Raised composting coop

[sholmes]

So I've been thinking of building a raised chicken coop, the coop is going to be on 4 posts raised about a metre off the ground. The coop will have a thick gauge wire floor and underneath will be a compost pile. This way the chicken poop will fall into the compost pile and there will be minimal cleaning. I have not found anything like this online and it makes me think there might be a reason why nobody is doing this but I can't find a negative except difficult access to the chickens. Does anybody have any thoughts on if this will or won't work before I build it? Thank you in advance

 

[sholmes]

A close example of what I am thinking except with three sides around the posts sealed and one side open to access the compost

 

[TalkALittle]

Housing directly on wire flooring can cause all sorts of foot problems not to mention predators can reach through if it is too large. My first thought is that any gauge wire that is thick enough and with small enough squares to house the chickens on safely won't be large enough to allow the poop to fall through.

 

[sholmes]

Housing directly on wire flooring can cause all sorts of foot problems not to mention predators can reach through if it is too large. My first thought is that any gauge wire that is thick enough and with small enough squares to house the chickens on safely won't be large enough to allow the poop to fall through.

Hi, thanks for your response, the main predator I'm trying to stop is foxes, inside the coop there will be a large amount of perches for them to perch on. The flock is free ranging so they will only be roosting in the coop at night. I was thinking of 50mmx50mm squares on the wire which I think would be sufficient to stop a fox and let the droppings fall through the wire but I am unsure?

Thanks

 

[sholmes]

Bump

 

[sholmes]

Anyone have anymore thoughts on this idea?

 

[aart]

Welcome to BYC.

50 x 50mm is too big for stable footing for birds.
25 x 25mm would be better but may not let all the poops fall thru easily.
Even that might cause foot problems when birds jump down from roosts/perches.

There is a reason this is not done more often...the balance between safe footing and poops actually all going thru is dicey.

I would not attempt this with a stationary coop anyway, especially a small one,
it could well become would be a stinking mess and would not reduce your 'cleaning' chores.
Mesh floors make more problems than they solve.

Some large scale mobile coops have mesh floors or just under roosts for night poops to fall thru.

 

[Sristi]

I have seen a design where the floor was mesh and then roosts laid almost right across it all the way through the coop. It was only used as secure night housing, so the birds didn't need long-term stable footing, just roost space. The mesh was more for security. I think it could work just fine, especially as night housing only.

 

[lazy gardener]

Quote: SHolmes: I think you are going to have issues with such a design. While you are thinking that the main predator issue is foxes, it only takes a single predator of any type to kill at least one bird, if not your whole flock. Any opening that you could push a quarter through will admit a weasel. A weasel could move in and kill every single bird in your coop in a single night, just for the sport of it. Weasels are found in all 48 states. A raccoon is also very adept at reaching through wire and dragging any chicken that it can snag to the wire, and eating the chicken right through the wire. Birds will easily be sent into a panic if approached by a predator from underneath, and if the predator can't snag them, the panic can cause them to break a neck in such a tight environment. Wire is not good for poultry feet, and many chicken bombs are the size of golf balls. IMO a wire floor will not decrease your work load. What WILL decrease your work load is building your coop bigger, and putting it directly on the ground with a soil floor, using deep litter in the coop, and running a predator proof skirt all the way around it. Check out cattle panel hoop coops. With such a design, you can have your flock actively producing compost for you and the flock will benefit from the compost they make: Improved gut flora from the beneficial bacteria and fungi in the compost, the compost will draw beneficial insects to feed your birds. Your feed bill will go down. You can use natural compostable materials for litter, and harvest that compost as needed for your gardens. You will NEVER have to clean the floor of your coop.

 

[ChickenMammX4]

I agree with the posts above. Seem wire would be hard on their feet especially when jumping down from the roost.

Have you seen adult chicken poo? Some about the size of a golf ball, some slimy and sticky. The chances of it falling neatly though the wire is probably 0% . It's going to look like stalactites.

We have a poopboard filled with PDZ under the roost. We sift it into a bucket using a wire mesh paper try and throw it on the compost. Takes less than 10 min a day.