Roost poop catcher

[eggplucker]

I am in the final stages of designing my first coop (8 X 4 for 7 chickens) and have come up with an idea that should help not only in cleaning the poop, but keep the coop cleaner, longer.

I will install two 2X4 roosts across the width of the coop. Beneath each roost I will install a removable tray (easy to slide out from outside the coop through a little access door) 14" wide to catch the poop from the roost. Has anyone heard of this before? is 14" wide enough to catch the poop if it's centered beneath the roost?

My thinking is that, when combined with ample free-range or pen time, these trays should catch a large percentage of the waste and I can simply remove them every day or two and put the droppings in my compost. A much smaller percentage should hit the floor and make total cleaning much less frequent.

Thanks for comments and suggestions.

Eggplucker

 

[djennings]

sounds like a great idea, please put pics up so we can see the finished product.

 

[steedchristopher]

Yes, please post pictures!
I just knew I couldn't be the only neurotic OCD person with chickens

Quote:

 

[grammaC]

Yes, I read something about that...or maybe I saw it on YouTube...anyway, I think they're called "poop boards", oddly enough

 

[newchick13]

I ordered my coop from a company in PA. It has something like this in it. The area under the roosts is enclosed with wire and there is a sliding tray in the bottom that I can access from the outside...makes cleaning up a breeze.

 

[The Kibble Goddess]

Wish I had put these in mine.

 

[fireguy56]

Yes, absolutely. I used old cafeteria trays. I built a simple 2"x2" frame work below the roosts for them to set on. Cover the trays with pine shavings and when poop builds up, simply pick up tray and scrape everything into a tote to take out to the compost pile. Simple and works great. Here is a photo of my set up.
Erik

 

[monaname]

These are the roosts that we just finished last week and they're working out great!

I have a plastic kitchen drawer liner that I sprinkle the pine shavings over and I remove that every morning....NO POOP sticks. It's so easy to clean up.

 

[GoldenSparrow]

I am in the final stages of designing my first coop (8 X 4 for 7 chickens) and have come up with an idea that should help not only in cleaning the poop, but keep the coop cleaner, longer.

I will install two 2X4 roosts across the width of the coop. Beneath each roost I will install a removable tray (easy to slide out from outside the coop through a little access door) 14" wide to catch the poop from the roost. Has anyone heard of this before? is 14" wide enough to catch the poop if it's centered beneath the roost?

My thinking is that, when combined with ample free-range or pen time, these trays should catch a large percentage of the waste and I can simply remove them every day or two and put the droppings in my compost. A much smaller percentage should hit the floor and make total cleaning much less frequent.

Thanks for comments and suggestions.

Eggplucker

We did the same thing at the begining of the summer.
we use a christmas wraping paper plastic box cover.
Works amazing
Its bit of work, but we empty it every day, and our coop ALWAYS smells of CLEAN HAY!!!!!!

 

[teach1rusl]

I went with the dropping board rather the dropping tray - but serves the same purpose

With mine I just keep a poop bucket and plastic putty knife behind my coop, scrape any droppings into it once a day, and then dump into my compost once a week or so.