The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Kassaundra]

My wood "tray" sand box under the roosts serves double duty, it is a poop catcher easy collecter for the big girls, but it is also the "roof" of the inside brooder for the young ones / broodies.

 

[RedRidge]

My wood "tray" sand box under the roosts serves double duty, it is a poop catcher easy collecter for the big girls, but it is also the "roof" of the inside brooder for the young ones / broodies.

So what prevents them from scratching in the sand on top of the "roof". I'm trying to visualize this as I have an area under my roosts and in some pens there is a perfect line of poop which is easy to scoop. In other pens they scratch and scatter it. I'd like to come up with a way too prevent them (or at least discourage them) from getting in the litter below

 

[ki4got]

Quote:
I think the tarp idea would minimize that, since they don't usually like to stand on unstable surfaces.

 

[Kassaundra]

So what prevents them from scratching in the sand on top of the "roof". I'm trying to visualize this as I have an area under my roosts and in some pens there is a perfect line of poop which is easy to scoop. In other pens they scratch and scatter it. I'd like to come up with a way too prevent them (or at least discourage them) from getting in the litter below

Nothing to prevent it, they never have. There is deep litter on the floor and plenty of space outside to scratch and dust bathe in, and they have always done it there, never in the poop catching sand. I thought that might be a problem too when I first thought it up and had Gary build it, but no issues and it has been about 1 1/2 years it has been that way.

 

[delisha]

OK..just so some are not confused..
..the poop is part of the deep litter..it is the gold part that makes it all work. If you are removing it you do not have deep litter. All those good microbes will take forever..like a few decades to get going.
If you do not deep litter this is a great idea..It will keep a pretty clean coop.

 

[RedRidge]

So what prevents them from scratching in the sand on top of the "roof". I'm trying to visualize this as I have an area under my roosts and in some pens there is a perfect line of poop which is easy to scoop. In other pens they scratch and scatter it. I'd like to come up with a way too prevent them (or at least discourage them) from getting in the litter below

Nothing to prevent it, they never have.  There is deep litter on the floor and plenty of space outside to scratch and dust bathe in, and they have always done it there, never in the poop catching sand.  I thought that might be a problem too when I first thought it up and had Gary build it, but no issues and it has been about 1 1/2 years it has been that way.

So how wide is the catch area?
My HRIR roost on 2x4s so I'm guessing it would need to be at least 12-18 " wide? In some pens the roosts are at angles in the corners to taking the catch area all the way back to the corner would not work well but I'm wondering if i could just make a "raised strip"...
Hmmm. .. I need LMs thinking emoticon. Lol

 

[Kassaundra]

I am not good at drawing, but here is a quick idea of our set up.

 

[Kassaundra]

So how wide is the catch area?
My HRIR roost on 2x4s so I'm guessing it would need to be at least 12-18 " wide? In some pens the roosts are at angles in the corners to taking the catch area all the way back to the corner would not work well but I'm wondering if i could just make a "raised strip"...
Hmmm. .. I need LMs thinking emoticon. Lol

About 7 feet by seven feet, it also has a rain gutter on the back side for easy poop colletcing w/ a small rake and removal w/ bucket.

Our roosts are also 2x4's

 

[lazy gardener]

So how wide is the catch area?
My HRIR roost on 2x4s so I'm guessing it would need to be at least 12-18 " wide? In some pens the roosts are at angles in the corners to taking the catch area all the way back to the corner would not work well but I'm wondering if i could just make a "raised strip"...
Hmmm. .. I need LMs thinking emoticon. Lol

In the set up you're describing, (a ladder style) I've seen a poop slide used. It is suspended below the roosts and parallel to them, uses a slick surface. Some folks use the rolled up plastic slides that kids use. You could slide all the poop to the front of the roost area, where it would be very easy to scoop. I imagine that the success of this set up would depend on how well the girls are able to get to the top back roost.

 

[RedRidge]

I also think it depends on the habits of the birds. For instance... My HRIR all avoid the poop under their roosts... quite easy to clean. My Rhodebars are scratching fools... Their pens look like mountains and valleys all the time... I always accuse them being terraformers. ROFL