Plywood Coop Floor Options

[pushjerk]

Howdy everyone,

The new flock of four is around 8 weeks old, living out in the coop a week now, and a few new additions in the brooder inside.

Since the coop has been occupied a week, it is evident I should have thought out the floor a bit more.

Currently, the floor is 3/4" plywood covered with an inch or so of pine shavings. As the run has to yet been built, they are in "coop training," and free ranging the backyard when they can be supervised. The water will ultimately remain out of the coop, but is currently in the coop with the chickens, and those A holes make a mess. Shavings around the water are pretty soaked, and the ply floor a bit damp. Easy enough to replace the shavings and air out the coop, but we need an ultimate solution.

I do intend to try out sand instead of shavings. And the H2O in the coop has an expiration date which is imminent.

Poop protection and easy cleaning is the ultimate goal. What floor options would we consider?

I've done quite a bit of reading here on BYC - Laminates, Linoleum, Vinyl, and wood sealers and tough paints seem to be the most common solutions.

The real question is how best to go from old to new with an occupied coop.

Since the coop is occupied, an application of a water based polyurethane would certainly need time to dry and gas off, i would presume. One day enough while the chickens are in the run during the day time?

How about cleaning, airing out and drying out the coop floor prior to any installation or application of new surface? After this a sheet of linoleum would be easy enough to install.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Here's the coop in its current state - plenty more to do.

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[Howard E]

To clean up the water and cut down.......if not eliminate..... the wet floor, consider switching to a covered water bucket with horizontal nipples. That will work inside or out.

I've yet to see a bell jar type waterer that isn't filthy with a wet floor below.

BTW, nice looking coop.

 

[pushjerk]

Thanks Howard. The coop is coming along. Paint and trim to come. I'll have a fun post for the coop pictures section once complete with a timelapse of the construction.

Yeah the water is certainly a culprit, but once out of the coop, it'll no longer be a factor.

As far as the existing damp spots from water, and places where enough poo has moistened the wood, I'll prob have to kick the chicks out for a night, use some kitty litter as a desecant for the night, then first thing the next day, apply a sealant to the wood and let dry throughout the day.

 

[Leigti]

I painted my floor of the coop with outdoor paint. Then I put at least 6 inches of pine shavings. I have a poop board so most of the droppings land on it. For now, put a boot tray or something plastic underneath the water so that the spell does not hit the wood. Then get the water are out of there as soon as you can. I think this would allow you to not have to spend 24 hours Arian it out etc. you can also spread some PDZ around in the pine shavings to help dry out any more Easter that does get on there.

 

[Hokum Coco]

Poop protection and easy cleaning is the ultimate goal. Elevating the water fountain to the height of the chickens' back should improve dryness in the coop. What floor options would we consider?
a sheet of linoleum would be easy enough to install. This is the option I took and suggest.

I have tried most bedding and deep litter method. I also am a big fan of poop boards. My boards are only 3½ inches away from the removable roost. The close proximity of the poop boards saves eggs from breaking or cracking when they are laid through the night.

This spring, summer and fall I am trying a different tack. I placed a steel wire grid suspended 3½ inches above my covered vinyl floor (the height of a 2x4). The raw hen manure drops through the grid and does not come in contact with my birds what so ever.

The positive results so far I have found are:

1) My chickens feet and birds plumage in general are cleaner.
2) The nest boxes stay cleaner longer
3) My eggs are cleaner as well
4) I eliminated the cost of bedding
5) My chicken manure is better for composting.
6) The manure dries to a hard pellet and for the most part just rolls of the vinyl flooring into the compost bin.
7) Where the coop is well ventilated the well dried manure gives of no noticeable ammonia smell so far.

I especially like this method for the warmer months when the hens spend the majority of the time in the run. It has been well over a month and see no need yet to clean out the drop pit under the wire grid.
I may revert back to the deep litter method through the winter when my hens are confined to the coop. The wire grid may prove taxing to their feet time will tell.

Nest boxes
In my nest boxes I fold the chickens' feed bag to fit (nest boxes are 1 ft³). When a bag gets soiled; fold a new one; pop out the soiled; pop in the new. Feed bags are a nylon mesh bag.
Frozen poop just peels off in below freezing temperatures and just flakes off in summer when left out in the sun to bake and dry.

I have 67 trips around the sun it is the best method I have stumbled upon.

Make sure the twine is removed from the open end of the bag it can get tangled around your birds.



I hold the bag in place with these paper binders.

Easy Peasy Japaneasy

 

[pushjerk]

Leigti, Hokum, great info y'all! Thanks so much.

Never heard of PDZ. Will absolutely give that a go instead of the kitty litter.

Great methods listed above. Once the coop floor is in order, will give them a go.

Everyone is dogging their new crib so far. Will be good once it gets more comfortable and we get our systems in place.

 

[pushjerk]

Deep litter (pine shavings) is on my list of considerations.

What's the consensus of Sand in the coop?

 

[Egghead_Jr]

The thing with coops is there is not only poop but urine. You can scoop the poop from sand just like a cat box but eventually it will soaking with ammonia which is unpleasant odor and unhealthy for the birds. Pine shavings is a better option and for those that have the space for real deep liter method that's a good option too.

Nice coop. I suggest you take the boards out that are between your rafters then cover that area with hardware cloth. I see you've a window but for ventilation for hot summer and enough ventilation to rid the coop of moisture in winter that top area should be open both ends of slant. Fresh air comes in bottom of roof travels along roof line mixing with the moist and ammonia air then exits the top of roof slant. All you'll ever need and eliminates winter drafts on the birds that open window would cause.

 

[pushjerk]

My thresh holds on the human and chicken doors are only about 2", so litter might not get much deeper than that. Still feeling out pine shavings, a good 2-3" is in there now.

I've read only good things about sand. Keep me honest folks. I've read it dries out poop well, drains well, and moisture evaporates quite well from it given good ventilation.

To segue into ventilation, in my coop above, I've got a fair amount of ventilation going on. The vent visible there is over a 15"x3" hole in the side, another on the opposite side, and a 15"x5" on the back, for a total of nearly 14 sq ft of ventilation for our eventual six chickens. Enough?

 

[Egghead_Jr]

15x5x3= 225 square inches. To keep you honest (and I went 5 inches high for each vent not 3) that is 1.56 square feet of ventilation. My opinion is you should open up the top slant of roof between rafters, cover with hardware cloth, and that would be the outlet for the vents you've put in to be inlets of air flow. That would be sufficient and you'll have no problems come cold months without heat.

For the little space supplied for litter I'd add a board to both the chicken and human board to allow for 4-5 inches of pine shavings. I don't use sand so can't comment more on that.