Scooping poop details needed!

[medinam]

hi!

I’ve been pouring over the threads about this topic for a couple days but figured I’d post my specific question anyway. Devil in the details...

I have my coop over my chicken run. When I clean my run , if I choose not to do deep litter method, it’s sighested I take up the poop real good.... but then what? How do I scoop it up? A shovel? The poop goes right through the rake... is there a chicken keepers tool I don’t know about for this task? And once I’ve scooped it, where does it go? Compost pile (I see the beauty of deep litter here)? Trash bag?

Thanks much you guys!

 

[Unexpected chicken lover]

I use a long handled cat litter box scoop...it hurts my back though, so I will be switching to deep litter soon. The feces goes in a bag...then to my aunts to mix in her compost pile (i have no patience for compost)

 

[jthornton]

I use a wire strainer basket and a hand shovel to flick the poop into the basket then into the compost pile. I use a kitty litter scoop in the coop (floor is covered with Sweet PDZ) and the same basket to clean it every morning. Takes a couple of minutes. I also pick up all the poop in the yard each morning and add that to the compost pile.

JT

 

[Backyard Bruce]

How about something like this pooper scooper.
I do deep litter but use the scooper part of it to scrape the poop off the roost and ramp areas.

 

[Ohmyheart]

I tape a kitty litter scoop to a long stick so I can just scoop without bending. I use a bucket then toss in a compost.

I'm not allowed to use deep litter. City ordinance.

 

[Rob Tof]

In coop I use a fire place shovel. Works great and off season there cheap. I use the deep litter method. I don’t clean my pen. Only coop I clean. Being deep litter you only add. I have been doing this for over a year it’s about 8 inches deep now. No smell what so ever. The chickens rotate it daily. I even it out every few days and add my grass clipping once a week. Every fall I save my leaves to add as dry. You want = parts green and then brown or dry for deep litter.

 

[blackdog043]

Depending on your run size, deep or semi deep litter would be easier IMO.
Is it a walk in run and how big is it? Got a pic of your set up?
I use deep litter in the run and I have a poop board in the coop that I clean daily(usually). All the poop from the board goes to my compost pile.

 

[aart]

(I see the beauty of deep litter here)

There ya go!

How I 'clean':
-I use poop boards under roosts with thin(<1/2") layer of sand/PDZ mix, sifted daily(takes 5-10mins) into bucket going to friends compost.

-Scrape big or wet poops off roost and ramps as needed.

-Pine shavings on coop floor, add some occasionally, totally changed out once or twice a year, old shavings added to run.

-Runs have semi-deep litter, never clean anything out, just add smaller dry materials.

-Nests are bedded with straw, add some occasionally, change out if needed(broken egg).

There is no odor, unless a fresh cecal has been dropped and when I open the bucket to add more poop.

That's how I 'clean', have not found any reason to clean 'deeper' in 4 years.

 

[medinam]

Depending on your run size, deep or semi deep litter would be easier IMO.
Is it a walk in run and how big is it? Got a pic of your set up?
I use deep litter in the run and I have a poop board in the coop that I clean daily(usually). All the poop from the board goes to my compost pile.

It’s 70sqft
I’m sold on deep litter at this point- so equal parts brown material and green material??.
Here’s a picture!!!

 

[Kusanar]

It’s 70sqft
I’m sold on deep litter at this point- so equal parts brown material and green material??.
Here’s a picture!!!

You want equal parts Nitrogen and Carbon. Each thing you put in the coop will have different amounts of carbon or nitrogen. This website has a guideline you can use.
http://www.homecompostingmadeeasy.com/carbonnitrogenratio.html

Fresh manure is a lot higher in nitrogen than aged, but using their chart, "woody chips and twigs" which is probably close to pine shavings is 700 carbons to one unit and "aged chicken manure" is 7 nitrogens to 1 unit, so you would need 1 part shavings to 100 parts manure to get an ideal cook, but, the more nitrogen, the hotter it will cook and the more smell you will get, a more carbon heavy mix will cook cooler, take longer, but not have a strong odor.