Roost and poop board design

[Tervish]

My coop is in the final stages of construction (yay!) and I want to see if anyone has input on my roost plans.

The coop is 4' wide and 6' long. Full size door on one short wall, I can easily walk in. 4 external nest boxes at floor level on left side. Pop door on right side near the front. Currently 7 chickens.

I was thinking of putting a poop board across all 4 feet of width in the "back" opposite the walk in door. 21" tall would be over nest box openings. I'd like 2 parallel roosts across the 4' width, same height, maybe 8" above the poop board? The back roost is planned 12" from the back wall, and the second roost 12" from that. Then making a 30" deep poop board would leave 6" of board in front of the front roost. There would be just over 3' of clear space in front of the board for takeoff and landing lol.

The poop board plan is 3/8" plywood with linoleum on top, and a lip for a PDZ scooping system. It would not be impossible to pull a board that size out for extra cleaning but it would not be very easy either.

Is 12" between roosts okay, or will that lead to harassment across the aisle? Any input on height of roost above the board? I have seen 4"-8" mentioned mostly I think.

Anything I have failed to consider?

 

[RojoMarz]

I currently have a LB that is roosting on the frame, not the roost. Of course she sits so that her back end is not over the poop board. I store my poop bucket under where she roosts...I have high hopes that she will poop in the bucket and not the floor.

 

[Tervish]

I am a bit overdue for an update on my coop.

I ended up with a poop board 21" off the ground, 22 3/4" to the top of the lip. The front roost is about 8" above the board, and the back roost is 1.5 inches taller. The board does slide on a track, and the roosts lift up easily, so there is no problem scooping the entire board. I could see if I had to clean up after a lot of birds it might be too low to be comfortable, but with just 6 hens it is okay. I can also slide the board to the front, and stand on a lower step outside to scoop, effectively raising the board for less bending.

I did not use linoleum to line it, just used porch and floor paint.

I had been concerned that there might be dust bath attempts in the PDZ, but the roosts are low enough to discourage that.

I made a mistake in getting impatient to be finished. I used the plywood I had on hand to make the poop board and the board is not quite deep enough front to back . There is only about 4" from the edge of the front roost to the end of the board. So any chicken that roosts "backwards" may poop on the board lip and onto the floor. And OF COURSE they like to do just that! Photo proof attached. Jerks.

At some point I'll probably try to add a board extension. Overall though, I am incredibly pleased with the poop board, it catches the vast majority of the poop and is so easy to clean. I can't imagine all that mess on the floor.

Now if they would actually start laying some eggs that would be cool...

 

[RojoMarz]

How many birds are you planning for? Do you need 8' of roost?

Our poop board and roost is about 6' long and 24" deep. I can't remember how high the roost is from the board, but 8" seems good.

I dont think your 6" in the front is enough. Need 12", to match the other spaces. You may think the birds will sit facing the same direction, but they won't. Some one will be the odd man out. The 6" won't catch poop well.

 

[Alaskan]

Then making a 30" deep poop board would leave 6" of board in front of the front roost.

I have poop boards with one perch centered over the board (2 feet deep) and the second perch is the front edge of the poop board...

I haven't ever had an issue, every time I go in there, all of them are facing "forward" into the coop.

I dont think your 6" in the front is enough. Need 12", to match the other spaces. You may think the birds will sit facing the same direction, but they won't. Some one will be the odd man out. The 6" won't catch poop well.

Do your chickens not all face forward? Is there maybe a window behind them?

 

[Ted Brown]

I started with 30" drop board at 18" off the floor; two 10' roosts 12" above the DB at the same height, 12" from back wall/each other; 6 inches of DB left on front. I have a lip, use PDZ and clean every morning.

DB was WAY too low, very hard on the back for cleaning.

I moved everything up: DB now at 30" off floor, roosts 8 inches above that. More recently I added a third roost at the same height as the others and 12" of DB for a total of 42" width, 3rd roost leaves the same 6" of DB in front.

I started with 7 birds, then added 5, now have 30.

You seem to have lots of headroom in the coop. Move your drop board up, the difference it makes on your back is HUGE and one cleans the DB every day!!! 8" between roost and DB is fine, one adjusts their approach for pickup, 6" is too short and would be awkward.

I rarely have droppings that hit the lip and almost never hit the floor; 6" in front works just fine.

 

[Tervish]

I love BYC...such great information! I so appreciate everyone sharing their experience.

That poop board sliding on a track is genius. Such a great idea. Thanks for including the picture.

I will re-evaluate my poop board height and probably raise it a bit. I was concerned more about chickens getting on and off than my back, but I am switching priorities now based on the voices of experience here. Or with that sliding track idea, I can stand on a lower step in the doorway and reach more easily. Wait, how did I end up with MORE decisions rather than less after asking my question?

I am thinking I may put some vinyl on the wall behind the roosts too.

 

[Tervish]

I know I really want a poop board! I was thinking 8" high roost above the board would give enough room to scoop under. The roosts will be removable but I don't want to have to lift them out every day to clean!

Also, I was thinking there would be more conflict for roosting if one roost was higher than the other, so I was planning 2 parallel roosts. But I do see others with different height roosts (like ladders) and if there is a benefit for that I could do it. That is why I am asking for input.

 

[Ted Brown]

The other consideration for the board width is the size of the birds. My LB's prefer to hope off, not use the ramp. They need some landing space. My board is also around 30" tall...good height for me.

My birds (ISAs, Maran mixes, Chanteclers) mostly do not use the ramp to dismount but they fly/glide rather than hop off. The glide path is 45 degrees so they need floor "length" that is at least the height of the DB; too little space equals crashes. Hard floor surfaces are BAD, hard on feet and legs; I use deep bedding (pine shavings plus straw) that is at least 8" deep, provides a perfect cushion in addition to low cleaning maintenance; my bedding is close to a year with no clean out, daytime droppings (very minimal) dry then disappear (chickens turn the bedding over several times a week), no smell and DRY.

 

[Ted Brown]

...2) The space under the poop board is valuable real estate, plan carefully so it can be used to the fullest. I have the area penned off with its own little outside door (leading to a separate outdoor run) so it can be a separate housing area for any birds that need their own space i.e. new birds, hens with chicks, extra roosters etc..

Very true!!

My 30" of height and 42" of depth is a lot of "valuable real estate" (my coop is 10' by 16') but the smaller the coop the more valuable every inch is. I normally have that space open for use but when I hatch and integrate (beginning at two weeks) I enclose the area using hardware cloth and brood in-coop. In fact I was able to construct three separate brooder areas for two hatches (two weeks apart) and a broody hen. This entailed using the area under my ramp as well.

Two key points: anticipate using the area under the drop boards in different ways and; do not over construct that area, make it flexible (I use HC, wood strips and screws; I can install/remove everything in a couple of hours).