| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Madinet85 |
Posted - Jun 23 2013 : 10:12:55 AM
I was wondering if anyone has a sort of chicken coop rake/implement they'd recommend? We have a fairly large chicken coop, 15' x 5', for 6 chickens. Their droppings mostly collect under the roosts, and not so much everywhere else. I'd like to be able to kind of filter the droppings out of the bedding, much like a cat box scoop. That way the coop stays a little cleaner, and I can go a little longer in between bedding changes.
Any suggestions?
Farmgirl Sister #4915 |
| 19 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Daizy |
Posted - Sep 04 2014 : 07:14:10 AM
Hay ya'll,
I have seen a sling, of sorts, hung under the roosts. I appeared to be made of painters drop cloth with wood rods along the long sides for support and hanging. She would just go inside the coop and unhook the wood rods from S hooks (?) and then carry it out and rake and clean the sling then hang it back inside. I can't remember where I saw it but it was a neat invention.
Hugs and prayers, Daizy
Daizy #1093
Poor House Farmgirl Chapter {A virtual chapter open to everyone.}
A good day is when you find ALL your ear tags! I wonder how my cows would like my Farmgirl apron??
www.poorhouseparadise.blogspot.com |
| Peg Graham |
Posted - Sep 03 2014 : 9:51:00 PM
Use sand and make a huge pooper scooper....
 
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~Peg Graham
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| levisgrammy |
Posted - Sep 01 2013 : 5:54:40 PM
Wonder if there is a small version that could be used for the chicken coop? This one seems like the droppings would go through with the shavings.
quote:
Originally posted by windypines
Here is what the scoop is called at Farm and Fleet. Not sure if it will work well with chicken coops, but it does work well with cows and horses in shavings.
Little Giant DuraPitch 2 Stable Cleaner
Denise
Farmgirl Sister #43
"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path."
Psalm 119:105
http://www.ladybugsandlilacs.blogspot.com/
http://www.torisgram.etsy.com |
| levisgrammy |
Posted - Sep 01 2013 : 5:54:09 PM
Wonder if there is a small version that could be used for the chicken coop? This one seems like the droppings would go through with the shavings.
quote:
Originally posted by windypines
Here is what the scoop is called at Farm and Fleet. Not sure if it will work well with chicken coops, but it does work well with cows and horses in shavings.
Little Giant DuraPitch 2 Stable Cleaner
Denise
Farmgirl Sister #43
"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path."
Psalm 119:105
http://www.ladybugsandlilacs.blogspot.com/
http://www.torisgram.etsy.com |
| levisgrammy |
Posted - Sep 01 2013 : 5:53:14 PM
Wonder if there is a small version that could be used for the chicken coop? This one seems like the droppings would go through with the shavings.
quote:
Originally posted by windypines
Here is what the scoop is called at Farm and Fleet. Not sure if it will work well with chicken coops, but it does work well with cows and horses in shavings.
Little Giant DuraPitch 2 Stable Cleaner
Denise
Farmgirl Sister #43
"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path."
Psalm 119:105
http://www.ladybugsandlilacs.blogspot.com/
http://www.torisgram.etsy.com |
| Madinet85 |
Posted - Sep 01 2013 : 11:42:58 AM
quote:
Originally posted by windypines
Here is what the scoop is called at Farm and Fleet. Not sure if it will work well with chicken coops, but it does work well with cows and horses in shavings.
Little Giant DuraPitch 2 Stable Cleaner
Thats pretty close to what I had in mind. I'll have to keep an eye out at our local tractor supply store. If it doesn't work I can still use it in the horse barn.
Farmgirl Sister #4915 |
| coccocolorado |
Posted - Aug 25 2013 : 1:08:54 PM
One winter I was having problems defrosting my windshield, so I started leaving a layer of saranwrap on it overnight and just peeled it up in the morning. I wonder if you laid down a tarp of some sort, then put the shavings on top, you could just pull it out and over to the compost bin? I only have a tiny little coop-but I'm thinking i might give it a try overwinter-I'm going to do the layer method, as seen on Fresh-Eggs-Daily (if you haven't been to Lisa's blog, please do-you will love it!)
C
Farmgirl Sister #5348
City Girl
Country Heart |
| windypines |
Posted - Aug 19 2013 : 03:03:48 AM
Here is what the scoop is called at Farm and Fleet. Not sure if it will work well with chicken coops, but it does work well with cows and horses in shavings.
Little Giant DuraPitch 2 Stable Cleaner |
| Madinet85 |
Posted - Aug 18 2013 : 04:53:44 AM
Thanks for all the info everyone. I've been just scooping up the shavings under their roosts a little more often, and adding a little bit of shavings as necessary. I definitely am keeping an eye out for that scoop though!
Farmgirl Sister #4915 |
| newfarmgirl |
Posted - Aug 15 2013 : 7:00:28 PM
I use sand. I read a lot about it on the site, Backyard Chickens. These are serious chicken people!! I use a kitty litter scoop to clean it out just like a litter box. The sand is so soft. Some people who have it in their run use rakes to draw the poop out. It's working well for me, and I scoop often since it's not so difficult. I will probably add shavings when it gets cold.quote:
[i]Originally posted by Madinet85[/
I was wondering if anyone has a sort of chicken coop rake/implement they'd recommend? We have a fairly large chicken coop, 15' x 5', for 6 chickens. Their droppings mostly collect under the roosts, and not so much everywhere else. I'd like to be able to kind of filter the droppings out of the bedding, much like a cat box scoop. That way the coop stays a little cleaner, and I can go a little longer in between bedding changes.
Any suggestions?
Farmgirl Sister #4915
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| levisgrammy |
Posted - Aug 02 2013 : 12:13:37 PM
Erin, I went to your blog and though I didn't find your post about the "poop board" I very much enjoyed your description of the forum here and your experience in receiving your Sisterhood membership. You have a wonderful way of writing!
Denise
Farmgirl Sister #43
"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path."
Psalm 119:105
http://www.ladybugsandlilacs.blogspot.com/
http://www.torisgram.etsy.com |
| windypines |
Posted - Jul 31 2013 : 1:13:37 PM
They do make a fork/shovel. Not sure what it is called or how to describe it. But it is like a small shovel, with openings like a fork. It would be like a kitty scoop. They use it around dairy barns, and probably horse barns.
Michele |
| MtnGrlByTheBay |
Posted - Jul 30 2013 : 09:41:16 AM
I built a "Poop Board" when I built my new coop. It's a board with a lip all around it that goes under your roost. There are a myriad of options and methods. Some folks use big oil pans under their roosts. I put SWEET PDZ (available in the horse section of Southern States or Tractor Supply as a "Stall Refresher") on the board. It's a powder, much like flour and will clump like kitty litter. I just use a little play sand shovel and a slotted spoon to gather the droppings every morning. I just deposit them in a bucket for later disposal. It works VERY well.
Before I had the poop board, I too, had shavings, and just used two little sand shovels to just scoop the poop every day.
Visit my blog to see some coop pics and the Poop Board.
^^^I'm a RidgeRunner, and will always feel best when surrounded by the PA mountains.^^^
www.lastlapgang.com |
| crittergranny |
Posted - Jun 27 2013 : 10:43:19 AM
Sorry to hear about your brother having to go through all that Annie. I hope he is doing well now.
Laura
Horse poor in the boonies.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/CrittergrannysLair
www.creamofthecroptrailrides.webs.com |
| crittergranny |
Posted - Jun 27 2013 : 10:39:33 AM
I think it is a very good idea to wear a face mask when cleaning the chicken coop. I try to do it when the weather is a little wetter so it doesn't fly around in the air quite as much too. Our lungs are so important. I got bucked off a horse about 3 years ago in a sandy arroya. That was the point of it, cause the horse was a handful and the aroya is a little softer than other ground. However I landed on my shoulder/ face in the deep sand and it pushed the sand deep into my left lung and it has never been the same. I coughed up dirt for about a year. They call it farmers lung, and most health care people have never seen it because there isn't that much of it these days. Every time I go to a barrel race or a dusty arena for a day or so, or this stupid smoke is around like it has been, or clean the chicken pen etc... I will get a little constant cough, my lung hurts at night, and I am tired. Our lungs are one of the filters of our bodies and we need to protect them. It only takes one incident to affect us the rest of our lives. Good heads up on the mask, Annie. Thank you.
Laura
Horse poor in the boonies.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/CrittergrannysLair
www.creamofthecroptrailrides.webs.com |
| AnnieinIdaho |
Posted - Jun 26 2013 : 9:02:06 PM
Hi Sisters,
Question from curiosity, and I was raised in the city, so I am ignorant about it. When you clean the chicken houses, do you protect yourself by wearing a face mask? I don't have chickens and my concern is because my brother got histoplasmosis (sp?)from birds while working as a splicer for the telephone company in Oklahoma. It settled in his spine also. He was so ill for so long and nearly died and was allergic to the antibiotics they gave him. Most of his spine was eaten away by fungus and other things so he has rods, pins, etc. holding him together. I just wondered about breathing in all the dust without protection. Also, do be aware MRSA is alive and claiming victims. Here in Las Vegas I have learned of three cases in the last few months. Also my sister and her colleague who are social workers contracted it from a girl they visited a juvenile hall. They became seriously ill and were hospitalized for several weeks. Now, sadly, my friend in Woodland Hills, CA had a 26 year old daughter who somehow was exposed to the MRSA based pneumonia. She did not have pneumonia, but the droplets from someone who did, she inhaled and in four days it shut down her lungs and her heart. She went to the emergency room and went unconscious and her blood results showed MRSA. They incubated her but she never regained consciousness. Such an unexpected and sudden death. I got off track here, but my main concern is protecting your lungs when working on the farm, or home hobby, or ranch with animals and garden mulches, soils etc. Happy Farmgirl Days. Be aware of the unseen creatures...to include the wolves. Thinking of you, Annie
"The turnings of life seldom show a sign-post; or rather, though the sign is always there, it is usually placed some distance back, like the notices that give warning of a bad hill or a level railway-crossing." Edith Wharton, 1913 from 'The Custom of the Country'. |
| Madinet85 |
Posted - Jun 26 2013 : 4:46:33 PM
I use wood shavings as their litter, so that's why I was thinking I could kind of filter through the shavings periodically. Maybe I could just scoop up whats directly underneath the roost and replace it more often than the rest of the coop.
Farmgirl Sister #4915 |
| StrawHouseRanch |
Posted - Jun 24 2013 : 06:57:15 AM
Hi Elizabeth,
What kind of litter do you use? Everyone's coops are so different that what one person does, often doesn't apply to someone else's situation. I use shavings in our coop. Our coop is 7 X 8 with a shelf under the roost bar to catch droppings. I use a really soft bristle brush with a dust pan and flick the droppings off the top of the shavings into the dustpan that I dump into a bucket. Healthy droppings just lay on top of a layer of shavings, so you don't really need to pick up much of the shavings. I go through once a week to scoop up the droppings and it goes really quickly. I also sprinkle a fair amount of DME throughout the coop to keep down parasites and other creepy crawlies. I put shavings on their ramps to keep droppings from getting stuck in the ramp treads. Since the girls don't spend much time in the coop, other than sleeping and visiting the nest boxes, there are usually not much droppings on the main floor area, but I keep a layer of shavings over the vinyl flooring in the coop too, and pick up whatever droppings end up there with my brush and dustpan too.
Hope this helps.
Paula
Farmgirl Sister #3090
Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery, and Today is a Gift.
"Look deep into Nature, and then you will understand everything better."--Albert Einstein
"A meal of bread, cheese and beer constitutes the perfect food." --Queen Elizabeth I
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| crittergranny |
Posted - Jun 23 2013 : 5:28:00 PM
I always just clean it and replace the litter with new straw. I know this doesn't help any with the way you are thinking to do it. I hope someone posts something to help. I do have a really cool tool for when I clean though and thought maybe I would just mention it. It is a snow shovel that my husband bent to where it has more curve to it and I use it upside down and drag it across the coop and it scrapes it clean. I find it is much easier than using a shovel and scooping it up. It is much easier on my back. But then I do scoop shovel it up after it is in a pile and put it in a half barrel on the back of my 4 wheeler and haul it off to the dung pile out back. Also I use the half of the plastic barrel that is smooth without a rim and it is very easy to scoot around if I have to. A hoe works pretty good to scrape out tight places, but I also have a roost that I can just lift it up on the short end and easily get under it to scrape stuff out. It's still a yucky job. I hate cleaning the chicken coop. I sometimes trade a trail ride to some kids to do it.
Laura
Horse poor in the boonies.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/CrittergrannysLair
www.creamofthecroptrailrides.webs.com |
