What kind of pooper scooper do you use with shavings?

[Sinfonian]

I recently took them off paper towels and have them just on pine shavings. The trouble is, I don't want to dump all the pine shavings every day. Do you folks simply use a litter box scoop like for cats?

I've heard folks say they use one designed for reptiles, not sure what one of those is or where to get one? I can see having the ability to attach a long handle to reach into the coop later, but for now, something short will do.

This morning I just cleaned off the board they use as a step ladder to peck down into the feed tray and to drink from (need to find a good scraper for that too).

Seems I've got a bunch of supply questions. What do you folks suggest that works for you? Pics of my brooder can be found on my blog (linked below).

Thanks!

 

[hansolo]

I used a lot more pine shavings than you. I use a regular kitchen spoon to spoon them out. Works well.

 

[Higins00]

Your hand and arm with a rubber glove Ha that's what I do.

 

[DawnCols]

I have a bigger setup than you do (though also bigger chicks--mine are almost 8 weeks old). I use a plastic spoon to pick out the poop until I fall behind and then I dump all the shavings and put in fresh.

For my adult chickens, I use a cat litter scoop. It works fine.

I got a bag of 8 cubic feet of shavings at Tractor Supply Co for five bucks--it will last me a year.

Your chicks are awfully cute!

 

[kcfuerst]

Here's mine. My girls are in the run, so need something bigger than a scooper. Just rake up all the poo, toss it on the sifter, keep the sand and send the poo to the compost pile. Love it.



Just two small stakes with 1/4" welded wire attached to sift out the poo.

So easy, even my grandboys can help.

 

[Nicole01]

I use a little plastic dish or put on a rubber glove. I clean the brooder 100 times a day for poop.

 

[3chimama]

I do use a litter box scoop! For the big girls coop I use a small sized snow shovel that I found at a thrift shop and it works perfect!

 

[suzeqf]

when i clean out their brooder completly i used a broom/dust pan like you see them using at malls(got it at Sam's) it's a little broom and when you put the dust pan down it automatically opens and i do this once a week and for my daily clean up i use a food service glove and use kinda get the poo in a little piles and pick it up and put it in a rubber made box and when it's full i dump it out where my garden was last year and since i've switched to a finer shaving it makes daily clean up so much easier i try to clean out the poo before and after work and sometimes before i go to bed

 

[spotstealer]

I only have six chicks four weeks old now. I change out the shavings about every three days. I attached a picture, if you look in the background you'll see the wire "floor" I have over the shavings. I just pick pull out the wired frames ( I have it in two sections to make it easier to move around) and just sweep up the shavings. It works great and they don't have to walk or peck around the poop.

 

[Back on the Farm]

My chicks are in a large dog crate (metal/wire frame, wrapped in a cardboard box). Every few days I scoop out a lot of the pine shavings using a large feeder scoop (this scoop is only used for this purpose). I then re-fill with a layer of pine shavings. Once a week, I move my 8 girls to a small box, and clean out the brooder completly, and re-fill with clean pine shavings. The pine shavings/poop goes to the compost heap. When I'm cleaning, I have an old rubbermaid storage bin next to the brooder - I dump the 'dirty' shavings into the bin and then I haul the bin to the compost heap.

I hope to have a coop in place by the end of this week so that I can move my 4/5 week old girls to the coop. They are making a mess of my basement. Plus, they are growing out of the brooder.