Useful power tool for winter clean outs

[RoosterML]

Still uncertain why you think a droppings board with some dry sand and PDZ wouldn't work with sifting the poop out once or twice a week. Seems like a lot less work to me, but in the end it may not be. FWIW, I don't use a droppings board, either, but my climate is totally different and my "floor" under the roost is not solid.
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I would really like that set up.

 

[gtaus]

Go with a poop board you won’t be sorry.

Thanks. I see you are also from MN, so how do you clean a wood board with frozen poo on it? I have a wooden ladder for the pop door which gets poo on it and I have to use a hammer and chisel to break off the poo.

 

[gtaus]

Yes, we have the frozen poop block issues too. I’ve been going at it with my pitch fork...and saws-all..don’t tell my husband.....that looks great..our temps are just like yours and it stinks... thanks for the heads up! Only good thing about frozen poo...no smell!..or, not as bad...

This is exactly why I mentioned using the 18v cultivator to break up the frozen poo. It works much better for me than shovels or pitch forks.

I have not used my reciprocating saw on the frozen poo, does it work? Not something I think I would reach for to do that job, but maybe I'm just thinking like the husband and have a mental block in using my Sawzall for cutting poo.

And yes, our weather stinks with nighttime lows hitting -22F, but at least frozen poo does not smell. We have had a little break in the weather and have put 2 days together with about 38F highs in the daytime. That's like summer for us this time of year.

 

[aart]

I don't know of anybody around here that uses a droppings board under the roost.

Well, then it must be a horrible and unthinkable idea

The freezing can be an issue, most frozen ones pop off vinyl liner on mine.
I only use a thin layer of PDZ and sift the entire contents daily.
Poops go into buckets for buddy with compost pile.
Has worked for me for 6 years.
It's just less to thaw out and then really stink.

 

[Cebarmlds]

Thanks. I see you are also from MN, so how do you clean a wood board with frozen poo on it? I have a wooden ladder for the pop door which gets poo on it and I have to use a hammer and chisel to break off the poo.

Yes I’m also considered northern Minnesota but not far north as you,
I put PDZ on the poo board and scoop every couple days, I put it in a bucket and dump it in the compost pile or directly into the garden. The ramp from coop to run can be scraped with a trowel occasionally.

 

[Cebarmlds]

These last couple days have been a gift You have actually been a couple degrees warmer than us

 

[gtaus]

Well, then [a droppings board under the roost] must be a horrible and unthinkable idea

Well, the people around where I live that I talked to about it did not think it was a very good idea. What do I know? This is my first winter with laying hens and I'm still learning what works for me and what does not. Obviously, where you live plays a big part on how you manage our flock.

 

[pennyJo1960]

You weill figure it out I clean out twice a year little more often in my small coops I have 3 a big main coop the silkie coop and the grow out coop .. the one I have silkie in is my fort knox they are in danger from out outside cats but hardware cloth is under the grow out coop rim now so it is safe also

 

[gtaus]

You weill figure it out I clean out twice a year little more often in my small coops I have 3 a big main coop the silkie coop and the grow out coop .. the one I have silkie in is my fort knox they are in danger from out outside cats but hardware cloth is under the grow out coop rim now so it is safe also

My original plan was to only clean out my deep litter coop once in the early spring and once in late fall. I think that will work, but I started this winter with about 6 inches of wood chips in the coop and the frozen poo has been piling up this past month. So I had to knock it down before adding more fresh wood chips. Next year I will start out the winter with maybe only 2 inches of wood chips, which should give me more time for topping off the bedding with fresh chips before I get to my 12 inches max height.

I'm not too worried about anything, because if the litter gets too deep, I'll just shovel off a few inches and throw it into the chicken run. The other day when I broke up the frozen poo under the roosts was the first time I have attempted any cleaning out of the coop in the past 6 months. When the chickens could scratch the wood chips, the poo magically disappeared into the deep litter. But now the poo freezes in the night and, as I stated, it is as hard as concrete. So it started piling up. But, only under the roost and nowhere else.

 

[pennyJo1960]

I know how everyone seems to use the poop boards but I am doing the same way my folks did it when I was kid allot smaller scale I do not do feed or water like then we know better now Dad had long tables with slat boards the crap drops I use a childs plastic rake to clean under them but we do not really freeze often