that I scrape with a paint scraper. If I were ever to replace it, I would use plywood, or better yet - formica covered plywood for easier scraping. (Frozen poop on OSB board leads to splinters coming off the board) Still, I love the droppings board setup!

 

[Fenn]

Anyone try medium density fiberboard? No chance of splinters. If you wanted to put a coating of lacquer or something you wouldn't need to sand it first cause it's already super smooth. The only thing is it might end up looking really bad if you don't coat it. The material seems like it would stain.

 

[teach1rusl]

I used a thin sheet of masonite type board (laying on top of just plain old plywood) for mine, because it scrapes of super easily, and I can just remove it, take it outside and hose it down occasionally. I LOVE having a dropping board! It makes clean up SO easy. I just keep a "poop bucket" and putty knife handy...takes a minute so scrape the poop into the bucket...and tadaaa...it's clean! I do grab a handful or two of bedding off the floor and sprinkle up there so any liquids are absorbed a bit.

 

[adeechickluv]

Thanks for the replies, they are very informative!!

I'm going to use some leftover plywood and paint it with high gloss. I am a little worried - if I'm scraping it everyday, will the paint get damaged?

 

[newchicksnducks]

Quote:
Even with my OSB board, it has stood up fine for one year. When cleaning the coop the spring, I flipped it over to the other painted side for this next year By this time next year, I'll probably just have to reclean and throw another coat of paint on it. Most of the paint is still on the original side, just a few areas that I chipped when cleaning too vigorously.

And about MDF (Medium density fiborboard)...I don't think that would work well in an outside situation. If it gets scraped or scratched through the paint, it will absorb a lot of water. Unless you covered it w/laminate material....

 

[Fenn]

On the MDF, you are completely correct. I didn't even think about general moisture, I live in So. California so I forget sometimes. But yeah I was thinking you could put a coat of Man O' War on it, they also have a pour on lacquer which is supposed to be really good. But some of the other methods would be cheaper and faster.

On a side note, for those who haven't made one yet they sell UHMW in thin sheets with adhesive on the back. This would scrape so easily. UHMW is a plastic that is easy to clean and used for creating a smooth surface that things can slide on.

 

[Bantimna]

I don't own any chickens but, poop boards collect/catch the poop of the chickens. Most I think would clean it when they weekly clean the coop...change the wood shavings etc... Otherwise teach1ruls gave you a good example.