poop boards

[Beechwood]

OK - our hens are just starting to lay the most beautiful eggs! Yippee.....my questions though. We have a home built chicken coop - very funky - with a wire floor covered in hay so that most poop can drop right through to the ground. Do we still need a poop board under the perch? Shavings or hay in the nesting boxes? Doesn't seem to matter to the hens. And lastly, for now, do the new eggs need to be refrigerated if we're eating them right away? I know I'll have more questions as time goes on. Thanks!

 

[Eggcessive]

You don't have to refrigerate fresh eggs unless it is very hot where you are. Many people keep them indoors at room temperature until they are eaten. Wire floors are not meant to be covered so that droppings can fall through, but you can put a board on top with pine shaving and use the deep litter method. That is what many prefer. Hay or staw can become moldy when damp, chickens can die from mold, and they can get impacted crop form eating it. Try going to the top of the page under Forum or Learning Center--there is a wealth of information on raising chickens. You can also use the Google search for any of these topics and get many opinions.

 

[theoldchick]

You still have to clean the poop from the wire or eventually the fecal material will rust the wire. Yes, the chickens do appreciate something lay eggs on. I use Bermuda hay and my hens love it. I did put pine shavings in one nest box and the hens avoid using it. Go figure.

If you wish to use poop board you can still do so. This will allow you easy access to put the poop in your compost heap. I use empty feed bags, cut the sides so the bag will lay flat, secure with heavy rocks. About once a week, I simply put the rocks aside and roll up the edges of the bag, and dump the contents to the compost heap. If I'm using the poly/woven type bag, I rinse it off, and use it again. The paper bags I will burn. If I'm having a mite problem I burn everything and start with a new bag.

I like my bag method as it is easier for me to handle-and easier on my back. Since I'm an old lady, I find poop boards bulky and difficult to move around. However, my old feed bags can be rolled to a more manageable size and taken from the coop.

 

[Beechwood]

Thank you both so much for your input. I like the idea of the feed bags as I'm an "old lady" too and the poop board puts my back out easily. The young'un that I'm doing this with - doesn't bother her at all, but she can't always get out there to do the cleaning.