Show me your poop boards?

[Killer Tomato]

I think I could make something like that work. However, with that being said, I finally had a mental breakthrough this morning (better than a breakdown! ) after my post here.

I have available to me a space of about 23' by 23'. I found a coop on the internet and bought the plans that came with it around the end of December. The style was something that I really liked, and would work on my space available (it was a 15x8 with a covered run, to which I was going to add additional uncovered run space). Then, I continued to research here more and more, and picked up ideas that I thought would be great to incorporate into my already purchased design plans. I incorporated them in, and I think I could make the modifications work, but it just wasn't going to stay efficient/enjoyable to actually use. The more cool mods that I added, the more difficult it was going to be to use the original design. Early this morning I found some plans for a 6x8 greenhouse that had windows on all sides (lots and lots of ventalation), nice amount of space to stand up in, and it would be simple to add in all the cool things that I have learned (and wanted to do) while researching on this site. It just struck me that I need to let go of those original plans, and embrace the "modified shed (greenhouse in my case)" strategy, and if I do that, I'll get to incorporate the cool ideas I picked up, and getting to use them will be enjoyable because I won't be fighting a setup that "worked" but wasn't optimized for my modifications. I hope all that makes sense. I guess, the lesson for me here that I really learned was to find the features or ideas that you think would work well for your style of raising chickens (work schedule, daily duties for the laddies, etc), and then, set out to see what design/layout best accommodates them given the space that you have.

I like the modified greenhouse (shed) idea! We tweaked an old aluminum work shed (free!), and made a stand up coop that looks pretty cute now. As cozy as the coop is, my ladies hang out on the covered patio, on the lawn chairs, when they are not eating everything in the garden.

I know you'll get differences of opinion on here, but we're in the Cascades of Oregon (so, like you, LOTS of rain), and I really really like the convenience of using sand for the coop floor. It was the least labor intensive for cleaning for me. Great for muddy feet too. Look into what you think you'd like.

 

[SW31]

Apologies but what is PDZ?

 

[aart]

Apologies but what is PDZ?

It is the mineral zeolite...PDZ is a US brand name.
You might find it there as a gardening supplement.....but search for 'zeolite'.

 

[SW31]

I’ll have a hunt round here, so far I’ve not come across it at the garden centres. The French can be very, very traditional in the SW!

 

[SueT]

I’ll have a hunt round here, so far I’ve not come across it at the garden centres. The French can be very, very traditional in the SW!

I found it in a feed store, product name is Horse Fresh, so it may not be called pdz, but something else.
https://standleeforage.com/products/horse-fresh

I am about to construct a poop board under 6' of roost. This poop board will double as a roof to an integration apartment for chicks. It will be a double decker arrangement on one side of the coop. I was planning to use a masonite product I already have on hand. It's shiny white on one side. I'll put on edging to hold in the PDZ.
I appreciate all the pics and ideas in this thread! Thanks to everyone who contributed!

 

[SW31]

I like the poop board with the Omlet Cube. During the summer I simply slide it out, empty the contents at the side of the fieldand then, using the jet option, simply hose it clean. I usually also clean the roosting bars that sit above the poop board. I then slide it back in - takes less than 10 minutes. Omlet say you only need to do this weekly but it’s so quick I prefer to keep onto of this so it doesn’t smell in the height of summer.

For winter, we’ve lined the poop board with old bedding material that’s dry, then we line it with newspapers and then supermarkets promo magazines on top. This is also to give the hens some insulation for their feet as well. The bottom of the Cube is the only place without insulation. Every few days we roll up carefully the promo stuff to collect the poop and then put clean promo stuff back. We give the roosting bars a quick clean as well. Every now and then we give it a full clean and replace everything.

When it’s very cold at night I put a couple of hot water bottles, wrapped in a towel, in the nest area next to the roosting area (the birds don’t go in the nest area at night).

 

[jthornton]

I found it in a feed store, product name is Horse Fresh, so it may not be called pdz, but something else.
https://standleeforage.com/products/horse-fresh

I am about to construct a poop board under 6' of roost. This poop board will double as a roof to an integration apartment for chicks. It will be a double decker arrangement on one side of the coop. I was planning to use a masonite product I already have on hand. It's shiny white on one side. I'll put on edging to hold in the PDZ.
I appreciate all the pics and ideas in this thread! Thanks to everyone who contributed!

@SueT that looks like the same stuff, I see a Tractor Supply in Willow Springs but I'm guessing your more west that than.

LOL I made 3 poop boards as they kept getting bigger and pooping off the edge I think 24" is the smallest size for standard birds.

JT

 

[aart]

I found it in a feed store, product name is Horse Fresh, so it may not be called pdz, but something else.

SueT they are in France.

I’ll have a hunt round here, so far I’ve not come across it at the garden centres. The French can be very, very traditional in the SW!

I remember someone in EU finding it in a garden center...another there also found it in the 'minerals' industry.

 

[SW31]

SueT they are in France.

I remember someone in EU finding it in a garden center...another there also found it in the 'minerals' industry.

Many thanks

 

[SueT]

I am planning a poop board which will also be a roof for the integration pen.
The pen and thus the poop board would be wider at one end than the other and almost 5' long.

I want to make this poop board 3' high...that would place the poop board only 2 1/2" below the roost, ( a 2 X 4 the wide side up. )
The roost bar continues to the right another 3' and is over the nesting boxes which have a poop board above, which is only 2 1/2" under the roost and this proposed poop board would be an extension of that, but wider as it continues.
Any advice/comments?