Poop catchers

[SmartyChick]

Hi all,

We have finally finished our new chicken coop and run and everyone is moved in. All of our new "upgrades" we have gotten from everyone who participates on this site....THANKS! I am missing one tip though....I have seen posts on suggestions for putting something under roosts to catch the droppings and save on some bedding. Can't for the life of me come up with something. So....any suggestions??? Thanks everyone for all of your help.

Smarty's Mom

 

[Tdub4chiks]

This is what I have done. I just made a frame out of 2 x 2s and put a loose plywood base on top (painted). So I can scrape it off daily & take it out once a week to wash off. The girls seem to poo alot during the night.

 

[joebryant]

I bought 2- X 3-foot X 9-inches, black-plastic, concrete mixing boxes to put under my roosts. I put in a few inches of pine wood shavings from TSC over/under food-grade diatomaceous earth into it, occasionally stirring it and adding more shavings/food grade diatomaceous earth. I only have to empty them three or four times a year. See My BYC Page for pictures.

 

[elmo]

I use plastic boot trays laid on shelf supports.

It's very easy to take the trays out in the morning and dump the contents into my composter, hose down the tray and replace.

 

[maggiemooscluckers]

My roost are across the corner of the coop. I just built a triangular frame the same size of the roost, covered it with chicken wire, attached it about 4-6 inches under the roost and cover it with newspaper. That way all I have to do is remove the paper into the compost pile and replace it with new paper on the shelf. For my own purpose, I choose to clean out the roost poop at least every other day and the newspaper works for that purpose. No hosing down of trays!

 

[woodmort]

Why? With 28 chickens the best bet is use a deep layer of pine shavings and clean the coop once or twice a year. With the deep shavings there will be very little smell--add some DE if you want--and it'll compose very nicely once you remove it. I have over 45 birds in a 12X 12 coop and clean once a year and they're fine. Enjoy your birds and eggs, don't make more work for yourself. That is where I stand on this, at any rate.

BTW, I don't know what your winters' are like "Over the Rainbow" but the accumulated manure will provide heat to the coop too.

 

[kcsunshine]

During last winter I had a deep (very deep) layer of leaves in my run for their digging pleasure. I piled about 12-14 inches in their little roosting house and it kept them toasty warm all winter. Figured a little composting couldn't hurt.

 

[henney penny]

This is what my dh built,and I put sweet pdz in it and scoop it out every morning with a litter scooper like you would use for your cats litter box

 

[henney penny]

And your chickens will help build it

 

[Tracyfeltsmills]

Cheap tarp i put nails up behind it and pull it under and secure on 2 more nails with the gromets in there already it drops down which is fine becoz they nest under there for warmth and i very rarely have dirty bedding. I pull off tarp ,hose off and put back up 2 minutes tops. I keep several i got from dollar store . Works great