Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[Elaine Wright]

@Bridebeliever
We installed poop boards about a month ago, with PDZ on top. I scoop poop every morning when I check food, water & eggs. An extra 2 minutes. Sometimes it's pretty stinky in the morning, but when I'm done, it's fresh. It also gives me an opportunity to look for poop problems.

 

[Cockatrice6420]

There are more than 2 dozen chickens in my coop, and yes they can get stinky. For the most part they roost in the same spot each night and that is where all the poop is. I clean the big piles out once a week and it keeps the smell down. It only takes a half hour or less to clean and inspect everything. The time commitment is that bad. A thorough cleaning is need periodically, but getting the piles out once a week really helps keep everything tidy. I use pine shavings (not deep) and grass hay on the floor.

Similar here. We do a weekly clean, spot cleaning in boxes if necessary, shavings on the floor for poop, straw in boxes, once a month in winter, every other month in summer, we do a major scrape/shopvac/diatomaceous combo. We also scrub and bleach water feeders monthly.

 

[Bridebeliever]

I was really hoping to do the deep litter method and have a composting coop. I must be dense because I'm just not getting it as much as I've read! I am going to get the pine shavings today though.

 

[Cockatrice6420]

I think the deep litter method is great for some areas where it routinely drops below freezing. Over here on the west side I've found it's just too wet, the litter more slimes than composts.

 

[catface]

@Bridebeliever
We installed poop boards about a month ago, with PDZ on top. I scoop poop every morning when I check food, water & eggs. An extra 2 minutes. Sometimes it's pretty stinky in the morning, but when I'm done, it's fresh. It also gives me an opportunity to look for poop problems.

pdz! That's the stuff I couldn't think of the name for. Thanks.

 

[nuklee0]

I was really hoping to do the deep litter method and have a composting coop. I must be dense because I'm just not getting it as much as I've read! I am going to get the pine shavings today though.

Me too... I am trying to do the deep litter method too but I keep getting the ammonia smell so I'm definitely not understanding and doing it right. I just end up cleaning the built up areas about once a week.

 

[catface]

I was really hoping to do the deep litter method and have a composting coop. I must be dense because I'm just not getting it as much as I've read! I am going to get the pine shavings today though.

I do deep litter. It takes a while for it to build up but once it starts it builds quickly. It's a pain to clean all the compost out when you do it but it's not often so I prefer it.

 

[Bridebeliever]

I think the deep litter method is great for some areas where it routinely drops below freezing. Over here on the west side I've found it's just too wet, the litter more slimes than composts.

I have no moisture in my coop at all (well except for what the chickens make). My coop is fully enclosed with a cement floor. I'm pretty sure deep litter does need some moisture.

 

[CarolynF]

Quote:
Yep.

 

[CarolynF]

Quote:
If you have a dry area, my favorite is coarse sand. Super inexpensive, easy to clean, doesn't absorb moisture, cleans the birds feet as they walk thru it to get to the nest box, no excessive bulk to dispose of, the dirty sand sticks to the poop and gets tossed out with it, and it's good for the garden. I use a long handled litter box scoop every morning, other folks with larger areas put quarter inch mesh onto a pitch fork like this picture. Combined with a poop board cleanup is maybe 5 min. a day and smell is almost nothing.