What floor??

[Pekin747]

What type of floor do u recommend for chickens
wood cement or dirt and why
*(Beeding would be on top of it)*

 

[black_cat]

Well, if by dirt you mean 'actually dirt connected to the ground' then that works great if you want to do the deep litter method as poop and bedding can compost. Many coops have a wood floor. I personally prefer wood over cement, as I just like the feel of it better.

 

[LizzzyJo]

I always prefer a coop that is fully encased (not a dirt floor) - for rodent prevention. Wood is much cheaper than cement and works perfectly well.

 

[3KillerBs]

All of the above depending on the specific circumstances.

The current coop has a wood floor. The new, open-air coop will have a dirt floor with deep litter.

I would not hesitate to use a cement floor if I were converting a building or if I had major issues with digging predators.

 

[YAHsdaughter]

All of the above depending on the specific circumstances.

The current coop has a wood floor. The new, open-air coop will have a dirt floor with deep litter.

I would not hesitate to use a cement floor if I were converting a building or if I had major issues with digging predators.

Question: My coop will have a wooden floor, should I put a water-proof sealer down after it’s painted.
I’m using sand for the poop boxes above, under the roost poles. I don’t care for shaving on the floor.
Any suggestion?
Thanks!

 

[black_cat]

Question: My coop will have a wooden floor, should I put a water-proof sealer down after it’s painted.

I have a sheet of vinyl that someone was giving away on facebook covering my floor.

I’m using sand for the poop boxes above, under the roost poles.

I'd recommend sweet pzd instead- it will keep odor and dust down tremendously.

I don’t care for shaving on the floor.

Unless you'd like your chickens to either be A) walking in poop or B) scraping poop off the floors very frequently, you need some sort of bedding on the floor.

 

[YAHsdaughter]

I have a sheet of vinyl that someone was giving away on facebook covering my floor.

I'd recommend sweet pzd instead- it will keep odor and dust down tremendously.

Unless you'd like your chickens to either be A) walking in poop or B) scraping poop off the floors very frequently, you need some sort of bedding on the floor.

Correct...I understand I need some sort of bedding on the floor. I just wasn’t sure if their was an alternative to sand or shavings?

We raised chickens when I was a kid, our coop sat directly on the ground. Which probably would have been a better idea...I guess it’s six of one and a half dozen of the other.

 

[black_cat]

Correct...I understand I need some sort of bedding on the floor. I just wasn’t sure if their was an alternative to sand or shavings?

I have friends that just have a couple of inches of basically run litter- a mix of dirt, sand, leaves, shavings, etc, but I don't know if that's the easiest to maintain.

 

[aart]

I understand I need some sort of bedding on the floor. I just wasn’t sure if their was an alternative to sand or shavings?

What kind of bedding you use may depend on how you manage the manure.
This is about cleaning, but covers my big picture

-I use poop boards under roosts with thin(<1/2") layer of sand/PDZ mix, sifted daily(takes 5-10mins) into bucket going to friends compost.
-Scrape big or wet poops off roost and ramps as needed.
-Pine shavings on coop floor, add some occasionally, totally changed out once or twice a year, old shavings added to run.
- My runs have semi-deep litter(cold composting), never clean anything out, just add smaller dry materials on occasion, add larger wood chippings as needed.
Aged ramial wood chippings are best IMO.
-Nests are bedded with straw, add some occasionally, change out if needed(broken egg).

There is no odor, unless a fresh cecal has been dropped and when I open the bucket to add more poop.

That's how I keep it 'clean', have not found any reason to clean 'deeper' in 7 years.

 

[3KillerBs]

Question: My coop will have a wooden floor, should I put a water-proof sealer down after it’s painted.
I’m using sand for the poop boxes above, under the roost poles. I don’t care for shaving on the floor.
Any suggestion?
Thanks!

Unless you'd like your chickens to either be A) walking in poop or B) scraping poop off the floors very frequently, you need some sort of bedding on the floor.

What Black Cat said. It's possible to do without bedding, but it means that your coop will have to be cleaned very frequently and that the poop will dry stuck to the floor.

I'm a great fan of Deep Bedding and one of it's advantages is that by keeping everything absolutely dry it prevents the wood of the coop and floor from rotting out. This is my article on it: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/using-deep-bedding-in-a-small-coop.76343/

Mine is bare wood. Some people put down sheet vinyl. Some people coat the floor with Blackjack 57 to protect the wood from moisture (usually going up the wall a foot or so). Some use paint.

Correct...I understand I need some sort of bedding on the floor. I just wasn’t sure if their was an alternative to sand or shavings?

OK, you've clarified since I started writing this response ....

Any dry, nontoxic, organic material can be used as bedding in the coop and/or litter in the run. Wood chips, wood shavings, wood pellets (sold for horse stalls), straw, pine straw, coffee chaff, hemp, ground corn cob, rice hulls, leaves, shredded paper, and a myriad of other materials -- some widely available and some locally available, some more costly, some free.

Each material has it's advantages and it's disadvantages -- being more or less absorbent, more or less likely to pack and mat, more or less expensive, etc. Shavings are the most popular because they are widely available at a reasonable price and fairly easy to handle.

The best thing to do is to read about people's experience with different beddings and try whichever appeals to you the most. If it works out for you, great. If it doesn't, you can try something else.