Friday, August 9, 2013

Poop Catcher Again & Integrating

I finally got the bugs worked out :)  I have hooks on the outside and eyebolts in the middle.  I am using 1/2" dowels for rods and to keep the dowels in, took the rubber ends off the cheap spring rods that I threw away and put them on the ends of the dowels.  They keep the dowels in said apparatus.  I just went out and cleaned the coop and runs and put the new poop catchers in that I made.  I put the first ones on the clothesline after emptying the poop into the compost bin.  The new ones are a darker sturdier fabric that should hide the poop stains.  They are also a bit wider with some gathers. 
The only time the catchers don't work is when a butt is turned backwards but that's okay, there is still 95% less poop on the floor than there was. 
I just wish it was easier to change the inside one other than having to climb in but when we do the addition on the egg box side I'm having him put another clean out door on the inside wall and I'll be able to reach them from that side.  We will start working on the addition as soon as it starts cooling off. 
This is the one be the door, they sit on the top rung so poop lands in the catcher as long as they are facing the right way.

 
This one is the back one that I have to climb in to get to.  The egg boxes are on the wall behind this perch and this helps a lot to keep poop off the eggs.

 
This is the view from the clean out door.  I got down low to take the picture.  The ladder has three rungs but they only use the top one to sit on, the others are a ladder. 

 
I've been letting the young ones hang out with the old when they free range in the back yard.  My bossy hen seems to have changed.  Sylvie used to be the boss but now Hazel is the boss.  She is the one that hurt my Polish Sassy.  The others stay out of her way, but the Polish can't see her coming.  I will not put them together for good until we add the addition, then I'll open the center piece so they can all go from side to side.  I've decided to leave the red coop in there for a while to let the young ones have a place to get away from the big ones until all the pecking order stuff is done.  Okay, enough for today, I need to clean up and get to working on all the craft projects I have started on my tables since tonight is quilt night and my tables are full of painting stuff!

3 comments:

  1. That is ingenious. I am going to share. Great idea.

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  2. Great idea! I'm going to try this with vinyl table clothes so they will wash easier(hopefully)

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  3. I just used a thick cotton fabric so the poop would dry better. I think the vinyl would make it stay wet. It is all hard and dry when I dump it out. It would be easier if I had a walk in coop to clean them. No room for poop boards and I'm still having a problem with them knocking them down, well, at least one. We are getting ready to add on to the coop so will be easier to get to the back one then.

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