dropping tray, how wide?

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boybrown

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dropping tray, how wide?
« on: October 06, 2010, 07:33 »
Saturday's the day. All ready now in the new setup and I'm starting to get excited. Last concern that I may need to change is at the moment I have not put a dropping tray beneath the roosting bar. Does anyone have suggestions about how wide it needs to be and matierial I can put on top that is easy to clean but will let the droppings through. I have put my roosting bar 2 foot up and wondered if I need to put a ladder up or will the chooks fly up. Wer'e getting four again and they have a four foot roost!

Cheers,

an increasingly excited tom :o)

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compostqueen

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Re: dropping tray, how wide?
« Reply #1 on: October 06, 2010, 09:11 »
don't know about height or width but you can use Aubiose or Hemcore for the droppings to fall onto and then you can poo pick it off each day.  Some folks use newspaper but it doesn't absorb much urine or smells.  You change the bedding material frequently though as you don't want a stink  :)  With the width I'd err on the side of caution and you can always reduce it if needs be.

Your chooks might need a ladder but someone else will have more knowledge and someone will be along shortly  :)

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evie2

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Re: dropping tray, how wide?
« Reply #2 on: October 06, 2010, 09:25 »
Morning Boybrown, I always used sawdust until recently, I now use Bliss (similar to Hemcore and aubiose) and it's made keeping the coop clean and sweet much easier.

In our big coop we had a board 8ins wide and the length of the coop (coops 4ft x 4ft) it works well, it's just the chooks prefer to sleep in the nest boxes >:(

In the smaller coop I poo pick every day, made easy by the way the chooks perch, bottoms towards the door :D
May this day be blessed with gifts, understanding and friends.  Merlin 2001-2012 Pandora 2001-2013 xxx

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compostqueen

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Re: dropping tray, how wide?
« Reply #3 on: October 06, 2010, 12:06 »
mine always seem to sleep in the nesting box these days, now there's only two of them  ::) So, it has to get poo picked every day so they're nice and comfy  :D  They get clean bedding in it every other day.

I tried leaving them without any bedding in the nesting box just to see if they'd use the roosting bars (heaven forbid) but they stayed outside under their straw bales instead. I found them sound asleep when I went to lock them up for the night. I had to get OH to shine the torch so I could physically put them to bed. Dafties  :D

As soon as I put the bedding back in the nesting box they were fine. They do like their comforts. Just like us  :D

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jinty1911

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Re: dropping tray, how wide?
« Reply #4 on: October 06, 2010, 20:00 »
I have several newpapers under roost bars.  Just go out every morning and take soiled paper off and replace it with new.  Every week I remove the lot, sprinkle with mite powder (everywhere!!) and replace it all.  So easy at the moment but only had them a few weeks.  Must be comfty enough tho cos 1 insists on sleeping on the floor.  :nowink:
Jinty     

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Fisherman

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Re: dropping tray, how wide?
« Reply #5 on: October 07, 2010, 09:13 »
Try installing 2 trays that butt up directly under the perch. Make them a width that will allow the tray contents to slide off into a buckect so about 8 inches wide. This way it doesn't matter which way the chickens perch assuming they do!

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bantam novice

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Re: dropping tray, how wide?
« Reply #6 on: October 07, 2010, 10:06 »
Just wanted to wish you all the best for Saturday  :)  Good luck with your girls!
11 bantams (and counting!) 2 dogs 1 cat


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