what do you put under your roost to catch the droppings

[sandypaws]

....???.... the FLOOR.....

with straw or grass hay on top of the floor.. i just rake it out once in a while(put around trees as a fertilizer) and then add fresh hay...

 

[blueseal]

i just added a dropper board under the roost today all i will have to do know is pull it out and dump it outside in the poop pile . i heard that chickens do most of there pooping at night when there roosting. ifigured this way the shavings will last longer .in the coop.

 

[Davaroo]

Smart thinking!

Dropping boards and dropping pits have been traditional soultions for ages. No sense re-inventing the wheel.... NOT doing so saves you a lot of trouble.

 

[zigzag3337]

I just finished my coop and pen. Believe it or not, this was one of my concerns when I was designing the coop. My pen is 12' wide and 36' long, then the coop is at one end of the run and it's 8'x12' with a kicker for the roost that protrudes into the run. At night when the birds roost, their droppings just falls to the ground (which means no cleanup). On really cold nights, I have a door way that I can close under the roost to prevent the cold air blowing into the coop, now this door will be covered in poo, but I use a flat nose shovel to clean it off when I open the door back up.

Through out the coop I used the deep method and just sweep it out into the run when it's too messy to deal with anymore.

 

[n2h20]

i use a rubbermaid tub and a few flats... you know the kind you can get at home cheapo,, that those 6 pack of plants come in? they are free and small, work great. great for sifting the poo out of the run area...

 

[vtchickenlady]

Deep litter hay that goes into compost pile. Its cold here.

 

[fivestring]

I use coroplast, or corrogated plastic, the stuff they make those politicians signs from. (Edit: how appropriate...hmmm) It is washable and lightweight. You can usually pick up big used signs from convenience stores, their old cigarette and soda posters, etc.

I made a 'roof' over my feeder and waterer to keep the poop out of them. It looks a little like a buffet with the 'sneeze guard' over it. I have a pole mounted horizontally high up in the coop that I hang the feeder and waterer off of. Of course, that is the one everybody wants to use at night 'cause it is the highest one, even though there are plenty of other places available to sleep. I take the coroplast roof out every couple of days and scrape/hose it off.

 

[lorihadams]

Go to yard sales and pick up some cheapy baking sheets and put them under the roost.

Deep litter in the winter and just sweep it out when it gets yucky.

I have a small coop that is raised up off the ground and I just let the poo fall on the shavings and use a cat litter scoop to get the poo out every other day and that keeps me from having to replace the shavings as often. I only have 8 chickens. Put it in a wheel barrow and every week empty the wheel barrow into the compost bin. Do the same thing with my rabbit cages. But they get a full clean once a week of all their litter. Chickens go longer between cleanings.

 

[lovemychicns]

Quote:
Hi,

Just wondering how you attach the feed bags under the roost. This sounds like a great idea.

Karen

 

[jlmann]

I have shelves under my hen's roost and they kind of congregate at one end of the roost so I got a couple of cheapo cat litter boxes and put under their favorite spot. I'll probably add a few more once this years chicks are in the big coop with the rest of my birds.