Under the Roost...

[Cardi B]

Hello,
We are in the process of finishing the inside of our new coop. I am thinking that I would build a box to go under the roost and fill it with sand for easy poop cleaning. Currently, in the old coop I have a tarp under the roost to catch the poop and it is just gross and I don't want to deal with that any more.

Any poop catch board ideas are appreciated. I am a visual learner, so if you could post a photo of your roost set up, Id appreciate it.

My husband is currently putting in the insulation but here are some visuals for you to see. There are 4 windows in this unit with a big door that opens in the back. We plan on separating the front half of the coop so that I can store feed and coop stuff in it. We hate to do this, but the loft will be closed off so that birds don't roost up there. There will be an auto door to the right of the big back door. This unit does have a rubberized floor but I wonder if we still need to put linoleum or something like that down?

 

[DobieLover]

Why is there insulation in your coop? Where are you located? Unless in the most frigid area of the world, you don't need insulation. It also looks like you need (a lot) more ventilation to get through a cold winter without frostbite.

This is a sketch of how I constructed mine:
The white blocks on the ends are 2x4s. I made a frame using 2x4s.
I ripped down some scrap 1x stock (blue blocks) I had into 1" strips and pinned them flush to the bottom edge of the 2x4s all the way around the box to form a ledge.
I then cut a piece of scrap OSB down to fit inside the 2x4 framing and on top of the ledge then caulked the gap.

I positioned the framing so that the edge of the PB framing was at 34" from the coop floor and shot the back of the framing into the studs then cut and installed some cross bracing to support the front edges of the boards at level.

This is covered with a 50/50 mix of sand and Sweet PDZ.

I eventually ditched the sand and went with all granular PDZ because the sand made it even dustier. I also raised the roost height to 13" over the surface of the boards and ripped down the 2x4 roosts and rounded them off.

 

[Cardi B]

nice. thank you for sharing. Where did you put your laying boxes? would you be willing to post a photo of those too?

 

[DobieLover]

They bump out of the coop into the front room of the coop.

Did you see the questions that I posted?
You have a potentially serious design flaw that you would want to address before finishing up the coop....

 

[Cardi B]

Why is there insulation in your coop? Where are you located? Unless in the most frigid area of the world, you don't need insulation. It also looks like you need (a lot) more ventilation to get through a cold winter without frostbite.

This is a sketch of how I constructed mine:
The white blocks on the ends are 2x4s. I made a frame using 2x4s.
I ripped down some scrap 1x stock (blue blocks) I had into 1" strips and pinned them flush to the bottom edge of the 2x4s all the way around the box to form a ledge.
I then cut a piece of scrap OSB down to fit inside the 2x4 framing and on top of the ledge then caulked the gap.
View attachment 3239803

I positioned the framing so that the edge of the PB framing was at 34" from the coop floor and shot the back of the framing into the studs then cut and installed some cross bracing to support the front edges of the boards at level.
View attachment 3239802

This is covered with a 50/50 mix of sand and Sweet PDZ.
View attachment 3239804

I eventually ditched the sand and went with all granular PDZ because the sand made it even dustier. I also raised the roost height to 13" over the surface of the boards and ripped down the 2x4 roosts and rounded them off.
View attachment 3239806

Sorry! I did not see your questions. We live in Iowa. It gets -20 or -30 here in the winter time and we have high winds so it could feel even colder due to the high winds because we live in a rural setting and there are no trees from the south, west or north of this building so we felt the insulation was needed. Our other coop has insulation too and they did great with that. We will cover it with bathroom boards that resist mildew, mold and sweating.

There are 3 large windows, vents on the front and back of the coop plus the big door in the back has a window too and opens if need be. I am not worried about ventilation at all in this coop. My husband also talked about putting a small exhaust fan at the top to encourage air flow so not sure if he will do that or not.

I appreciate the photos of the inside of your coop!

 

[mowin]

I agree with DL. More ventilation is needed.
Insulation is only going to give rodents a nice cosy place to build a home. It's not necessary in the coop. A well ventilated, draft free coop is the goal. I'd put the nest boxes under the poop boards.

 

[mowin]

Sorry! I did not see your questions. We live in Iowa. It gets -20 or -30 here in the winter time and we have high winds so it could feel even colder due to the high winds because we live in a rural setting and there are no trees from the south, west or north of this building so we felt the insulation was needed. Our other coop has insulation too and they did great with that. We will cover it with bathroom boards that resist mildew, mold and sweating.

There are 3 large windows, vents on the front and back of the coop plus the big door in the back has a window too and opens if need be. I am not worried about ventilation at all in this coop. My husband also talked about putting a small exhaust fan at the top to encourage air flow so not sure if he will do that or not.

I appreciate the photos of the inside of your coop!

But what ventilation will you have during the winter?

 

[Cardi B]

I agree with DL. More ventilation is needed.
Insulation is only going to give rodents a nice cosy place to build a home. It's not necessary in the coop. A well ventilated, draft free coop is the goal. I'd put the nest boxes under the poop boards.

well, its already up. Ill tell my husband not to insulate the ceiling.

thanks for the info about the nesting boxes

 

[DobieLover]

It gets -20 or -30 here in the winter time and we have high winds so it could feel even colder due to the high winds

Winds are not a factor inside the coop as long as it doesn't cause direct drafts on roosted birds.
I would definitely not add any more insulation to the coop. It's not needed. I live in upstate New York and my winters are very similar to yours and I have no insulation in the coop. 4 1/2 years later everybody's still doing very well.
I would at a minimum open up all of the spaces between the rafters and cover them with hardware cloth, install a ridge vent and also pair that up with two very large gable end vents to improve your winter time and ventilation.

 

[aart]

This unit does have a rubberized floor but I wonder if we still need to put linoleum or something like that down?

Probably not.
What kind of rubberized flooring?

Any poop catch board ideas are appreciated. I am a visual learner, so if you could post a photo of your roost set up, Id appreciate it.

Here's some posts about mine, they're kind of old, but changes are noted.
...and the threads these posts are in has a ton of examples of poop boards.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...s-poop-pictures.621363/page-111#post-13179595
Updates:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...s-poop-pictures.621363/page-178#post-18966048
https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/1/...ch-x-9-inch-mesh-drawer-organizer-silver.html

We live in Iowa.

Here's how you add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!