Surviving Minnesota!

[Rhetts]

Wow!! It is freaking cold out there!!! The wind is whipping the snow around and cutting through my jacket! Has to be colder than what weather.com says 5 with -9 for windchill. No way!!

 

[KlopKlop]

I wasn't really sure where to even start with a poop hammock, so we're going to start with straight boards that I"m going to line with some leftover linoleum. I need a quick fix to keep less poop from moisturizing up the bedding the rest of the winter. Otherwise, I'd love to do this idea with the sweet PDZ:



I think we'll rework everything this Spring/Summer when the bales are out of the coop and the roosts are moved back again. I told my hubby if we ever move we're taking the dang coop with us!

I started with stick down linoleum tiles over OSB and it was good in the beginning but now the tiles are coming loose. I peel them off when they do and will either use a sheet of linoleum/plastic if i can find it, otherwise i will just spray the OSB with gloss paint. My other coop uses an old door as the poop board and it works fabulously, no poop sticking. it is varnished.

Wow!! It is freaking cold out there!!! The wind is whipping the snow around and cutting through my jacket! Has to be colder than what weather.com says 5 with -9 for windchill. No way!!

It is bitter here too. I just went out for lockup and didnt even bother to put pants on because i knew it wouldnt make a difference

 

[KlopKlop]

You guys can keep your lap chickens/turkeys. i prefer my sink chicken

I haven't shared but she is doing ok. she had some scabbing on her prolapse so we have been soaking it and removing loose bits twice daily. tonight the last bit came off. i hope that means the prolapse will stay in. it would go in and stay in for a while before coming back out. I imagine when she was pushing some droppings. She got scramble eggs yesterday and today. tomorrow morning i will give her some chicken feed again.

DW was feeling a bit guilty cooking chicken breast on the stove about 5 feet away.

 

[Rhetts]

Klop, I am so glad to hear she is doing better!!

 

[MinnesotaNice]

Great Idea! if you can get a hold of some dry sand to "dust" the linoleum with I think it would help the poo not to stick/freeze to it as much.

Good idea. Less scraping is good. Could I just use a small amount of PDZ or do you think the sand would be better?

 

[MinnesotaNice]

I started with stick down linoleum tiles over OSB and it was good in the beginning but now the tiles are coming loose. I peel them off when they do and will either use a sheet of linoleum/plastic if i can find it, otherwise i will just spray the OSB with gloss paint. My other coop uses an old door as the poop board and it works fabulously, no poop sticking. it is varnished.

It is bitter here too. I just went out for lockup and didnt even bother to put pants on because i knew it wouldnt make a difference

They were selling fancy varnished lumber of some sort, but it 5.99 vs. 29.99. I said no thanks! I also thought about the sticky shelf stuff you can buy at wherever to fancy up your cabinets. I thought that might work well, but I'm questioning how well it will hold up to getting the poo off. I am seriously lacking proper vocabulary tonight

 

[KlopKlop]

They were selling fancy varnished lumber of some sort, but it 5.99 vs. 29.99. I said no thanks! I also thought about the sticky shelf stuff you can buy at wherever to fancy up your cabinets. I thought that might work well, but I'm questioning how well it will hold up to getting the poo off. I am seriously lacking proper vocabulary tonight

Contact paper? I agree I doubt that would hold up long term.

I wouldn't drop money on fancy anything for a poop board. I build mine on an angle with a chunk of rain gutter at the bottom. Then I can scrape the poo and it rolls down to the trough and I can haul it out.
Cheap plywood and glossy paint would create the best conditions for a low price. Add sand or pdz if you want for addition non stick property.

 

[MinnesotaNice]

Your gutter idea is amazing! We have some extra gutters laying around, too.

 

[Coffee 1st]

How many chickens do you have? and how are your roosts set up? If viable, I love my poop trays with sweet PDZ, but, it does not work for everyone. I don't think Coffee liked it and uses news paper now? can't remember...

I went and looked at your album, yeah, poop boards, poop trays, or even that poop hammock would work in that setup.

yep i had poop board with PDZ But it felt to much like cleaning the kitty litter box and since i only HAD (lol) 6 girls i started laying newspaper down, LOVE IT... everyother day i just roll it up and in the compost it goes.. never touch a piece of poop or get my sleeves in anything yucky.. as long as that keeps working i will keep doing it.. and in the summer the newspaper will get wet and break down quicker..

 

[KlopKlop]

Contact paper? I agree I doubt that would hold up long term.

I wouldn't drop money on fancy anything for a poop board. I build mine on an angle with a chunk of rain gutter at the bottom. Then I can scrape the poo and it rolls down to the trough and I can haul it out.
Cheap plywood and glossy paint would create the best conditions for a low price. Add sand or pdz if you want for addition non stick property.

I went back and found some photos of my coop as i was building it last spring. see my flip up roosts made of 2x4s and the angled poop board with gutter. you can see the taping knife hanging over the window that i use for scraping poop.