Ventilation Question

[AmyJane725]

ALSO... is that actually a full size litter tray you're planning? 7'x8'x1' deep? I'd axe that completely because it's going to be so heavy and unwieldy - it's the equivalent of dragging around a king size bed. Even if it's half size it's so large that it's impractical (litter trays are hell anyhow, I never used them even with little house birds). Plus you already have a walk in door that you can push litter out of.

You make a fair point. I'm sitting on my bed right now (a full) and it's only 4.5' x 6.25'. Ok. I'll probably keep the access door and have a tray that's just 8x2'. That should get most of the sleep/roost poops and prevent me from having to get up inside the coop with a step stool. I read someone say (maybe it was you) that the poop piles up so high it's impractical to use a tray, so that's why I decided to make the tray a foot deep (I'd have the shavings less high in there to allow plenty of poop to pile up and still be able to pull it out without making a mess.

 

[feathermaid]

The litter tray is what it sounds like. Basically picture a desk drawer full of pine shavings and poop. It will be the entire size of the floor (so, 8x7'). The right side of the coop has that access door where you can slide it out. (And I put the roost on the side of the access door so if I want to clean that I can just slide it out 1 foot and all the roost poop will be easily accessible, and if I want to clean the entire coop I can just pull the whole thing out.

And just to clarify, on the "Right" side, both windows will have hardware cloth. I just drew one of them showing what it would look like when shut.

Ok, well if it needs to be able to close would a Louvre vent do?

Yeah, that size tray would be almost unmanageable.
I have a 3x3 wood tray in my coop and it's very heavy and awkward to handle, though removable if I need to. I just leave it put, fill it with Sweet PDZ and scoop it like cat litter. I have an easy access door and the dropping go in a bucket, which I dump in my compost bin. Because chickens do most of their pooping at night, the shavings on the coop floor hardly ever get soiled. Here's my coop after 10 months with the same bedding and tray filler... just added some fresh stuff occasionally.

That's one night of poop from 4 chickens. Three of them aren't a year old yet so their droppings are still pretty small. The other great thing about the PDZ is it's a great ammonia neutralizer and dries the poo really fast. Helps your ventilation work better.

I suppose a louvered vent would do fine. Hopefully it wouldn't get rusty over time. I just like my simple HWC windows w/plexi for myself.

 

[AmyJane725]

I'm having my tray built with rails, so it should be a little easier to pull out (and it won't flip out when it reaches the end, so that's good too, lol.

The chickens don't try to take a dust bath in the Sweet PDZ and get all covered with poop, do they? I haven't really heard of that stuff before. I was contemplating use DE (which I have limited knowledge of) but it's pretty expensive. I was hoping to save it for sprinkling into the litter periodically to help with moisture and whatnot.

 

[AmyJane725]

@blackdog043 - What are the lengths of your dowels?

 

[aart]

'm having my tray built with rails, so it should be a little easier to pull out (and it won't flip out when it reaches the end, so that's good too, lol.

Rails?...like drawer slide rails??.... they will clog with bedding, nix the slide tray, seriously...go with a poop board.

Will you buy windows or have the contractor build them?
Who is the contractor...someone you know well,
or was referred by someone you know well??

 

[blackdog043]

Thanks for the tip. Looks like I need 2 of each part per window, correct?
I wonder if there's such a thing as a telescoping dowel...hm...

Yes, 2 of each per window.

It's a 5/8 dowel. I changed the set screws that hold the dowel, with thumb screws. It's quick to change sizes.

 

[aart]

Yes, 2 of each per window.

It's a 5/8 dowel. I changed the set screws that hold the dowel, with thumb screws. It's quick to change sizes.

If you detach one end of rod, will window fully close?
I'm guessing yes, but can't remember.

 

[AmyJane725]

Rails?...like drawer slide rails??.... they will clog with bedding, nix the slide tray, seriously...go with a poop board.

Will you buy windows or have the contractor build them?
Who is the contractor...someone you know well,
or was referred by someone you know well??

Sort of like drawer sliding rails, but they're not going to be the delicate metal things that would get clogged. They'll just be wood. And there will be a board standing on end at the 2' point to keep the shavings from the rest of the coop from spilling over too badly. This basically is a glorified poop board.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Sort of like drawer sliding rails, but they're not going to be the delicate metal things that would get clogged. They'll just be wood. And there will be a board standing on end at the 2' point to keep the shavings from the rest of the coop from spilling over too badly. This basically is a glorified poop board.

If you really want it put it in... but I think the reality is you'll use it a few times and then find it tiresome to use due to sheer size and weight. But maybe you'll prove me wrong, I can't even lift a single bag of chicken feed. I think it would be more practical and cheaper to have a plain poop board + a step stool.

 

[AmyJane725]

I can definitely lift a bag of chicken feed. I'm the one in my office who puts new tanks on the water cooler. I'm very strong as far as women are concerned. I can man-handle things with the best of 'em, so I'm not too worried about it. But hey, maybe I'll get on here in 6 months and tell you I'm eating crow, lol.