Poop-sicles blocking pop door ?!

[WoodlandWoman]

Is your door on the inside or the outside?

I'm really sorry you're having this problem. Mine was on the inside and I honestly never had a problem with the chickens standing around pooping on it. When not out in the yard, they stood around on the flat platform outside or they were all the way in the coop, eating, drinking, laying or looking out the window. Flat surfaces were more popular for standing around, than a steep ramp.

The only reason we changed our door, was because we went to an automatic door. One of those metal doors that slides up and down.

You've already gotten some excellent advice. At this point, you could either replace your existing door, add an additional door of a different style or try giving them a platform to stand on instead, depending on whether your existing door is on the inside or the outside. I know mine like to look at snow, more than they like to walk in it. I hope you can find a solution that works for you.

 

[Sylvie]

Patandchickens has said on more than one occasion that people in cold climates have a different set of needs than southern climates. So true with frozen poo.
My sliding guillotine pop door is working out well. The 4" where it slides down past the opening should not be a solid stop because it fills up fast. One icestorm and your implements for cleaning it out are useless. Make it so the poop falls through.
The door swelling is remedied by cutting a plastic cutting board to fit. Someone on here mentioned that and it works.

 

[backintime]

Great ideas! I can't wait til this nasty cold snap is over so I can get out there and build a new door.

Sylvie, the plastic cutting board idea intrigues me, because in addition to the POOP problem, the door we made swelled quite a bit, and we had to move the fasteners several times to accommodate this. Is the plastic cutting board used just for the door, or for the "slide rails" as well? I couldn't find any "how-to" for a plastic cutting board on this forum. If you know of one, please provide a link for me.

Thanks to all of you. 18,000 heads are better than one! I love this site!

 

[Sylvie]

Quote:
I just used it for the door but rails would be a great idea! I don't think there was a how-to, just a suggestion in a post. I'll look for it.