Poop board convert *warning-graphic/gross poop pictures*

[silkwormlady]

Hi, pretty purple! How big is their hose? Flooring covered in/with? How many lucky chickens?

 

[MandalaMaMa]

Hi, pretty purple! How big is their hose? Flooring covered in/with? How many lucky chickens?

The coop is 8x10. I have 4 older hens that are 2 years old and 8 baby chicks that are almost 4 weeks olds. This is our second coop that we have built and have learned so much from the first time. Wasn't going to do anything more to the floor. Planning on using pine shaving. I know some people put down vinyl but my HB thought it was over kill. I was so nervous about the color but I love it. It makes my heart smile every time I see it.

 

[MandalaMaMa]

Here a picture that shows our first coop that we build. It was differently a learning curve. Started out as a chicken tractor but was way to heavy. So we made it permanent. The house on it is 4x4 so the new one feels like a palace.

 

[Alabama Jack]

Our board and roosts. 26" wide and 6' long. Pure granular PDZ on the board.

 

[aart]

My hubby is amazing. Today we built our new poop boards and got them installed. My new chickie coop is way beyond what I ever expected. I'm getting so excited.


Here's a picture of my new coop. Still have some trim work to do on the outside.

Nice coop!

How wide is board and are roosts centered?
Might want to remove that roost that goes back to the wall, that will be a favorite spot and yo might end up with poop behind your backsplash.

Nice ramp, is it just hooked on so you can move it?
It looks a little steep, might want to put something under the end I use concrete blocks standing tall.....hope it's well sanded so now splinters in feets.

 

[MandalaMaMa]

Nice coop!

How wide is board and are roosts centered?
Might want to remove that roost that goes back to the wall, that will be a favorite spot and yo might end up with poop behind your backsplash.

Nice ramp, is it just hooked on so you can move it?
It looks a little steep, might want to put something under the end I use concrete blocks standing tall.....hope it's well sanded so now splinters in feets.

The poop board is 24" wide with the roost bar down the center. The roost bar are 10" high. I did the backsplash to hopefully help keep it off the wall and window. That is 7 1/2" tall. We'll watch the roost bar that goes to the wall and redo it if needed. This all new to me. So excited about having poop boards.
The ramp is hooked for easy removability for cleaning. HB idea about that. Thanks for the idea about putting a block on the end. Would have never thought of that if it's too steep.
Still have lots of finish work to do inside and painting. We are going to put 4 nesting boxes elevated up off the floor, under the poop board on the wall without the window.

 

[LittleBits]

Quote:
Just reading through some of these recent posts...good ideas, great pics. Thanks to all.

I have about an 15-18" wide x 6' long poo-tray with a carpeted (and poo-dirty) 2x4 for a roost. ( I do spray it down every once and awhile.) Carpeted it one winter so their feet could stay a little warmer! Just left it there. The roost is about 8-12" from the bottom of the poo-tray with about 3-4" of PDZ in it when it's full. It lasts a long time. Scooped out every morning. About once a month, I take a mesh strainer and fine-sift the little stuff out.

But anyway - in response to the post above - we now have 17 chickens, and at times they all try to get up on the 6' roost. Some end of perching on the edge of the poo-tray, like yours. Only problem with that is they face toward the tray, so their poo lands on the floor. So I put another roost on the other side of our Little Coop (6' long). It's just a tree branch about 2-3" around. No poo-tray on that side yet. They've learned to go over there now - finally. I have a loose board underneath, just lying on the coop floor, so just scrape it off right now.

When we first got the additional 12 chickens, they would roost EVERYWHERE! Outside, in the nests, on the top of the feed can, on the ledge of the inner door. I just kept moving them on to the roosts and they've gotten the idea now. I still move 1-2 occasionally. But they will be content with just a little squished-up space and before long, they are snoring away!! Somehow, they all end up facing the same way. Not sure how they move themselves! I think they liked the warmth in the winter.

Just a few here settling in...
Squish time...

Waiting for someone to give an inch...

 

[Cluckies]

Yes, 12" is a good number. My 6 girls will squish onto a 4' 2x4 in the winter (they stay warmer that way, huddles together), in the summer they have a 6' roost so they can spread out and be cooler.


Summer set up


Winter set up, I take the upper roost and poop board off so they are not in the draft. (didn't do it soon enough and 2 got frost bite early on).

 

[saraiquimby1]

Here's what I built. Roost is 12 feet long. 24 inches deep and the roost bar is right in the middle. Planning on putting PDZ in it. My coop is coming along nicely

 

[silkwormlady]

Liking this thread a lot. Good ideas well reinforced by pics. I am a show not tell gal. Our coop coming along well. Untreated lumber cut on portable sawmill making for ventilation. Still yet wanting windows that'll open. But this thread about poop boards .. And so many tips and pitfalls mentioned.
Glad to learn from others!