Top of nesting boxes as a poop board?

[we3ernes]

I'm in the design phase of our coop (hopefully to be built later this winter). I've read about poop boards placed underneath the roost so you can scrape the majority of the waste out each morning (and/or using a shallow tray with DE/sand in it). Instead of making the top of the nesting boxes sloped could I make it flat, cover it with vinyl, put a roost over it, and use it as a poop board? Or am I missing something?

I have a bunch of other questions, but I'll separate them out into different threads....

 

[partlowfarm]

i've seen it done before. never done it my self, but it does make a bit of sense as far as utilizing space goes.

 

[Hokum Coco]

My poop boards are something similar to what you are describing.
POOP BOARDS are the "BEST" addition yet. Handles well over ½ of the poop in my set up keeps ammonia smell in check 3½" below roost excellent for catching eggs laid through the night (roost are in cups for easier removal and cleaning). I recently friction fit a piece of vinyl flooring over my poop board; it makes clean up even easier; Pop out; Scrap; Hose; Pop in.

Even easier in the colder months I am finding; hold over compost bin flex and done~!

I know it is not recommended by I have kept 24 birds in my set up with no problems through out the winter with no run excess to speak of in a 4x8ft coop.

Nest boxes
In my nest boxes I fold a feed bag to fit (nest boxes are 1 ft³). When a bag gets soiled; fold a new one; pop out the soiled; pop in the new.

Easy peasy!.

 

[aart]

Yep, can be done.

The only down side I see is that the poop board needs to be about 18-24" deep('front' to 'back') to catch all the poop.....and the nests only need to be about 12-14" deep.
So unless you are gathering your eggs from the 'back' of the nests, the overhang will limit your access to the 'front' of the nests. But maybe that's not really a problem, sometimes I think too much, lol.

 

[Mtn Laurel]

I think that would work great. I'm all for saving and utilizing every inch of coop space and I stacked areas in our coop to better utilize space, too. The only difference is that I stacked the roosts on top of their feeding space, hanging the feeders from what would be the underside of your poop board.

I don't have a true poop board in the respect that I'm removing the poop, I have a tray type area that holds pine shavings with the roosts above it. I do deep litter so I don't remove the poop, I incorporate it into the litter.

 

[we3ernes]

Thank you all so much for your replies! This is what I was hoping to hear, but kept second guessing myself wondering if there was something I hadn't thought all the way through. Back to the drawing board...